Investigation

When conflicts arise in a workplace or corporate environment, emotions often get heated very quickly, and the facts of the matter can be obscured or lost in the passions that follow.

Federal and state laws mandating fair employment practices, as well as court decisions requiring employers to prevent and remedy discrimination and harassment in the workplace, are redefining employment relations and corporate culture. At the same time, employers increasingly have been confronted with workplace disputes involving alleged wrongful termination; sexual harassment; and discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, and disability. Developing internal complaint procedures reduces the temptation of employees to litigate. They also allow an employer to raise as an affirmative defense to liability and damages action it has taken to eliminate a hostile work environment and to investigate claims of harassment and discrimination.

Joan Parker knows that facts are the essential components to a fair, fast, and effective resolution of workplace conflicts and complaints. Before any negotiations or discussions can be conducted towards resolving an issue, the facts of the case must be ascertained. Joan and her team have years of experience in conducting discreet, respectful, and-most importantly-impartial fact-finding in workplace dispute scenarios in both private and public employment.

Impartial fact-finding has the following beneficial results for any conflict resolution process:

• Reduces corporate time involved in responding to and processing complaints
• Empowers both employees and managers to take actions based on facts
• Provides greater opportunity to resolve issues before they are litigated
• Speeds up the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process.

Dr. Parker graduated with a Ph.D. from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University and has engaged in hundreds of hours of ADR training since. She and her team can help ensure that conflicts are resolved before they swell to damaging proportions, keeping the workplace environment calm and collegial and enabling employers to respond efficiently and properly to employee claims.

Impartial and effective, Joan Parker knows that an employer’s commitment to fairly and fully investigate cases of alleged harassment and discrimination is fundamental to the success of formal ADR programs and complaint procedures. Contact her when you need to ascertain the facts behind any dispute inside your business.