Kansas City Workplace Investigations Attorneys

Third-Party Workplace Investigator 

Whether you run a business or an educational institution, dealing with claims of workplace discrimination or sexual harassment is stressful and worrisome. These cases require a detailed investigation, and you want to ensure that your investigation is handled thoroughly and ethically. In these cases, it is highly recommended that you hire a neutral third-party to help you manage and conduct your investigation. Krigel & Krigel is proud to offer third-party, professional workplace investigations to companies and educational institutions of all sizes. Attorneys Lara Krigel Pabst and S.J. Moore use their experience as attorneys to help inform their process and assist clients in gaining peace of mind knowing that their investigation findings are reliable and credible. 

Call our Kansas City-based office at (816) 578-0077 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with our third-party workplace investigator. 

Why Conduct a Third-Party Investigation?

If you are dealing with allegations of misconduct, discrimination, or harassment in the workplace, conducting a detailed, impartial investigation is critical to mitigating risk and perhaps resolving the matter. Internal investigations help employers understand all sides of the situation, identify what happened, and determine whether there were any violations of employment laws or company policies and standards. Conducting an impartial investigation takes experience and skill. Employees who file complaints often mistrust or are skeptical of investigations handled internally.  

Depending on the nature of the allegations, who is involved, and the structure of your company, an internal investigation may be inappropriate or impossible. This is where a third-party investigator, particularly one with a legal background, can be invaluable. 

We also regularly assist school districts, colleges, and universities with impartial investigations related to alleged violations of Title IX and general policy compliance. These investigations are conducted to address allegations of misconduct or violations of school policies by students, faculty, or staff.

Keep reading to learn more about protecting the integrity and impartiality of your workplace investigations after receiving allegations of discrimination, harassment, or other workplace misconduct. 

Avoid Accusations of Bias 

Depending on the size of your company and the circumstances of the allegations, an internal review and investigation may be inadequate and could be susceptible to allegations of bias. By hiring a third-party investigator, you can help everyone feel more confident that the investigation findings are credible, reliable, and fair. 

Our third-party investigators can help you with the following: 

• Interviewing of key witnesses 
• Gathering evidence and documenting the investigation 
• Assessment of workplace procedures and processes
• Assessment of company training and reporting processes
• Comprehensive reporting of all findings 
• Analysis of the situation 

Our third-party investigators can also provide recommendations based on investigation findings, including corrective and/or disciplinary actions. We can also offer guidance on next steps, including adjusting training methods, reporting procedures, and general processes to help you protect your employees, students and your business/institution from future claims. 

Impartial Investigations 

Allegations of bias can seriously compromise investigations of workplace discrimination and harassment. Consequently, businesses, corporations, and/or educational institutions dealing with these types of claims need to approach investigations carefully and with an eye toward protecting the integrity of the investigation. The best way to do this is by hiring a third-party investigator like ours at Krigel & Krigel. 

Reasons to consider hiring a third-party investigator: 

• You want to ensure impartiality 
• You want to protect your employees, staff, or students from retaliation 
• You want to ensure confidentiality throughout the investigation process 
• Your company or organization doesn’t have the capacity for an internal review 

Another common issue facing workplace investigations is the fear of retaliation. Depending on the circumstances of the claim, witnesses may feel uncomfortable coming forward and sharing what they witnessed. However, with the help of a third-party investigator, witnesses can gain confidence knowing that their confidentiality will be fully protected. 

Preserve Your Reputation 

Conducting impartial, bias-free investigations not only protects your employees, staff, or students but also protects your institution and its reputation. In fact, mishandling misconduct allegations can be just as harmful to your reputation as the misconduct itself. By working with an experienced third-party investigator like ours here in Kansas City, you can swiftly and thoroughly respond to allegations of discrimination or harassment, determine if misconduct occurred, and take appropriate action. 

At Krigel & Krigel, our third-party investigator conducts all workplace investigations with: 

• Confidentiality 
• Integrity 
• Compassion 
• Sensitivity 
• Impartiality 

When you work with our Kansas City workplace investigators, you can rest assured that our priorities are in line with your own. We are committed to conducting ethical, honest investigations that are not only free from bias but are fair and bring to light as much information as possible about the circumstances of the allegations. Our investigation process emphasizes confidentiality and impartiality for the complainant, respondent, and other parties involved, such as key witnesses. 

Protect Your Company from Legal Liability 

In some cases, an improperly conducted investigation of workplace misconduct can open a company to serious legal liability. This is especially true in cases of discrimination and harassment allegations, as the outcome of these investigations can have significant consequences. As such, investigations must be completed ethically, fairly, and impartially.

Hiring a neutral, external third-party investigator to oversee and conduct the investigation can help protect your business or school from the liabilities associated with a flawed internal investigation. The goal of any investigation should be to illuminate the situation at hand and gain as clear an understanding of the circumstances of the case as possible so that appropriate action may be taken. 

For help conducting workplace investigations in Kansas City, call Krigel & Krigel at (816) 578-0077 or send us a message online.