There are many ways to approach
a job but some methods are more effective than others. Professionals who specialize in a particular
type of work have the opportunity to learn from a large body of experience,
therefore they gain a strong sense of what works or doesn’t work.
Then there are professional
organizations, where people can pool their ideas to create best practices,
helping the majority of members to avoid mistakes that some members discovered
the hard way.
The Association of Workplace Investigators, Inc. is just such an
organization and its commitment to excellence is why Richwood Consulting
maintains an active membership.
The AOWI’s mission is to
address both internal and external workplace investigations such as workplace
misconduct, job performance, workplace safety, audits, job function analyses,
and whistle blowing allegations.
These are sensitive topics and investigations must be performed to
standards that will result in a better workplace. In addition to being neutral and having
knowledge of the law pertaining to the allegations, a good investigator must be
able to protect the complainant, be thorough, be aware of and capable of
dealing with any special issues related to the case, document information
clearly and accurately, be unbiased and accurate when conducting assessments
and interviews, and demonstrate a high standard of ethics.
It’s important an investigator
keep information confidential and protect the complainant against retaliation
while following company policies and procedures.
That’s a high level overview of
the process. The devil is in the detail
for sure in an investigation. A good
investigator must remain patient and never look for a short cut to get through
the work faster. A good investigator
knows the work takes the time and effort it needs to take to do properly.
A professional organization
such as AOWI provides support and ideas when an investigator is stuck or just
needs to refresh a view by remembering there is a forest when it seems there
are only trees.
Richwood
Consulting is proud to be a member of AOWI, benefitting from the experience of
others and sharing best practices from experience. Contact today to learn more.
