Workplace Assessments & Investigations

Formal investigations and assessments are called for when you need the unbiased perspective of an outside expert.  They are based on interviews and other sources of information such as email records. These inquiries are generally lengthy and expensive, so whether you have me or another consultant do the work, be sure to understand what is being done and what the outcome will be. Otherwise you could end up with a product that is not  satisfying.

Three types of inquiries:

1) Investigations

An investigation determines if wrong doing has occurred and it usually proceeds based on the policy of your organization and in a manner that is consistent with standards such as human rights legislation. It answers questions such as, “Did Ann bully Jennifer on February 7, 2023?” “Is there a pattern of  harassment and discrimination on Bill’s team.”

2) Workplace Assessments or Reviews

A workplace assessment seeks a useful understanding of culture and relationship dynamics in a section of your organization. The purpose is to provide viewpoints and information that will empower you to improve the well-being and productivity of personnel as well as foster a respectful workplace and organizational health.

This link takes you to the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations under the Canada Labour Code. It provides a regulatory perspective on Assessments and Investigations. Investigations are somewhat misleadingly laid out under “Resolution Process.” I say “misleading” because although investigations make a finding on particular behaviours, they may erode trust in a workplace and they often fail to resolve underlying conflict.

3) Hybrid Assessment Investigations

Jane Morley and Jean Greatbatch coined this term for processes that combine elements from both assessments and investigations in a positive way. One example is to conduct interviews that result in a statement of facts about an incident, as in an investigation. But the consultant doesn’t take the next step of making a finding (saying whether a policy was followed or not). Instead, a communication process is built that resolves the conflict which was the context in which the offending behaviours described in the statement of facts occurred.

As an example, if not obliged to formally investigate whether  discrimination has occurred, one could conduct an assessment based on the question, “Is there a pattern of disrespectful behaviour towards Indiginous individuals on Bill’s team?” The goal could be to uncover the character of interactions with Indiginous members of the team with an eye towards suggesting strategies that could rebuild respectful working relationships.

The Statement of Fact informs you of exactly what has been occurring which is good foundation to move forward on. Part of an investigation process is used to empower a cooperative outcome.

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