Upcoming Webinar: March 21, 2024 @ 12:30 P.M. (EDT)  |  Addressing Procedural Hiccups in Workplace Investigations: Part 2  |  Register Today!

Serious insight for serious situations.

Serious insight for serious situations.

Assessing credibility: avoiding common pitfalls in workplace investigation reports

Writing about credibility is one of the most challenging aspects of workplace investigation reports. As someone who reviews a lot of reports, I find that investigators usually have a good sense of who is credible and who is not, but they can struggle to write about how they assessed credibility. This is especially true of newer investigators.

Read More

“It wasn’t me”: When respondents deny everything and give you nothing

In the course of a workplace investigation, it is not unusual to encounter a respondent who simply denies the allegations, without offering any further information or explanation. While a simple denial may sometimes be a sufficient response to an allegation, there are instances where there is seemingly more to the story than what the respondent is offering.

Read More

Investigating allegations against senior leaders

It is not out of the ordinary for our firm to conduct workplace investigations involving very senior leaders – presidents, CEOs, senior vice-presidents, partners (in the case of law and accounting firms, for example), school principals, and even board members. While complaints against these individuals may not be the norm, they certainly do exist.

Read More

You’re not the boss of me! Codes of conduct and freedom of expression

A workplace investigation will often start with an internal dispute between co-workers. The issue for an investigator will usually be to hear the evidence and to determine what was said or done, and to then determine whether the conduct in question was contrary to the standard of behaviour expected under an organization’s policies.

Read More

A very merry survival guide to managing year-end fatigue as workplace investigators

It’s that time of the year again. No, I am not talking about “chestnuts roasting on an open fire,” or the “it’s the most wonderful time of the year” feeling. I’m talking about the time of the year when many of us are trying to get into the holiday spirit while juggling work deadlines and demands,….

Read More

Data and Investigation Series: Why is collecting investigation data important?

This is the first in a series of blog posts that I will be writing on data and investigations.

The ultimate goal of organizations is to get into what we at Rubin Thomlinson call “the zone” – the optimal workplace that is characterized by respect, civility, tolerance, inclusivity, and no, or few, employment-related legal problems.

Read More

Sex, lies, and celebrities: What employers can learn from the Russell Brand allegations

In recent weeks, allegations have been raised about actor/comedian Russell Brand regarding various instances of sexual assault, emotional abuse, and bullying from four anonymous women. As outlined below, this story provides several important takeaways for employers and investigators who deal with these issues.

Read More