Conflicts of interest & moonlighting
Side businesses operated on company time, competing work or secondary employment that may breach contractual obligations.
Independent policy breach investigations
Enforce your policies fairly. Establish the facts independently.
Dekela provides objective HR investigations into employee handbook violations, conflicts of interest, unauthorised absence, misuse of company assets and other internal policy breaches for UK employers.
Confidential · Impartial · Fixed-fee scoping
UK SMEs & charities Objective fact-finding Acas-aligned process Transparent fixed-fee scope
When consistent enforcement matters
Your handbook is only effective when its rules are applied fairly.
When an employee appears to ignore a company policy, the response must be carefully handled. Claims that the rule was unclear, inconsistently enforced or applied selectively can quickly undermine confidence in an internal process.
Dekela cuts through internal politics, tests the evidence and gives everyone involved a fair opportunity to be heard. Our independent findings help your appointed decision-maker determine the appropriate next step.
Policy investigations at a glance
- For UK SMEs, charities and regional organisations
- Handbook, contractual and conduct rule breaches
- Independent, evidence-led fact-finding
- A clear written investigation report
- Defined scope and transparent pricing
Why employers outsource
Replace internal friction with a neutral, structured process.
The common challenge is not simply identifying the rule. It is demonstrating that the rule was known, enforceable and applied consistently.
| The internal HR risk | The Dekela outsourced approach |
|---|---|
| Accusations of biasAn employee claims they have been singled out unfairly by their manager. | Independent fact-findingAn external investigator considers relevant evidence objectively and gives the employee a fair opportunity to respond. |
| Inconsistent enforcementManagers interpret the handbook differently or similar conduct has previously been overlooked. | Policy and practice analysisWe compare the alleged behaviour with the written rules and examine evidence of how the policy was communicated and applied. |
| The “I did not know” defenceThe employer cannot readily show that the employee was made aware of the policy. | Rigorous evidence gatheringWe examine induction records, acknowledgements, distribution emails and other relevant evidence of awareness. |
What we investigate
Independent fact-finding across workplace policy breaches.
Every investigation is scoped around the policy, alleged conduct, available evidence and people involved.
Code of conduct violations
Unprofessional behaviour, serious insubordination or conduct that may bring the organisation into disrepute.
Absence & timekeeping breaches
Unauthorised absence, suspected fraudulent sick leave or repeated failure to follow reporting procedures.
Misuse of company assets
Unauthorised personal use of company vehicles, corporate cards, systems, equipment or other resources.
Health & safety violations
Conduct that may breach internal safety procedures and put the employee, colleagues or others at risk.
Does the concern involve suspected theft, fraud or serious misuse of company information? Explore our employee misconduct investigation service.
SME case study
Conflict of interest and undisclosed secondary employment.
A regional employer suspected that a senior employee was operating a competing side business and diverting commercial opportunities, potentially breaching conflict-of-interest and secondary-employment clauses.
Dekela reviewed the signed contract, relevant company records and lawfully available public information, then conducted a formal investigatory meeting so the employee could respond to the evidence.
The outcome
The evidence supported findings that relevant contractual policies had been breached. The independent report enabled the employer to move into its formal decision-making process with a clear factual record.
Details have been generalised to protect confidentiality.A fair, defensible process
How a policy breach investigation works.
We define the question carefully, establish what evidence exists and give the employee a proper opportunity to explain their actions.
- 01
Policy audit & scope
We review the handbook, relevant policy, employment contract and terms of reference to identify the rule and allegation.
- 02
Evidence collation
We gather proportionate records such as timesheets, expense claims, acknowledgements, vehicle data or relevant communications.
- 03
Impartial meetings
We conduct structured, non-leading interviews and give the employee a fair opportunity to explain or provide mitigating evidence.
- 04
Investigation report
We provide an objective report with findings on the balance of probabilities against each allegation in scope.
Common questions
Policy breach investigation questions, answered.
For advice about a live situation, speak to our team in confidence.
Can we discipline an employee if the policy is not written down?
It is much harder, but not always impossible. An employer may need to establish a widely understood custom and practice or show that the conduct was so clearly unacceptable that a reasonable employee should have understood it. We examine the available evidence and report the facts; the employer remains responsible for deciding what action follows and should take legal advice where appropriate.
What if the employee claims they never read the employee handbook?
We look for evidence that the employer took reasonable steps to make the rules available, including onboarding checklists, signed acknowledgements, distribution emails and relevant intranet records. The investigation also gives the employee a fair opportunity to explain what they understood and why they acted as they did.
Is a policy breach ordinary misconduct or gross misconduct?
That depends on the seriousness of the conduct, the wording of the relevant policy, consistency of previous enforcement and all surrounding circumstances. Minor breaches may be handled as ordinary misconduct, while a sufficiently serious breach may potentially amount to gross misconduct. Our report establishes the facts so the appointed decision-maker can determine the appropriate next step.
Confidential initial conversation
Enforce your policies safely and consistently.
Share a high-level outline in confidence. We’ll discuss the allegation, evidence and appropriate scope before agreeing a transparent fixed-fee proposal.