I often get asked about the role of a support person in an investigative interview, so here are my responses to three of the most common questions. Do we have to have a support person present? There is no legal requirement for a support person to be present at a workplace investigative interview. The law […]
By WISE Legal Counsel Alison Page Investigators can learn a valuable lesson from an unfair dismissal decision by the full bench of the Fair Work Commission, handed down in March 2013. Although the case was concerned with the application of regulations in the child care industry, it is a timely reminder not to make assumptions, […]
A woman suffered a vicious rape in London. There was little information to work with after the initial investigation. The victim had been drinking heavily before the attack and she believed there was little chance of the rapist being caught, let alone convicted. She seemed unable and unwilling to provide important details of what had […]
by WISE mediator Anna Faoagali Mediation – A Case Study Steve worked in a young, fast-growing technology business as a team leader. When the post of manager in his department became vacant, the CEO asked him to fill in while they head-hunted for the right person. Steve had worked at the company almost since it […]
HARRIET STACEY on an age-old dilemma for investigators – even as technology makes it all so much easier. Regardless of recent technological developments that enable reliable digital audio recording without great expense – and mass access to MP3 and MP4 files and transcription programs – workplace investigators still dwell on this question: to audio record […]
Well done to the staff from Uniting Care Children, Young People and Families (UCCYPF) who did their assessments for the Certificate IV in Government Investigations just before Christmas. These staff are the first cohort from UCCYPF who will be trained by WISE to conduct workplace investigations and build the organisations capacity to respond to complaints […]
Even though the Sex Discrimination Act was introduced in 1984, AHRC’s recent report on its survey on the prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace, shows that sexual harassment remains widespread and efforts to curb this behaviour have stalled. AHRC’s report Working without fear: Results of the sexual harassment national telephone survey 2012 shows that […]
WISE’s Jo Kamira features in not one but two recent articles in The Canberra Times. In these articles Jo talks about her experience in investigations and upward bullying. Please click on links below to read the full articles. Probing misdeeds in the workplace – Opinion – Editorial – General – The Canberra Times Rogue workers […]
During August we posted daily tips on investigations on our website, facebook and twitter. Here is the complete list of those tips. 31 Days 31 Tips Tip 1 – Silence is an interviewer’s best friend Tip 2 – Don’t assume anything Tip 3 – If in doubt ask Tip 4 – Consider each case on […]
Radion National has just aired an excellent report on the challenges facing people investigating workplace bullying. The discussion covers Brodie’s Law in Victoria but also the issues for WorkSafe in making determinations in bullying cases. Recommended listening