SaskEnergy and Toronto police allegations showcase challenges for HR in handling group misconduct investigations

Employee misconduct, particularly around fraud or theft, is something that most organizations take seriously. And if it’s more than one employee, it can get even more serious.

Recently, utilities company SaskEnergy fired 13 employees after a loss report discovered internal fuel theft and an internal security investigation revealed the employees were involved in the theft. SaskEnergy reported the thefts to police and hired an independent investigator to look further into the issues, while an internal audit is also being conducted.

In a more serious story, seven Toronto police officers and one former officer have been charged in a probe into organized crime, unlawful database searches, drug and weapons trafficking, and shielding illegal cannabis dispensaries.

HR leaders must look hard at the blind spots that let such employee “rings” form with the purpose of some sort of misconduct, how investigations are run in such circumstances, and how discipline is calibrated once the facts are known, says Mark Alward, an employment lawyer at Taylor McCaffrey in Winnipeg.

Closing the blind spots

Alward says these cases often start small and expand because of gaps in the employer’s oversight.

“One person finds a vulnerability in the system and tests that with something small, and then he tells two friends, then they tell two friends, and so on,” says Alward. “These things...

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