Repair working relationships and affirm your expectations post-investigation

After the complaint, investigation and (sometimes) disciplinary action, it’s common to see:

• Confidentiality considerations stopping the employer from telling the team members what has been done as a result of the misconduct, causing confusion, frustration and damaged morale
• One employee has resigned, been terminated or been moved to a different role
• The complainant and and the person who was accused of misconduct are still expected to work together
• Divided loyalties have emerged – some employees support the complainant and others support the respondent
• Employees resent a manager or the employer for what they perceive to be a breakdown in values and behaviour
• New inappropriate behaviour starts, such as gossiping or undermining the manager.

Post-Investigation Support

The reporting of a complaint and subsequent investigation are the first essential steps to address bad behaviour in the team. You must then work with your employees to help them to:

• understand what has happened (while preserving confidentiality and privacy of the participants)
• understand their own reactions to the conflict or complaint
• remember the employer’s expectations of them as professionals
• affirm the values that guide their work
• sometimes, to work together to define the new ‘ground rules’ of how they will treat each other in future.

Our Approach

Worklogic can tailor activities and interventions which enable your team to work through what has occurred, and move forward. These are varied and specific to the situation, but they are always positive and future-focused.

We have created and delivered activities such as:

• A facilitated discussion with the team, to understand and reflect on what has occurred
• One-on-one meetings with employees to allow them to ask questions about the investigation process, and to hear some of the outcomes
• Undertaking a smartphone-enabled team-building program based on mindfulness and building resilience
• Coaching for a manager who had struggled to manage consistently throughout the process
• Designing creative and fun team-building activities for a team – including participating in Mooski, Worklogic’s online team building program.

Please note, for the health and safety of all concerned during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are conducting all discussions, coaching sessions and training online or via video conference.

Worklogic’s consultants have extensive experience working with dysfunctional, conflicted and distressed teams. Our approach is sensitive and caring, while maintaining the employer’s standards and expectations.

We will work collaboratively with you to design and deliver interventions, so that everyone can regain their productivity and enjoyment of work.