Planning and Performing a Workplace Investigation into Harassment Concerns

Why Should You Attend:

If a company fails to take harassment concerns seriously or fails to investigate a complaint properly, it risks potential liability under federal or state law. In addition, poor responses to harassment concerns could lead to negative publicity or poor employee morale. This webinar will help you ensure that you are following good practices when investigating sensitive workplace complaints.

Whenever an employee raises concerns of harassment at work, it is important for businesses to investigate the concerns and to take prompt and appropriate corrective action if necessary. The people handling the investigation must understand how to maintain discretion while investigating, how to plan the investigation, and how to create and maintain key documentation. It is also important for all involved in the process to ensure that the process is free from any retaliation. Following a mock harassment complaint, this webinar will show you how to plan and implement an investigation. This webinar will also touch on key practices to minimize the risk of retaliation against the employee or witnesses.

Areas Covered in the Webinar:

• Basic refresher on how an employer can be liable for sexual harassment
• Distinction between liability for a supervisor’s misconduct versus a coworker’s misconduct
• Why it is important for an employer to start an investigation quickly
• How to handle the alleged victim’s request for confidentiality
• How to determine which witnesses to question
• Which documents, files, and other physical evidence you should review and maintain during the investigation
• Key considerations when questioning witnesses
• How to document your investigation
• How to determine what level of discipline or corrective action to take, if necessary
• Key practices to minimize the risk of liability for retaliation
• The importance of following up with the person who raised the concerns about harassment

Who Will Benefit:

• Human Resources (CHRO, Vice President, Director, Manager, Generalist)
• Hiring Manager
• Business Owners / Executive Officers / Operations and Departmental Managers
• General Manager / Plant Manager

Rebecca Jacobs
Training Consultant and Employment Law Attorney, Rebecca Jacobs LLC

Rebecca Jacobs is a Training Consultant and Employment Law Attorney with Rebecca Jacobs LLC. Collaborating with her clients, she develops and presents customized employee training on topics such as harassment prevention, bystander intervention, and discrimination avoidance. She also trains managers on numerous matters, including family and medical leave and disability accommodation requests.

Since 2006, Rebecca has been an adjunct lecturer for the Department of Management and Human Resources at the Ohio State University's Max M. Fisher College of Business. Rebecca teaches the "Contemporary Employment Practices and the Law" class and has recently expanded her teaching to include “Contemporary Employment Practices and the Law II.”

Rebecca has been an employment law attorney for over 20 years and tried a number of cases in federal and state courts, including oral argument before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. She has counseled clients on numerous employment law matters and has prepared employee policies and handbooks. In January, 2019, Columbus CEO magazine quoted Rebecca in “Employment Law: Making it Official with Love Contracts.”

Rebecca holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is admitted to practice law in Ohio and licensed (inactive) in California.

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