Human Resources Division (HRD) - Employee Misconduct Investigations Branch |
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A majority of EMIBs' responsibility is to conduct investigations into allegations
of employee misconduct. The allegations are referred to EMIB through
the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and from Agency requests.
The misconduct issues pertain to regulations cited in the Personnel Bulletin
No. 735-1 and the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive
Branch.
OIG receives allegations of misconduct via the OIG complaint Hotline from members of the public and Government employees. The complainants often request anonymity and are protected from reprisal by law. Generally, OIG investigates allegations which would merit criminal prosecution. Allegations which merit administrative discipline are usually referred to the Agency for investigation and action. EMIB is required to advise OIG of the outcome of an investigation and disciplinary action taken.
In addition to the OIG Hotline, EMIB receives requests for investigations from Agency sources. A significant number of these are from managers who have detected apparent conduct violations by employees they supervise. Often, they perceive a crisis developing as a result of the apparent misconduct and request that an investigation be conducted as soon as possible. EMIB gives priority to these requests and reports the resolution of both misconduct and program hotline complaints to OIG.
The EMIB investigators collect pertinent documentary evidence and obtain sworn statements from persons who might have information on the alleged violations. Based on this evidence, an investigative report is prepared and submitted to the appropriate employee relations specialists and program manager who determine appropriate action such as suspension, termination, letter of reprimand/caution, or no action. Employees who receive a disciplinary action have appeal rights under the Merit System Protection Board.