Conducting a lawful, fair, thorough investigation into alleged employee misconduct requires a firm grasp of “just cause” principles, constitutional considerations, and investigative authority. This course provides you with the skills necessary to conduct efficient, objective, and legally sufficient inquiries into workplace behaviors that may not align with agency performance expectations.

Performance Objectives: Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Analyze reported concerns of alleged workplace misconduct.
• Identify your scope of authority.
• Strategize, plan, and conduct an ethically sound investigation.
• Apply “just cause” principles to the investigative process.
• Understand what questions are relevant and how much evidence is required.
• Examine the difference between the liability and penalty phases.
• Respect Constitutional rights afforded to represented and non-represented employees.
• Use the legal framework of Issue, Rule, Analysis and Conclusion (IRAC) to guide the investigation and write the report.

Intended Audience: Human resource professionals and investigators who routinely conduct inquiries into reported concerns of workplace misconduct and appointing authorities who want a better understanding of what to look for in the disciplinary decision-making process.