A Closer Look at Workplace Investigations (& How to Do One) -

What is a Workplace Investigation, and Who is Involved?

Workplace investigations are often triggered by claims of interpersonal conflict, harassment or bullying, violent conflict, or breaches of policy. These claims are serious and should be addressed as such. Getting to the bottom of the matter quickly and discreetly should be your top priority. Through a workplace investigation, you will need to do all of the following:

Inform all involved parties of the investigation, its confidentiality, and why it is serious

Interview complainant, respondent, and witnesses

Review documentation such as emails and messages

Reflect on all gathered information for viability and credibility

Compile a report of findings with any necessary recommendations

Because many of these steps can be coloured by personal biases of the people conducting the investigation, hiring an outsourced HR consultant firm like Pivot HR can be beneficial. We are unaffected by the outcome and, therefore, will be able to conduct a more impartial investigation and conclusion. This is especially true in cases where the business is small and interconnected.

Why They Are Necessary

Workplace investigations from a professional HR company are extremely necessary when a claim is brought forward. In smaller businesses where coworkers are closely knit, it may be tempting to sweep a claim under the rug. The ethics of this and the implications for the company can produce dire consequences in the long run. The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) requires employers to have a process in place for such complaints to be heard and handled properly. Workplace investigations do just this.

What To Expect: The 5 Steps

A workplace investigation is performed in 5 steps:

Collecting information: This may include statements, interviews, documents, etc.

Reviewing facts: An unbiased party is best fitted for reviewing the facts to determine a conclusion.

Identifying key findings: Summarizing findings will help in planning the next steps.

Planning corrective action: At the conclusion of the workplace investigation, action must be taken.

Making recommendations: Our team at Pivot HR always makes recommendations based on the findings that can help facilitate a better work atmosphere in the future.

If your organization does not have an HR department internally, we recommend outsourcing your investigation to a consulting firm such as Pivot HR Services. Our team works discreetly in gathering information so as to not disrupt the workplace culture as much as we can. A detailed but confidential investigation is what you need to take your worker’s claims seriously.

We are here to help. Contact our team today and give us an overview of your situation. We have experienced consultants in the US and Canada who are ready to assist you in restoring peace to your business.

What Our Clients say about us

“Robin and Mia were both exceptionally professional and responsive and understood our needs. Their work was of great quality. We are a small non-profit organization and we found them very easy and wonderful to work with. Great value and highly recommend.”

~ Joy Masuhara , Co-Chair Women Transforming Cities International Society

“Cindy is a remarkable professional coach, who goes well beyond expectations in supporting her clients’ development. She knows how to ask the right questions and uncover the real and deep issues that contribute to the limitations we put on ourselves. This type of personal exploration is tough work to do alone and remain committed to necessary change. Cindy’s approach and support made this process one of the most impactful experiences of my life, professionally and personally.”

~ Monique Cotton, Firm Administrator, JFK Law Corporation

“As a medium size business with over 100 employees working in very different areas of our operation, Pivot was able to quickly understand our HR needs and offer practical solutions. Robin and the Pivot team worked closely with our Leadership group to implement effective turnkey solutions on time and on budget. We will continue to use Pivot for our ongoing HR needs and would highly recommend their services.”

~ Adam Zubek, General Manager, Point Grey Golf & Country Club

Pivot HR Services provides personalized solutions for our organization’s human resources needs. By engaging their services, we have been able to successfully outsource our HR function, as the Pivot team has demonstrated their ability to understand the HR priorities of our workplace culture and industry.

~ Areef Abraham, Chief Executive Officer Community Power

“Robin developed our employee policy manual with the goal of engaging and retaining our current staff as well as attracting new ones in this highly competitive marketplace. Her in depth knowledge of current legislation and HR policies proved to be of significant benefit. I would highly recommend Robin and the team at Pivot HR Services.”

~ Christopher Soles, President, Nextgen Technologies Ltd.

“Robin has been and continues to be an outstanding resource for our organization to navigate HR issues as we grow. She always approaches problems with professionalism and a keen eye for our best interest. I’d certainly recommend Robin to anyone looking to elevate their HR processes.”

~ Karim Abraham, CEO, Kambo Energy Solutions

“Our firm turned to Robin for advice and guidance at a time when we faced a period of serious difficulty in managing our human resources. She assisted us through the process of putting our relationship with our staff on a stronger, more stable footing and helped us implement a complete overhaul of our human resources policies. We could not be more pleased with the work she has done and continues to do with us.”

~ Robert Janes, QC, Managing Principal JFK Law Corporation