Overview:

Conducting an internal investigation is a vital piece of EEO compliance. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which is the cornerstone of employment law, requires that any discrimination complaint be swiftly and thoroughly investigated. Organizations who do not properly conduct the investigation are at tremendous risk of lawsuits, fines and/or settlements, many of them in six plus figures. Other anti-discrimination laws, including Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination Employment Act, Drug Free Workplace Act and OSHA regulations also require immediate and swift investigations of discrimination and safety complaints. This webinar will include a step-by-step process for conducting an investigations and strategies for dealing with difficult investigation issues. The webinar speaker is an EEOC trained investigator and highly experienced investigator - she will share a wealth of her experience to provide an informative session.

Why should you attend: No two investigations are the same - even a seasoned veteran who has handled discrimination complaints and conducted internal investigations can benefit from this session. The risk of not conducting an investigation properly is substantial in terms of fines, penalties and settlements, but also court costs and deterioration in the company’s reputation. This webinar will present plain language ideas for conducting investigations.

Areas Covered in the Session:

• Laws requiring employers to conduct investigations
• Identifying the need for an investigation
• Common causes for investigations
• Goals of an internal investigation
• Hearing the initial complaint
• Training managers how to respond to a complaint
• Preparing the investigation strategy
• Selecting the appropriate investigator(s)
• Identifying potential witnesses
• Identifying relevant documents
• Identifying appropriate and relevant electronic records, files and communication
• Securing files and records during the investigation
• Preparing and conducting the investigative interview
• Question preparation and formatting
• Conducting the interview
• Developing the facts
• The importance of summarizing and reviewing responses during the interview
• The importance of patience when conducting the interview
• Note-taking strategies
• Reading body language
• Conducting a post-interview evaluation
• Preparing an interview summary
• Preparing the final report
• Managing challenges during an internal investigation, including hostile witnesses, attempts to tamper with documents related to the investigation, managing confidentiality and mitigating gossip
• Helpful resources and websites

Who Will Benefit:

• Human Resources Professionals
• HR Directors
• HR Managers
• HR Specialists and Generalists
• Especially those who conduct Internal Investigations