Influencing workplace processes

“Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance.”

Albert Einstein

Bullying and harassment allegations usually produce two responses: “it couldn’t happen here” and “let’s get the lawyers immediately.”

Our workplace process has been highly praised for fairness and clarity.

With Workplace Health and Safety legislation the onus on organisations to deal effectively with workplace bullying, harassment, and workplace misconduct is greater than ever. Our investigation team provides an unparalleled approach to the conduct of workplace investigations. We identify the cause of the disputes; not simply resolve the symptoms. We ensure the highest level of procedural fairness and natural justice, while protecting your reputation as the employer.

We were also a founding member of AAWI The Australian Association of Workplace Investigators.

Our workplace investigation approach

Over the course of many successfully completed investigations, we have developed a proven set of Standard Operating Procedures that are shared and agreed upon with our clients before our services commence.

Pivotal aspects of our process include the following:

It is imperative for all investigation interviews to be recorded, with transcripts produced, signed off by the interviewee, and made available during the process. This facilitates the unfettered right of reply by key parties.

We interview not only the complainant and respondent, but also relevant witnesses. We also factor in documentary evidence. This prevents inaccurate opinions being formed solely on the basis of one person’s word against another. We also establish boundaries for agreed disclosure that allows for useful discussions while maintaining strict confidentiality principles.

At the conclusion of a workplace investigation, we provide our client with a detailed report setting out our evaluation of the situation and our determination as to whether specific allegations have been proven. We detail the evidence that supports our assessment.

We proceed with no assumptions. We know that what is meant by “mediation”, “investigation”, “harassment”, and “bullying” is not necessarily the same for all parties. Therefore, we explore the meaning of relevant terms and record agreed definitions for all involved parties.

We provide complete transparency, honesty and accountability. We guarantee our impartiality and confidentiality in addressing all workplace concerns.

Our approach ensures the highest level of procedural fairness, equal opportunity and natural justice, which retains employee goodwill and protects employer reputation.

We take great pride in working with organisations to enhance their unique strengths, brand and vision, while evaluating and managing the implementation of policies and procedures to prevent recurrences.