Conducting a Workplace Harassment Investigation: Techniques to Determine Facts and Minimize Liability (2-Hour Boot Camp)

OVERVIEW The EEOC requires that employers receiving a harassment complaint, or otherwise learning of alleged harassment in the workplace, “investigate promptly and thoroughly…take immediate and appropriate corrective action by doing whatever is necessary to end the harassment, make the victim whole by restoring lost employment benefits or opportunities, and prevent the misconduct from recurring”. That’s a tall order to ensure a just and fair handling of a harassment complaint — an essential order that all organizations are required to follow. The investigation process is, perhaps, the most critical element in dealing with internal harassment. In cases that have gone to court it is often due to inadequate or absent investigations of complaints. While there is no such legal requirement for instances of bullying (in which the definition varies widely), it is at the organization’s peril to not conduct a bullying investigation. Employees and their attorneys are using var...