Bullying & Harassment: When to Start an HR Investigation

Common Workplace Bullying

In professional settings, we will see different types of bullying and harassment than in other settings. Behaviours such as belittling coworkers, creating an aggressive or hostile work environment, and sexual harassment are common in HR bullying investigations that the professionals at Pivot HR often see. These can look like any of the following:

Gossiping or spreading lies

Trivializing achievements

Undermining and/or discounting abilities

Jokes about sexual orientation

Constantly interrupting the same person

Making fun of beliefs, values, or religious or political choices

And more.

Read more about types of harassment if you are unsure what constitutes bullying or harassment. Bullying in the workplace tends to be a lot less bold than we imagine it to be, and as a result, it tends to fester for longer before being brought up. Managers, CEOs, senior staff, and others with directly-reporting employees should be able to spot the signs of bullying in the workplace.

What is an HR Investigation?

An HR bullying investigation is when a professional, such as one of our experienced HR consultants at Pivot, comes into the workplace to evaluate claims and investigate further. Outsourcing your bullying and harassment issues to a third party allows an unbiased group to analyze the situation. Our team will swiftly reveal any underlying problems to correct them as soon as possible to avoid further degradation of workplace culture.

Through questioning witnesses and involved parties, assessing credibility, and weighing evidence, we can help your business address any issues between employees. Time is of the essence when it comes to workplace conflict. Let us gather facts to ensure you have all of the information you need to take appropriate action.

How Will an HR Investigation Affect Our Workplace Dynamics?

We train our consultants to be discreet in order to preserve a good company culture. Our investigation will impact your workplace as little as possible while we gather data and facts for reports. We will compile these into suggestions and recommendations for actions that can be taken to correct any identified issues. If you want further help in implementing changes, Pivot HR can assist with this.

Allowing any problems to sit untouched is extremely harmful and can cause irreversible damage to your company’s culture. Contact Pivot HR today if you are concerned about bullying in your business. Let our expert team perform an HR bullying investigation to correct any behaviours as soon as possible.

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