In every workplace, employee conflicts and bullying happen. There are specific obstacles to claims of bullying, abuse, fraud, and other wrongdoing. They can be private, complicated, and unpleasant. When situations like this happened, human resource representatives will investigate them to handle such sticky situations. However, conducting an investigation is not easy. Also, you have to compose a report to make the investigation formal. Luckily, we share our downloadable workplace investigation report templates to help you get started. Keep scrolling and learn more below.
Investigation can sound like an overwhelming term, but an investigation may be the only way to deal with a sticky situation when a disturbing problem occurs in your workplace. A workplace investigation is a process of examining an issue between or with workers. The examination and evaluation aim to analyze the allegations in detail, to determine and evaluate the facts, and to decide clearly whether or not the employee has committed misconduct. Usually, human resource representatives conduct this kind of evaluation and investigation.
There are so many reasons for a workplace investigation report. It is carried out within the company’s premises when there are difficulties or problems. It is a document based on the official conclusions it provides that include the correct action. Measures and actions can include termination of jobs, disciplinary action, training, counseling, or some other outcome-based appropriate action.
Interviews are essential to a fair conclusion for workplace inquiries. Done correctly, they will reveal vital data and corroborate the account of the misconduct of a co-worker. They can lead to significant consequences for a company, including substantial harm, back pay awards, or even full reinstatement of an employee if poorly performed. To know what are the right things to do to make a fair investigation, here are six essential practices for workplace investigation interviews:
To properly get the facts of any employee misconduct allegation, you will need to interview both the employee making the accusation and the accused. Also, you must determine if there are any witnesses. If there are, you must interview them as well.
Before the interview starts, you must inform both sides about why you are going to interview them. Let them know that you will be asking questions related to the incident that they have been involved. Also, assure them that you will never leak anything for confidentiality purposes. Moreover, you also provide an opportunity to give them their side of the story. In this way, you can balance the situation.
Each company should have HR policies and processes that clearly define a procedure for a workplace investigation. Such guidelines will also specify conditions for an investigation interview. Usually, only such HR practitioners or executives are considered eligible and are thus allowed to perform an investigation interview. Internal investigations must stick to company guidelines, and as the eligible interviewer, you must observe all necessary procedures before conducting any interviews.
The objective of conducting timely interviews is to ensure that the parties can recall the incident and remember the facts as truthful and informative as possible. If either of both parties is present at that time for any reasons they may have, you must ensure that interviews are arranged immediately after their return and record the reasons for the delay.
During the interview, you must ask the right questions and treat them fairly. As a human resource representative, you have a standard list of questions that should be asked during investigation interviews. Don’t use harsh or unrelatable questions, and always remember you must have to be fair. Using the right questions can lead you to handle the situation fairly and credibly.
It is your duty, as the interviewer, to take notes and record both the main observations and the interview responses. It can help you in creating a detailed report. The report should include the date, the location, and the names of both accused and complainant.
The investigation should commence right after you learn about the case. The investigation can take 24-72 hours. It depends on how many witnesses are involved and how many people need to be interviewed.
An employer will not dismiss you whether you are filing a complaint about unsafe conditions, filing a workers’ compensation claim, reporting wage law violations, or even reporting discrimination. These are your rights as a worker.
After the investigation, the investigator will have a detailed written report summarizing and analyzing all the given proof. The decision and the steps will follow and execute based on the investigation’s conclusions and results.
When troubling circumstances happen in the workplace, you often need to perform an investigation as the assigned personnel. However, the process is not easy. It requires too much work and time. And, you have to create a detailed report after the investigation. The next time you perform an investigation in your workplace, you can use our workplace investigation report template. They’re downloadable. Check out our site and download it now!
