Module 10 investigation process, employers have an obligation to investigate any claims of harassment. maintaining a safe work environment means taking every claim of harassment seriously. Create guidelines that explain what type of behavior is not tolerated and how employees should lodge complaints. Do not ignore complaints. Whether the complaint is formal or informal. investigate the incident carefully advising your supervisor.

Supervisors are responsible for handling initial harassment complaints. at the early stages, supervisors should attempt to resolve the problems quickly while maintaining confidentiality. In order for supervisors to solve the issues employees must make them aware of the situation. employees need to communicate problems as specifically as possible. incidents of harassment often escalate because no one reports the issues at the beginning. While supervisors should not discuss specific harassment complaints with the entire staff, they need to inform employees that investigating incidents will make it difficult to keep the matter completely confidential.

Invest The gators in witnesses will have to be informed of the matter. If an employee is not willing to name his or her abuser, the investigation will be nearly impossible to conduct. Supervisors should alleviate any tension by informing employees that there will not be any retaliation because of issuing a complaint, lodging the complaint. The company anti harassment policy should clearly state how employees can lodge complaints. Typically, they go to their immediate supervisors. If their immediate supervisors have the problem, however, another employee should be designated such as an HR representative.

Employee complaints need to have detailed information that investigators explore what to include in a complaint, names of individuals explanation of what happened and why it violated policy, dates and times of incidents, names of witnesses, proof or documentation of events. initial response, employers need to respond to harassment complaints immediately. Employees who make claims should be thanked for helping the company identify harassment When an employee lodges a complaint, the supervisor should explain the following. An investigation will begin as soon as possible. The company needs to collect information before it takes action. The company will investigate the claim as quietly as possible, but full confidentiality may not be possible the investigation, there should be clear procedures in place for investigating a harassment complaint.

Each company's procedures will be unique, but there are certain elements that are basic to every investigation. conduct the interviews in private. document everything. Find a neutral witness to sit in on the interviews if you feel it is necessary. Keep an open mind and do not jump to conclusions gather as much information as possible. interview the claimant witnesses and the accused separately the findings.

After the investigation is complete companies must take action. The findings of the investigation will determine what type of action to take. Binding in favor of the claimant means that the harasser will have to face disciplinary measures. For example, he or she could be suspended, transferred, demoted, terminated, sent to counseling or reprimanded. The action depends on the severity of the harassment. inconclusive findings are difficult.

Companies should address these situations by reminding the accused that harassment is not tolerated. document this discussion in the employees records. The claimant should be informed when the investigation is over and disciplinary action is taken. But the exact action should remain confidential review and closure. After a harassment investigation, the policies and procedures should be reviewed carefully. There are several questions that investigators need to answer.

Did the anti harassment policy addressed the issue? Were employees aware of the policy? Was the complaint addressed quickly? Or any other problems discovered in the investigation case study, Tony needed to investigate a recent claim of harassment. The complaint was rather informal, but he knew that it was his responsibility to investigate the matter anyway, once he found that company was accurate he needed to defuse the situation quickly while retaining confidentiality regarding those involved in form the employees that investigating the incident might make it harder to keep the matter confidential. That made the employee nervous but they came forward with the name of the bully and the investigation was a success.