Airtight Internal Employee Investigations

Duration: 120 minutes

You already know harassment and bullying can get your company sued. You also know that the EEOC requires that you conduct prompt, thorough investigations and take “immediate and appropriate corrective action” when an employer learns of harassment.

While there is no such federal legal guidance for bullying, failing to investigate can still get you in trouble. Employees and their attorneys have successfully sued companies under various tort laws for failing to stop or prevent abuse by workplace bullies.

And here’s another scary possibility: harassment or bullying that is perceived to be motivated by a protected class could end in a nasty discrimination suit if you fail to take appropriate action.

But how do you actually conduct an investigation into harassment and bullying? What questions should you ask (and not ask) to determine whether harassment or bullying actually took place? What assumptions should you make (and not make) about both the victim and the accused? How should you handle interviews with other employees, especially those who may know the parties involved and be reluctant to speak candidly?

These are complex, difficult questions, and the last thing you want is for anyone in your organization to improvise an employee complaint investigation. Handling these discussions professionally can be the difference between a costly lawsuit and a successful investigation that leads to decisive action and keeps you on safe legal ground.

This session is critical for anyone who is responsible for the well-being of employees — HR, managers, team leaders, supervisors, executives and mentors.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Workplace harassment expert Susan Strauss, Esq., will discuss:

How to determine if an investigation is necessary -- even if a complaint has not been formally made
The laws that victims of bullying have sued under and how to understand your liability
A step-by-step instructional guide for conducting an investigation, including a blueprint for interviewing the accuser, accused and witnesses
Action steps that meet the EEOC’s mandate to “make the victim whole by restoring lost employment benefits or opportunities”
The very first step that should be taken in an investigation to protect the victim, the company and even the abuser
How to write a formal report outlining the investigation that will stand up to legal scrutiny
Corrective options and the pros and cons of each option

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Dr. Susan Strauss has been a workplace wellness consultant to a variety of small and medium sized companies. She was also the director of a comprehensive corporate wellness program including developing an in-house fitness center, designing educational programs, employee screenings, among others. She is a seasoned health educator as well as a national and international speaker, trainer and consultant on a variety of training and organization development issues. Her clients are from business, education, healthcare, law, and government organizations from both the public and private sector. In addition to her consulting and positions in wellness, Susan has held positions in training, organization development, and management which enable her to use her multitude of real life experiences to draw on in her training sessions. She has presented to thousands of people over her career to a variety of audiences and receives outstanding evaluations. Susan is a registered nurse, has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and counseling, a master’s degree in community health, and a doctorate in organizational leadership.

Certification

This program has been approved for 2 recertification credit hour through the HR Certification Institute (HRCI) & Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Each purchase is for ONE computer to access the session.
A group may participate in a room together as long as only 1 computer is logged in.
If you need more than one computer to access the webinar, please call customer service at 888-479-2777.
A charge will apply for each connection.