Essential Guide to Workplace Investigations, The: A Step-By-Step Guide to Handling Employee Complaints & Problems

by Lisa Guerin J.D. 

Investigate ― and resolve ― common workplace problems.

Workplace complaints carry serious legal and financial risks to a company, so it’s essential to act fast when you receive an employee complaint. But an ineffective or poorly handled investigation can land your company in even more trouble than not performing one at all. 

The Essential Guide to Workplace Investigations shows you how to legally and successfully investigate and resolve any type of complaint or problem. It covers common workplace issues such as harassment, discrimination, violence, drug and alcohol use, and employee theft. 

The book guides you through each step of an effective investigation, including:

• deciding whether to investigate
• taking immediate action, if necessary
• choosing an investigator
• planning the investigation
• interviewing witnesses
• gathering and evaluating the evidence
• taking action
• documenting the investigation, and
• following up

Mishandling workplace complaints can lead to lawsuits and other legal trouble. By following the ten steps laid out in the book, managers and HR professionals can learn how to take complaints, conduct interviews, document findings, and ultimately make decisions that will keep employees safe and the company out of the courtroom.

"Packed with tips and strategies that will help sort out workplace problems quickly and legally." HR Magazine

“Everything an employer needs to know about investigating and resolving workplace complaints and issues is packed into this book, making it a top recommendation for any business library strong in human resources guides. It's the first on the market to teach businesses how to investigate and resolve all types of complains, from harassment and discrimination to workplace violence and employee theft, and walks the manager through ten basic steps from the initial decision to investigate to interviewing, gathering and evaluating evidence, and taking action. All business libraries need this.” California Bookwatch

"Guerin, an employment law specialist and author, offers a guide to investigating and resolving workplace complaints or problems, focusing on harassment, discrimination, violence, drug and alcohol use, and employee theft. She describes the steps for the investigation of any kind of problem, common investigation mistakes, discovering problems, deciding whether to investigate, choosing an investigator, planning the investigation, gathering information, making and documenting the decision about whether misconduct occurred, and ten steps for investigating each type of problem." Eithne O'Leyne, Editor, Ringgold, Inc., ProtoView

Lisa Guerin, an editor/author specializing in employment law, is author or co-author of several Nolo books, including The Manager's Legal Handbook, Dealing with Problem Employees, The Essential Guide to Federal Employment Laws, Workplace Investigations, Create Your Own Employee Handbook, and Nolo's Guide to California Law. Guerin has practiced employment law in government, public interest, and private practice where she represented clients at all levels of state and federal courts and in agency proceedings. She is a graduate of Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley.