What do Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, and even Inspector Gadget have in common? They know anything and everything about investigating. And sometimes investigations are necessary in the workplace. A proper workplace investigation helps you manage EEO Charges, Department of Labor disputes, and other employment law situations.

The type of workplace investigations you will encounter working in HR will vary from compensation complaints, sexual harassment, abusive managers, to even simple incidents like reports of smoking on company property.

Develop and Communicate a Workplace Investigation Process

A workplace investigation process is more than a checklist. It creates a protocol that should be communicated to all employees.

The leadership team should understand all facets of the process. It’s important to be trained on receiving and communicating employee complaints, and on the mechanisms that exist for employees to air their grievances. These might include, but are not limited to: talking to a manager, a member of human resources, or reporting a concern anonymously.

Plan and Anticipate Investigation Challenges

Conducting workplace investigations is a challenging, but important, responsibility for HR professionals. When it comes to employee investigations the best defense is an aggressive offense. As a leader in your organization, develop communication channels to ensure that managers know how to handle countless situations that may arise.

4 Tips on Conducting a Proper Workplace Investigation

• Document, Document, Document. From employee statements to your investigation notes, the more information you have, the better you can provide a proper recommendation.

• Establish Expectations. When conducting interviews and taking statements with employees, it’s important to establish expectations with all parties involved. Be upfront and discuss the importance of maintaining confidentiality, refraining from retaliation, and the consequences involved if the former two are not followed.

• Gather Evidence. Apart from interviews and statements, check employee files and other workplace incidents or documentation. In my retail HR career, it was common to request and review video footage from common areas like the sales floor, cash registers, and parking lots to determine a timeline of events. Don’t forget to look at past investigations and outcomes to determine if there is an established precedent.

• Be Objective. As the investigator, be objective. Avoid passing judgement on anyone involved in the investigation. Be prepared to conduct interviews and investigations that involve employees from all parts of the investigation. One of my first workplace investigations was an abuse complaint made by an employee against a manager. This manager was also my peer. Yet I knew I had to remain professional, objective, and uphold confidentiality at all times.

Communicating Your Investigation Results and Recommendations

At the close of your investigation, it’s important to sit down with your management team and openly discuss the results and your recommendations. These conversations are not always easy to have, especially if they involve disciplinary action or a move to terminate an employee. Be direct, provide solid reasoning to support your recommendations, and be open to relevant feedback. And in no time, you’ll be saying, it’s elementary, my dear Watson!