Missouri and federal laws sometimes require employers to investigate workplace conduct involving their employees and/or third parties within the workplace. Specifically, various anti-discrimination and civil rights laws, as well as health and safety laws, require employers to investigate employee complaints and accidents (or even complaints from third parties about employees) and take appropriate responsive and/or remedial action.
Consequently, an employer who receives a written or oral complaint concerning some alleged improper conduct by an employee may face an affirmative duty to investigate the allegations. Investigating complaints may also yield additional, practical benefits as well. Even when an employer has received no official complaint concerning improper conduct, it may be required to investigate what information it has received or otherwise knows if it has constructive knowledge (or otherwise reasonably should have known) of that conduct.
While employers are not legally obligated to provide their employees with an internal grievance procedure, many choose to do so in an effort to satisfy employee complaints and to stave off union organizing campaigns. Employees who feel they have no way for their workplace problems and concerns to be heard are more likely to turn to a union for assistance in obtaining a...
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