Workplace Investigation
Why engage an independent and impartial workplace investigations specialist to investigate code of conduct complaints such as bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination and serious misconduct?
Investigating workplace misconduct complaints such as bullying and sexual harassment, as well as general disputes between employees or acts of serious misconduct, can sometimes be a complex and time-consuming task. And if these investigations are not conducted promptly and well, they can have serious negative impacts on both the individuals involved as well as the whole organisation.
It is common for workplace misconduct complaints such as bullying or sexual harassment to be ignored due to managers having insufficient time or skills to handle emotionally charged and complex matters.
In many cases, the outcome of an in-house investigation may be rejected by one or both parties because of a perception of bias. Indeed, some managers may be too close to the situation to be able to reach the requisite standard of impartiality.
For this reason, outsourcing workplace investigations to an impartial external expert can be the most practical and time-efficient solution.
Independent Workplace Investigations
Independent workplace investigators specialise in tackling complex and difficult complaint investigations ranging from acts of serious misconduct such as fraud or assault, or complaints about high level bullying, sexual harassment, breaches of anti-discrimination laws and breaches of workplace policy or procedure.
An outsourced investigator can look at a situation with fresh eyes, making impartial findings of fact in relation to allegations of workplace misconduct and provide recommendations about any contributing issues and suggest ways to manage and support the parties to a complaint, post investigation.
Engaging an external investigator with the right experience, will ensure;
- The complaint is managed efficiently and in accordance with the rules of procedural fairness
- The rules of evidence are upheld
- Defensible decisions can be reached based on reliable information
- Managers and core personnel are able to focus on the important work of running the business, meaning less operational disruption
- Those involved in the investigation will have greater confidence in the conclusions reached and any resulting action.
How we manage your workplace investigations
Synergy Workplace Investigations is a specialist organisation focused on giving you best practice solutions to workplace complaint investigation and management.
Our team of highly qualified practitioners, hand-picked for their skill, expertise and thoroughness, has conducted hundreds of workplace investigations across a wide range of industries from factory floor to board level.
We specialise in tricky or complex workplace bullying and harassment complaints, helping you through the process to affect positive outcomes and long-lasting change.
When conducting an investigation, we follow Australian Government Investigation Standards. Our usual process is as follows:
- Receive complaint material and review
- Interview complainant to determine the specifics of the matter to be investigated
- Formulate investigation plan
- Compile brief of allegations
- Conduct interviews with witnesses for the complainant
- Gather any other available evidence
- Conduct interview with the respondent
- Conduct interview with witnesses for the respondent
- Make findings and compile detailed investigation report setting out the allegations, the evidence and providing a detailed explanation of the findings.
So how do you get started with your workplace investigation? Check out this page on How to Start a Workplace Investigation.
We also provide ongoing advice, training and support post-investigation to help organisations manage those involved to rebuild and strengthen relationships.
