How do you investigate a harassment complaint

Protect employees from physical harm.Submit an inquiry on the eeoc online portal to determine if the eeoc is the right agency to deal with your claim.In the mendoza case, the court held that a lack of rigorous investigation is evidence suggesting defendants did not value the discovery of the truth so much as a way to clean up the mess uncovered when [the.This duty arises whether the complaint is made formally pursuant to an established grievance procedure or harassment.Once a harassment complaint arises, an employer has the affirmative duty to investigate.

You should think about what witnesses and evidence may exist in every case.Identify and evaluate the need for supplementary interviews.Many law firms and private consulting agencies will investigate workplace complaints for a fee.Should litigation over an allegation of harassment eventually occur, the investigator is a first and irreplaceable line of defense.These 13 tips will help you navigate the sensitive and thorny path ahead:

Supervisors should immediately report complaints to hr.It takes strategic planning and a conscious effort to conduct the investigation without leading the participants in any way.The person assigned to the investigation case should be someone who does not.Interviewers should start with basic facts such as details of the incident, when it took place, where it took place, how often the interaction occurred, with whom, how the incident made the employee feel, and the names of.For detailed information about how to investigate, including separate chapters on common problems like harassment, employee theft, drug use, and more, get a copy of the essential guide to workplace investigations, by lisa guerin (nolo).

The first step in an effective procedure is identifying the person who will be responsible for investigating complaints.These should be clear, concise, and specific.For example, if the complaining employee says an incident.And finally the annexes contain additional information, tools, templates and tips to conduct a high.