The Missing Element to Building Trust In Workplace Investigations

You’re all too familiar with the frustration when another complaint of harassment, discrimination, or bullying surfaces in your workplace. It’s a cascade of emotions: dread, shock, disbelief, and maybe even a touch of skepticism. These reactions are normal when dealing with complex HR situations that can feel overwhelming. Sometimes, it’s so confusing that it’s hard for you to process. Now, imagine how the employees are experiencing it.

As HR professionals and first-line investigators, we step into this space as fact-finders and guides. Our job isn’t just to unravel the facts and navigate human stories that can profoundly affect lives. It’s a responsibility that goes beyond the technical aspects of the job.

When we investigate, it’s not just about gathering evidence or following procedures; it’s about ensuring the individual’s human experience is understood and acknowledged. This can be tricky.

Of course, it is easy to get wrapped up in the technicalities, policies, documentation, and evidence. However, when employees come forward, we often forget their emotional journeys, and those involved in the investigation.

It’s not just another complaint in the cue; it’s the stories of people who deserve empathetic treatment in specific ways. The employer/HR lead/Investigator should view every participant as a ‘Vulnerable Person’ (an expansion of trauma-informed). This method helps employees feel seen, respected, and treated as individuals, each with their own needs during investigations.

Yes, there will be findings, but the purpose goes far beyond that. It’s about reinforcing the values of transparency, fairness, empathy and respect within the organization. Employees trust the company more when it treats their experiences respectfully, carefully, and individually. However, if someone mishandles an investigation, it can have a detrimental and lasting impact on the employee’s emotional state, leading to feelings of betrayal, frustration, and disengagement.

That’s why we must stay committed to conducting thorough and unbiased investigations as leaders in this field, and creating spaces where employees feel comfortable coming forward, knowing the right person will appropriately take their complaints and handle them compassionately.

Ultimately, workplace investigations are more than just substantiating or not substantiating complaints; they’re an opportunity to strengthen the organization and improve the employee experience. By acknowledging vulnerable participants first and demonstrating transparency, fairness, and empathy at every step, we create a workplace where everyone feels supported, valued, and able to thrive, and maybe as a result, it will elevate your employee experience.

Written by: Kelly Burgess, Director of Workplace Investigations at Reed Research.