Introduction
As an IT investigator for the Makestuff Company, I have been assigned the task of conducting an investigation regarding suspected theft of intellectual property by Mr. Yourprop, an employee who was terminated earlier today. Since he make some remarks that suggest he has company intellectual property in his possession, which he will take to his new place of employment, a thorough investigation is necessary. Since this could become a criminal investigation, I must make sure my findings will be admissible in court.
Analysis
Acknowledgements Matter
As an IT professional, it is extremely important to follow policies and procedures set in place by my employer, and to enforce those policies which are published within the company’s “Employee Handbook.” Signed acknowledgements that an employee has received and read the company policies gives the employer legal documentation that the employee had accepted responsibility for following company rules. This documentation is critical in legal disputes.
Mr. Yourprop has a copy of the “Employee Handbook.” He did not sign the acknowledgement form that states random searches will be performed. The lack of a signed acknowledgement form does not exempt employees from complying with the policies. “The acknowledgement form merely addresses the receipt of the information and not compliance with the policies.” (SHRM, 2015). While it is not required by law to have signed acknowledgements of policies, having one is extremely beneficial if a case were to be brought before a court. In the case of a policy for random searches for company property, it could be argued that since Mr. Yourprop never signed the acknowledgement, he could claim that he had a reasonable expectation of privacy and such a search would be a violation of that expectation of privacy. Not having a signed acknowledgement would matter because it could hurt