Topic: Conducting Effective Workplace Investigations

Speaker: Ally McClain and Christine Slattery 

Topic Description:  This session provides a practical framework for handling workplace investigations when concerns or complaints arise, including harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and other misconduct. It focuses on what a workplace investigation is, why and when employers should investigate, and how these duties connect to key legal requirements in Washington.

We will cover the decisions you need to make before starting (scope of the investigation, who should investigate, and how to handle informal, anonymous, or reluctant complaints) and the importance of acting promptly and consistently. The presentation then walks through planning the investigation, reviewing relevant documents and policies, conducting effective and fair witness interviews, and assessing credibility using a preponderance‑of‑the‑evidence standard.

Finally, the session explains how to make and document clear factual and policy findings, prepare an investigation report, and work with management on remedial and disciplinary measures that are prompt, proportionate, and designed to stop misconduct and prevent retaliation.