Robert Frank - 3 Key Ingredients of an Effective Harassment and Investigation Does your heart sink at the thought of reviewing a formal accusation of harassment and molestation? Do you despair that you will overlook key concerns which will make your examination open to appeal? Do you need to encourage administrators on examination procedures but do not know where to start? For starters, thorough equipment is essential to ensure nothing is overlooked and that interviews present clear and valuable evidence on which to base your findings. Before you interview the complainant, prepare questions based on the written complaint - each sentence can throw up a question or two to put to the complainant to ensure you experience every point they make. Challenge each emotive word or exaggeration - "When you say 'he tells you off nastily', in what way does he do that?" "When you say 'you dread coming to work' what makes you dread it?" "What does X do to make you dread coming to work?" Robert Frank is said that this first interview is key to a successful investigation. The notes of this first interview form the basis of questions for witnesses. Use these notes to prepare in advance each subsequent interview. Before you interview the person complained about you can prepare questions based on all the evidence you have gathered. This gives this physique the possibility to return to all the allegations as well as the chance to put across their own account of the events. In this way, you will gather important evidence on which to base your findings.
The second ingredient is impartiality - any sign that you have lost your objectivity means the investigation may be disputed or appealed. During each interview, do not show excitement or give impressions. Do not allow the interviewee to draw you into their arguments. Remain calm and impassive. Be assertive and remain in control of the interviews. State emphatically that you are not in a situation to state your opinion. When you write up your final report, base all conclusions on the evidence you have collected. Robert Frank give the advice for a complain your report should be a compilation of the facts you have gathered. It should not reveal your own opinions - the evidence should speak for itself. In this way, the evidence should allow you to conclude impartially thus leading to fair and open findings for or against the allegations.
But wait there is more. The third component is to record every aspect of the investigation - why certain spectators were selected, what caused delays, who refused to give evidence, how the complainant and the respondent dealt with giving the testimony, etc. By making a file record of the process, you will ensure that if the horror of horrors, the case goes to appeal or an employment tribunal you will be able to explain these details. Rather than relying on your memory or that of others, you will have a written document of how the research was conducted. Just think how useful that might be if your findings were to be challenged.