Workplace Investigations from Complaint to Closure: A Step-by-Step Guide for HR

Workplace Investigations Webinar Recording

An employee comes to you with a complaint. How do you conduct an investigation -- without placing your organization at risk for costly litigation?

It's easier than ever for an employee to turn a simple complaint into a full-blown discrimination or retaliation lawsuit. To protect your organization, you must have an effective strategy in place for every phase of the process -- from the moment you hear a concern to the days and weeks after your investigation is complete.

When you participate in this interactive live event, you'll get tips for taking an initial compliant and interviewing witnesses. You'll also learn a step-by-step approach to conducting investigations that uncovers the facts and leads to a successful resolution, as well as how to prepare a final report that ties up loose ends and helps prevent the situation from turning into costly conflict. 

You'll also learn:

• Why it's essential to take all complaints about harassment, discrimination, and other alleged workplace misconduct and where to go from there
• What to do when a witness disappears, changes her story, or claims not to remember what happened
• Three things necessary for a thorough and practical investigation 
  - Act on the basis of good information; 
  - Follow up after the investigation to determine if discipline or termination is needed 
  - Give your employee a chance to tell his side of the story
• How to put your findings in a clear and cohesive report that supports your conclusion following the investigation
• Tips for drafting your documentation with the reader in mind so it’s obvious to an independent third party (like a judge or jury) that your organization acted reasonably under the circumstances
• Best practices for properly documenting all internal workplace investigations and the cost of getting it wrong
• How to ensure that all employees are being treated equally
• The difference between objective statements and subjective comments -- and why you MUST know the difference
• Dos and don'ts for communicating with the alleged offender
• Steps to ensure that a post-investigation retaliation lawsuit has little chance of success

In just 90 minutes, you'll learn a step-by-step approach for conducting investigations that uncover the facts behind employee complaints. Register now for this informative event especially for HR professionals.

This webinar was recorded on Thursday, March 8, 2012

Workplace Investigations from Complaint to Closure: A Step-by-Step Guide for HR

About Your Speaker:

Attorney Robert A. Kaiser is a member of the Employment and Labor practice group at Armstrong Teasdale representing emerging and mature businesses in labor and personnel-related disputes. Because employment and labor laws and regulations continue to evolve, he deftly guides management in creating “fences” and boundaries to assess risks and decrease litigation. As counsel to both public and private sector employers, including manufacturing companies, health care providers and governmental entities, Mr. Kaiser advocates in employment matters throughout the country involving discrimination and wrongful discharge. He is particularly knowledgeable with respect to complicated business deals, executive employment agreements, compensation plans, change-in-control agreements, confidentiality and non-compete agreements. Mr. Kaiser also conducts workplace training as part of management leadership programs and speaks to a wide variety of audiences on divergent subjects such as family and medical leave, age discrimination, and wage and hour law.