Employment Law Update – Workplace Investigations

HR professionals and managers tend to know about the disciplinary process and the requirement to carry out an investigation to establish the facts before starting formal disciplinary proceedings connected with misconduct.

It’s surprising how few people are really able to investigate thoroughly. Most of us are born asking open questions. “Why do flies flying the right way up, but land upside down?”; “What makes a cat purr?” and so on.

But it’s clear that at some stage we move to a default closed style of questioning. I spend much of my working life delivering employment law training.

Anyone who’s ever been on the receiving end knows that I always commend the wisdom of learning to question thoroughly. So today’s blog is dedicated to the praise of open questions!

Most managers know about open questions, but intellectual awareness is not enough. You have to practice! And that’s what most people don’t do. If you can learn to question effectively the rewards are many, not least that the effect of a demon questioner is to shine a light into every corner of a problem.

You discover far more, far more quickly. It massively improves the quality of the investigation work you do and I am firmly convinced that it sends out a signal that you are not to be trifled with. If you need help with tackling workplace investigations, give us a call.

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