Employee Misconduct Investigations for South Florida Employers
When an employer suspects an employee is stealing, misusing company time, working a competing job on the clock, or violating policy, the response matters as much as the underlying conduct. A clumsy internal investigation creates legal exposure. A documented, professional one resolves the situation cleanly and protects the employer if the matter ends in litigation.
Wasser Investigations provides South Florida employers, HR teams, and employment counsel with confidential workplace misconduct investigations conducted to evidentiary standards from day one. Since 1985, our licensed Florida investigators have worked closely with HR and outside counsel to resolve workplace matters without alerting the subject or triggering the broader workforce concerns that follow visible internal investigations.
Misconduct We Investigate
Workplace misconduct takes many forms. We work cases involving:
Time theft, including buddy-punching and falsified hour reporting
FMLA, ADA, or workers' comp leave abuse, including secondary employment during reported incapacity
Theft of inventory, materials, equipment, or proprietary information
Conflict of interest, including undisclosed side businesses or competing employment
Non-compete and non-solicitation violations by current or recently departed employees
Vendor kickback schemes and procurement fraud
Drug, alcohol, or other policy violations during work hours
Workplace harassment or hostile work environment fact-finding (in coordination with counsel)
How We Approach a Workplace Investigation
Every engagement begins with a confidential intake call with the employer or counsel. We need to understand the suspected conduct, what has already been documented internally, who is aware of the investigation, and what the desired outcome is. From that conversation, we build an approach that fits the situation.
- Discreet surveillance of the employee on company time and during reported leave periods
- Background research and pattern-of-life analysis to identify secondary employment or undisclosed activity
- Coordinated digital evidence work where company-owned devices or accounts are in scope
- Witness interviews structured to preserve admissibility, conducted in coordination with employment counsel
- Asset and lifestyle analysis where theft or fraud is suspected
Every action is taken with the assumption that the matter may end in termination, civil litigation, or criminal referral, and that the investigation file may be reviewed by opposing counsel.
The pace of the investigation is set by the employer's tolerance for risk. Some situations call for a fast, focused engagement to confirm or rule out specific suspicions within days. Others, particularly suspected long-running schemes with multiple parties or kickback arrangements, require a slower, multi-stage build to capture the full scope before anyone is alerted. The intake conversation establishes which approach fits the situation.
Confidentiality Is Non-Negotiable
An investigation that becomes known to the subject before it is complete is an investigation that has failed. Every Wasser engagement is structured around that reality. Surveillance is unmarked. Records research is silent. Internal communications stay limited to the smallest necessary circle, typically the employer's designated decision-maker and outside counsel. We do not contact coworkers, family members, or other parties without explicit authorization, and never in ways that would signal to the subject that an investigation is underway.
Working With HR, In-House Counsel, and Outside Firms
Most employee misconduct engagements involve coordination across HR, in-house counsel, and outside employment counsel. We work all three configurations. Reports can be delivered through counsel under work-product protection, structured for inclusion in disciplinary files, or formatted for use in arbitration, EEOC response, or civil litigation. The strategic question of how an investigation feeds into employment action is owned by the employer and their counsel. Our role is to deliver the factual record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the employee know they are being investigated?
No, not from us. Confidentiality is operational standard. Surveillance is unmarked, records work is silent, and we never contact third parties in ways that would alert the subject. The investigation is invisible from the subject's perspective.
Can investigation findings be used to terminate an employee?
That decision belongs to the employer and their counsel. Our role is to produce a factual, documented record that supports whatever employment action the employer chooses to take. Our work product is built to withstand scrutiny in arbitration, EEOC proceedings, or civil litigation.
Do you work directly with employment counsel?
Yes. Many engagements run through outside or in-house employment counsel for work-product protection. We coordinate directly with counsel on scope, deliverables, and reporting cadence.
How do you handle FMLA or workers' comp leave abuse investigations?
These are some of the most common engagements. We document the employee's actual activity during reported leave periods through surveillance and pattern-of-life work, structured to support carrier referral or employment action.
What does the deliverable include?
Timestamped video and photographic evidence, a written investigator's report, chain-of-custody documentation, witness statements where applicable, and investigator availability for arbitration, deposition, or court testimony.
If you suspect employee misconduct and need a confidential, defensible investigation.
Call (305) 278-8700. The first conversation is private, at no charge, and structured around your specific situation.
Call (305) 278-8700LICENSED FLORIDA AGENCY #A3200002