Investigations into Bullying & Harassment Complaints, Grievances and Potential Disciplinary Issues

When is a Workplace Investigation Necessary ?

There are many situations that arise in the workplace that will require a robust independent investigation to be undertaken prior to any further steps or processes being initiated including:

• alleged misconduct such as theft, misuse of company resources; 
• bullying and harassment complaints raised by employees against colleagues, managers or other parties;
• alleged breaches of policies and procedures; or
• grievances raised by employees about workplace issues. 

How Should Investigations be Conducted ?

It is critical that the investigation stage is undertaken in a manner that produces evidence based data to inform any further stages that may be necessary such as a disciplinary hearing. It is also necessary that the investigation stage of a process is conducted by personnel that will not be involved in any later processes that may arise on foot of the findings of an investigation. Furthermore, the rules of natural justice, various statutory codes of practice as well as organisational procedures will underpin how allegations and complaints need to be investigated including:

• the right of employees to be allowed respond fully to any allegations raised against them;
• the right of employees to have a fair and unbiased hearing; 
• the right to have relevant evidence and witnesses reviewed; 
• the right to be accompanied at investigation meetings; and 
• the right to have workplace grievances heard.

Why Use an External Independent Investigator ?

Often organisations due to their size or due to the complexity of the issues involved will not have the capacity or expertise to conduct independent and objective investigations and can leave themselves exposed to litigation and their processes being deemed unfair.  Even if there is clear evidence to support allegations of misconduct or employee complaints, very often compensation will be awarded to employees if the investigation process is not deemed to be fair and robust.

HR Solutions have a vast amount of experience and expertise in conducting a broad range of workplace investigations and offers the following benefits to organisations who use its   professional investigation services:

• Independent and unbiased investigations;
• Comprehensive and professional interviewing of relevant parties;
• Clear evidence based reports to support findings and recommendations;
• Confidential service for all parties;
• Excellent understanding of HR processes and procedures.

If you would like further information on our investigation services please feel free to contact us.