Pack of THREE : Top HR Courses on Workplace Investigations

Overview: Many employers struggle to gather information during witness interviews in investigations. Many employees for a variety of reasons are reluctant to be involved and can be less than forthcoming. Many employers struggle to gather information during witness interviews in investigations. Many employees for a variety of reasons are reluctant to be involved and can be less than forthcoming.

Friends of employees and those accused of an offense are often downright angry and vengeful. In investigations, to meet its employer obligations, it's crucial that interviews are structured to capture and gather all available accurate information, notwithstanding employee emotions that are often running high.

This webinar will help investigators move through what often seems an investigatory maze. Some investigators, unable to gather information, turn to body language to make determinations of credibility. Not only can that approach be fraught with indefensible and challengeable findings, TV shows while entertaining, are not good training for interpreting body language. This webinar will cover ways to assess body language while combining with the facts as presented.

Investigations by their very nature tend to leave at the least some employee relations damage amongst employees. It's important that an employer learn how to take steps to avoid retaliatory behavior towards individuals involved in investigations or making complaints. Additionally there are steps an employer can take to minimize the inevitable gossip and side taking that disrupts business.

Overview: When we think of workplace investigations, the most common thought is that of investigating harassment complaints.

When we think of workplace investigations, the most common thought is that of investigating harassment complaints.

But workplace investigations are often necessary to discover, prevent and address other problems - such as theft, safety or OSHA issues, retaliation, vandalism, substance abuse, social media violations, company policy violations, and so on.

As an employer you have a duty to investigate, and as an employee, you have an obligation to cooperate with the investigative process. But what if you have a recalcitrant complainant, wrongdoer or witness?

You know that documentation and writing a final report are critical aspects of an investigation process - and should begin as soon as an employee makes a complaint.

But do you know how to document the critical elements of a report so that you can minimize your liability? One of the first questions you need to consider is whether the complaint requires a full-blown formal investigation or a less formal resolution because the complaint is a minor policy violation.

Do you know what steps to take if you need to search an employee's desk, computer, smart phone or locker? And when should you include legal counsel, and what evidence do you need to gather?

Join this webinar by industry veteran Susan Strauss, who will answer all these questions - and teach you the art and science of conducting an investigation. Strauss will walk you through the best practices on how to conduct a fair and impartial investigation, and reduce your organization's risk of liability.

Overview: When an employee complains that he or she is experiencing harassment of any type, the employer has a legal, ethical, and employee-relations obligation to investigate the charges thoroughly.

When an employee complains that he or she is experiencing harassment of any type, the employer has a legal, ethical, and employee-relations obligation to investigate the charges thoroughly. The employer can't decide whether to believe the employee but must take him or her at their word.

If an employer hears rumors that harassment is occurring, the employer must investigate the potential harassment. This may include hearing gossip from other employees, it may involve instances in which non involved employees or friends of the targeted employee bring up the subject with Human Resources to help their coworker or friend who is embarrassed to go to HR. It can also include any instance in which an employee tells HR about questionable behavior that they have witnessed.

These are examples of just how seriously employers must take sexual and any other form of employee harassment that is or may be occurring in their workplace. Assuming the decision is made to investigate the report, there should be protocols in place to get started, including a method for choosing the investigator, assigning the case and tracking and reporting on the investigation.

It's imperative that employers understand how to evaluate the scope of their internal investigations, how to document steps taken along the way, and how to insulate their organization from subsequent lawsuits. Additionally, it's also important for employers to ensure all parties are treated fairly during the process and be sensitive to how the organization's process is communicated and implemented.

While no employer wants to be accused of harassment, all employers need to be armed with the knowledge of how to proceed should they find themselves in the position not having to defend themselves against a harassment charge. Employers must ensure they are properly prepared at the outset of an investigation to conduct effective and legally-compliant investigations into the harassment.