Workplace Investigations

Tell Jane are leaders in expert, impartial and human-focussed workplace investigations. We understand what happened, treat people fairly and give organisations the robust information they need to make confident decisions.

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Many workplace investigations involve issues that are emotionally charged, highly confidential or carry significant organisational risk.

Our investigators regularly handle allegations involving bullying, harassment, discrimination, victimisation, safeguarding concerns, relationship breakdowns and senior leaders.

These situations require more than process knowledge. They require experience, professionalism and the ability to navigate difficult conversations with care.

Organisational Risk

Specialists in Sensitive and Complex Workplace Issues

Many workplace investigations involve issues that are emotionally charged, highly confidential or carry significant organisational risk.

Our investigators regularly handle allegations involving bullying, harassment, discrimination, victimisation, safeguarding concerns, relationship breakdowns and senior leaders.

These situations require more than process knowledge. They require experience, professionalism and the ability to navigate difficult conversations with care.

Workplace Investigations Should Feel Human

When grievances, complaints, or policy breaches arise, you need a clear workplace investigation procedure. You need to establish facts, review evidence and decide on any action. And in the event of any escalation, it needs to be robust. It needs to be impartial.

A well-managed internal workplace investigation helps you reduce legal and reputational risk. It supports working relationships, and creates trust in how you handle workplace issues. A clear workplace investigation procedure aligns with company policies.

But workplace investigations often involve sensitive situations. They involve people. We know how it affects workplace relationships, reputations, and wider team culture. We know the process needs empathy, professionalism and clear communication.

Organisations choose Tell Jane for our expertise, empathy and robust workplace investigations. We’ve built a reputation for matters that are complex, challenging and sensitive.

Formal Processes

What Are Workplace Investigations?

Workplace investigations are formal processes that examine workplace complaints or allegations. They must be well structured, thorough and without bias.

A workplace investigation gathers information, reviews evidence and establishes fact. It must give organisations the facts to arrive at fair decisions on the outcome.

Workplace investigations should not rely on assumptions or personal opinions. The focus should remain on understanding what happened, through fair fact-finding.

Independent investigations help you demonstrate objectivity and build confidence in the process. Particularly where allegations are sensitive, senior individuals are involved or internal resources are limited.

When Are Workplace Investigations Required?

Even if your policies and training are robust, incidents do occur. When serious concerns are raised, employers should consider whether an investigation is required.

You can address and resolve many matters with a conversation.
But your policies may make it explicit when workplace investigations should take place.

Tell Jane advises you on when an investigation is appropriate and right. And when alternative measures, such as mediation or even a conversation, are better.

Investigations might relate to:

Sexual harassment
Discrimination and unfair treatment under the Equality Act (such as sexism, racism, homophobia, ableism)
Harassment and/or bullying
Breakdowns that cause a difficult working environment
Disciplinary investigations
Victimisation
Breach of a procedure (such as safeguarding, IT abuse, health and safety, financial irregularities)

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Tell Jane don’t just resolve issues, they help you understand them. Their approach is calm, rigorous and deeply human, turning challenging situations into an opportunity for real cultural change.

Jessica Bacon,
CEO, Swineford Media

Avoiding Escalation

Why Proper Workplace Investigations Matter

Investigations handled badly can create serious risk for organisations.

Without a fair and structured process, workplace concerns may escalate further. Employee trust may break down, and organisations may face legal or reputational problems. Any tribunal will look for a robust, proper process. It helps employees feel concerns are being taken seriously and handled in the right way.

Who should conduct the workplace investigation?
A workplace investigation is often time consuming. Your organisation may not always have the capacity to conduct an investigation itself.

Where there are layers of complexity, our specialist expertise is invaluable. Tell Jane HR professionals have no personal or professional stakes in the outcome. So, you maintain your employees’ trust and leave the outcome less open to criticism.

We recommend our expert investigators if the grievance involves senior employees. Or if there are not enough levels of seniority to escalate the case.

In some cases HR leaders are witnesses, victims or respondents.
In this way our third-party investigators can really help.

Supporting organisations

The Workplace Investigation Process

A workplace investigation procedure should be clear, fair, and impartial.

Workplace investigations should feel human. So we prioritise communication and transparency. We don’t interrogate people or ask for opinions.

Initial Assessment

Planning the Investigation

Gathering Information and Evidence

Reviewing Findings

Outcome and Next Steps

Care and Respect

Fairness, Impartiality, and Confidentiality

Internal workplace investigations should be impartial. All parties get treated with respect and given the opportunity to respond.

Confidentiality is also important throughout the employee investigation process. We handle sensitive information with care and respect. We protect employees, maintain trust, and reduce unnecessary disruption.

Our consultants combine HR expertise with practical experience managing sensitive employee relations matters.

We balance your procedures, employee wellbeing, business risk, and the reality of your workplace environment.

We specialise in sensitive and complex issues, including harassment, discrimination, and bullying.

Investigation Outcomes and Organisational Risk

Poorly handled investigations can mean conflict, reputational damage and procedural challenges.

Our investigations are a well-managed process that helps you reduce risk. They reach fair outcomes, and maintain professional standards. Ours is a consistent process that delivers fair outcomes. And they support compliance with law.

The Challenges with Workplace Investigations
With a grievance you are dealing with the aftermath. Because of that workplace investigations can be damaging to all parties. Not just the one who raised the grievance.

There may be problems getting people to come forward as witnesses.

The Tell Jane specialists are CIPD-qualified HR practitioners. Each is skilled in the investigation process. This includes planning, interviewing and controlling bias. We act with sensitivity and confidentiality at all times.

We think about what to investigate and how we will get to the facts before we begin the process. Before starting we understand the nature of the problem and create an in-depth plan.

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Get an expert workplace investigation that’s tailored to your organisation and workplace procedures. Get in touch for an informal chat about your workplace investigation.

FAQ’s

Tell Jane don’t just resolve issues, they help you understand them. Their approach is calm, rigorous and deeply human, turning challenging situations into an opportunity for real cultural change.

Jessica Bacon,
CEO, Swineford Media

What is a workplace investigation?

Done well, a workplace investigation is about fair and impartial reviews and fact-gathering. Workplace investigations shouldn’t be based on opinions. They aren’t designed to catch people out. It’s about understanding and establishing what happened. The investigation report gives leadership the information to decide what to do next.

When should an organisation conduct a workplace investigation?

Your organisation’s policies may include when to conduct an employee investigation process. Tell Jane can tell you when an investigation is appropriate and right. Or when you could look to an alternative, such as mediation.

What does a workplace investigation procedure involve?

A workplace investigation procedure is about fact finding. This includes evidence gathering, interviews, document review, and assessment of findings. We produce a report that allows your organisation to take next steps with confidence.

How long does an internal workplace investigation take?

The length of an investigation depends on the complexity of the matter. For example the number of individuals involved, and the evidence requirements. It’s important that your investigation is robust, to protect you in the event of an escalation.

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