Act fast on funny business in the workplace

Taking note of strange incidents or unusual behaviour in the workplace could save a lot of trauma for employers and staff further down the track.

That’s the advice from Jo Kamira, former police investigator and Principal of WISE Workplace Investigations, who has dealt with hundreds of cases of bullying, fraud and staff misconduct in work environments.

Even small incidents can act as an important “red flag” , she says.

In one case investigated by WISE, a junior finance clerk found cab charge claims from a senior employee with a company car. The suspicious staffer reported the incident, and further probing found dozens of similar claims. That’s when Ms Kamira’s team was called in.

“He’d actually defrauded the company of thousands of dollars,” she says.

Employers faced with similar problems should “deal with it straight away,” she adds. “That way you won’t need to get us involved.”

If it’s too late for early intervention, WISE are able to conduct an unbiased, expert analysis of the problem.

“We get called in when things get out of hand,” explains Ms Kamira.

Typical cases investigated by WISE include things like “employee harassment, misuse of corporate credit cards ““ what’s reasonable and what’s not?”

The team will conduct interviews and review procedures before making a detailed report of the problem to an appointed manager or “someone who is impartial,” says Ms Kamira.

Recognising there’s a problem is a good first step. “If you don’t know, ask,” she says. “Give us a call; it’s not going to cost you anything.”

Jo Kamira’s ten tips for surving a workplace investigation:

1. Don’t keep staff in the dark

Be open to staff. They do not need to know the details but it does help if they know there is something happening in the work area. It often helps to briefly give an explanation and then remind staff of their obligations in relation to the Code of Conduct. If you don’t tell them, the rumour mill will go into overload.

2. Choose a skilled and sensitive investigator

The investigator should be empathetic and inform you or their project manager of any potential problems they can see arising in the workplace as a result of the investigation.

3. Choose a good communicator as liaison

Allocate a good communicator to keep an open dialogue with the investigator so the organisation remains fully informed throughout the investigation.

4. Timing is everything

Sometimes, in difficult matters, respondents and complainants will drag investigation out in the hope it will “˜go away’ or to flex muscle. This takes the form of the person not being available for interviews or claiming their “˜support person’ is not available. It is important to nip these situations in the bud for everyone’s sanity. A good investigator can help employers do this.

5. Dealing with workplace stress

Be alert for potential stress in the workplace and a process to deal with that stress such as an Employee Assistance Program.

6. Don’t view an investigation as a drama

Don’t view a workplace investigation as an inconvenience or major problem. Accept such investigations are a fact of work life and stay calm and professional. An investigation means your company policies are working.

7. Learn from the experience

Treat an investigation as an opportunity to effect change if something is not working, or to strengthen existing policies. An investigation must be a learning experience for a workplace. The time and effort involved in an investigation is worthwhile if the experience is put to good use. The investigation can reveal holes in processes and the need to tighten up procedures and policies. It can also be a tool to empower Team Leaders and Managers.

8. Don’t take it personally

Resist becoming involved with criticism from those directly involved in the complaint. As the manager of a complaint or an investigation, you are responsible for making sure things happen in the right way at the right time and that procedural fairness prevails for all employees involved. You should not tolerate abuse or criticism for matters outside of your control. However, if are on the wrong end of a participant’s anxiety, understand the stress that complainants and respondents are under and refer them to the appropriate place for support.

9. Implement recommendations

An essential phase of any investigation is the implementation of change arising from the recommendations in a report. Failure to implement recommendations is a common criticism of any major report or inquiry and will only serve to generate future complaints.

10. How to improve staff morale

Staff usually want to know what is happening in the workplace. Once an investigation has finished it is important that employees receive briefing, especially if the investigation involved misconduct.

The old adage that “˜justice must be seen to be done’ is important in workplaces, especially if there is a public ethos of “˜walking the talk’. Do not disclose specific details, but a general debrief can do wonders for morale.