How do organizations carry out workplace investigations effectively?

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How do organizations carry out workplace
investigations effectively?
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• Workplace investigations are among the most
  unpleasant tasks an organization's HR is required
  to carry out. Workplace investigations are
  carried out for a number of reasons yet, HR
  should keep its equanimity and objectivity in
  conducting workplace investigations, no matter
  for what reason they are required to do so, and
  no matter how grave the nature of the
  investigation is.

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workplace investigation
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• An HR workplace investigation may need to be
  carried out on any area relating to work. It
  could be of any employee, ranging from the sub
  staff to the highest levels. The problem for HR
  is that workplace investigations can happen over
  too many issues and aspects. They could range
  from indiscipline to absenteeism to fraud to
  sexual harassment. HR has to be prepared for any
  type of workplace investigation cases that come
  to it.

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A few rules for HR in carrying out workplace
investigations

• Irrespective of the kind of case that comes to it
  for workplace investigations, HR has to apply a
  few principles and methods of approaching them.

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Some of the rules for the proper conduct of
workplace investigations include

• Gathering facts completely and objectively
• Collecting evidence and keeping them in a
  location that is accessible to designated people.
  There should be an option in which the changes
  made into the report have to be entered, bearing
  the sign of the person who made the change, the
  date and time on which the change was made, and
  the reason for which it was made
• Listening to both (or more, if that is the case)
  sides in the workplace investigation
• Carrying out interviews with the parties
  concerned. This could also include management and
  those immediately connected with the incident
•  

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• A workplace investigation is incomplete till the
  credibility of the allegation is established and
  the guilty employee is handed punishment as
  decided by management
• HR and management should avoid taking retaliatory
  action against an employee while the enquiry is
  going on

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Get it right, do it right

• The cost of conducting a workplace
  investigation shoddily can cost the organization
  quite dear. A recent instance that comes to mind
  is of the well-known global giant, IBM, which was
  ordered by a judge to shell out over four
  million in damages to a former vice-president, in
  which the company's HR investigator was revealed
  to have concealed the better aspects of the
  employee's performance and behaviour with the
  intention of presenting an apparently favourable
  case for his dismissal on age grounds.

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