Building a safe and compliant workplace is essential, and selecting the right partner is crucial. With Work Shield, organizations gain proactive, third-party support that protects their reputation, finances, and long-term growth by effectively resolving workplace misconduct. Experienced in third-party misconduct management and investigations, we’ve seen firsthand how organizations can shift from reactive crisis management to proactive risk mitigation. With proven results across various industries, we’re committed to fostering compliant workplaces and driving long-term success for organizations of all sizes.
Why Traditional Misconduct Reporting Falls Short — And What to Do Instead
Despite an increased focus on compliance and employee well-being, workplace misconduct still remains a problem. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s 2024 Annual Performance Report, the agency secured nearly $700 million in relief for victims of employment discrimination alone. While some organizations can afford to pay out settlements when these issues arise, others could close their doors if not handled properly. Yet this represents only a fraction of total incidents.
The real cost? Reputational damage, productivity loss, legal fees, and employee attrition. Many employees stay silent due to fear of retaliation or skepticism that their complaints will lead to real change.
To earn employee trust, organizations must provide accessible, confidential, and secure reporting channels. Anonymous hotlines and web-based portals are now table stakes, but the key is ensuring those tools are backed by unbiased processes and fast, fair resolution.
Modern HR teams are stretched thin. Between compliance requirements and a growing list of responsibilities, few have the capacity to effectively manage misconduct alone, let alone train internal teams on impartial investigations.
Work Shield’s misconduct solution helps bridge that gap by offering a trusted risk management solution that resolves issues faster and reduces internal pressure on HR. With confidential intake methods available 24/7 and third-party investigators handling investigations impartially, organizations reduce legal exposure and enhance fairness for all involved.
Simplifying Workplace Investigations
Internal workplace investigations can waste precious internal resources, taking longer to resolve due to limited capabilities or inefficient processes. Work Shield’s comprehensive platform simplifies the reporting process by providing safe and secure reporting that is available via app, website or phone 24/7. This makes it easy for employees to report misconduct confidentially quickly, anonymously or non-anonymously. Once reported, Work Shield takes action to conduct the investigation in an efficient and timely manner.
Partnering with an unbiased third-party helps organizations reduce bias and reach fair, objective resolutions faster, without fear of productivity and financial loss. This also helps employees know their employer is prioritizing these incidents and will handle them effectively, treating everyone fairly and consistently.
Using Misconduct Data to Drive Change
When organizations treat misconduct data as a compliance checkbox, they miss opportunities for transformation. The real value lies in identifying patterns, hot spots, and emerging risks, then acting on that insight. Work Shield understands the importance of this, offering robust reporting tools that give leaders real-time access to critical data with the ability to manage misconduct incidents straight from the misconduct management platform. Leaders can then utilize this data to deploy more effective risk management strategies across their organizations.
By identifying patterns early, leadership and HR teams can make smarter, proactive decisions that contribute to a more productive workplace and significant risk reduction. These insights can be used not only to resolve immediate issues but also to develop targeted strategies that drive ongoing compliance and mitigate future risks.
What Effective Misconduct Management Looks Like in Practice
The impact of partnering with Work Shield extends far beyond compliance. Here are a few case studies demonstrating how our system resolves misconduct issues efficiently while protecting organizational reputation and reducing financial risk:
- Automotive Company: Over the span of two years, an automotive company had 124 harassment or discrimination incidents and paid out $427,390 in settlement and attorney fees. The following year, this organization partnered with Work Shield to intake, investigate and provide incident management solutions to all harassment and discrimination issues, and saw a decrease of 59% in incidents reported annually.
- Education Facility: An education facility with an increasing and diverse employee population turned to Work Shield when facing challenges in promoting equity and inclusion among both faculty and students. Work Shield provided an immediate, impartial platform for reporting harassment, discrimination and other misconduct, recording 13 incidents reported with $371,096 in annual savings compared to incident costs without Work Shield.
- Restaurant: Restaurants are particularly susceptible to workplace misconduct issues. For several years, a national restaurant management organization had an average of 2.5 EEOC claims filed every year, paid more than $300,000 in legal and settlement fees and lost approximately $70,000 in incident-related personal costs. After partnering with Work Shield, total incident related costs decreased by 81% and EEOC claims filed decreased by 100%.
Onboarding Risk Management Software
Partnering with Work Shield ensures a smooth, stress-free onboarding experience. Our platform is designed for easy implementation with minimal disruption to your workplace. No need for complex integrations. Simply complete the registration process, and our Client Success team will handle the rest.
From day one, our Client Success team provides onboarding support, training resources, webinars, and documentation to help you quickly roll out Work Shield to your employees. Implementation can be completed in just five days or less, followed by an onboarding call to ensure a successful launch. With these resources in place, adopting a comprehensive risk management solution has never been easier.
Key Takeaways for HR Leaders in 2025
- Misconduct remains a major risk, but traditional internal processes aren’t enough.
- Employees trust independent reporting systems more than internal-only channels.
- Speed and neutrality in investigations improve outcomes and limit bias.
- Real-time misconduct data drives smarter decisions and targeted training.
- Partnering with third-party professionals like Work Shield allows HR to focus on strategic initiatives, not get bogged down by the complexities of misconduct management.
Organizations that embrace these best practices will not only reduce risk, but they’ll foster environments rooted in compliance, trust, and accountability.Choosing to partner with Work Shield means choosing a trusted, proven approach to misconduct management. Work Shield’s misconduct management solution, impartial workplace investigations and data-driven HR analytics all work together to create a safer, more compliant workplace. Partner with Work Shield and take a proactive step toward effective risk management. Book a demo today to see firsthand how Work Shield can transform your organization.
