perspectives
Vindicated or disciplined, employees who face allegations
will need support reintegrating into the workplace and regain-ing
respect among staff
should be attained and maintained when employees participate in
the restoration process.
The plan should include a post-incident assessment that deter-mines
who may have been impacted by the incident, how badly
and what the implications are for the organization’s employee
engagement, as well as employer and business brand.
Key assessment considerations include evaluating the external
impact to the organization’s reputation and what public rela-tions
response is required if the incident gains media attention.
Internally, it’s important to evaluate how employees are deal-ing
with the incident and how they perceive the organization’s
response. When negative, those impressions – fair or not – will
often mar their view of the organization.
Gleaning this information could involve everything from
employee surveys and facilitated townhall-style meetings to
employee focus groups or one-on-one interviews. Organizations
may choose to involve third-party consultants at this stage to help
assess and manage the process in an objective manner.
Senior leaders should be made available to employees, mid-dle
managers and even clients throughout the restoration process
– daily, in some cases – as they provide reassurance that the busi-ness
is taking steps to address the impact of the incident. This
communication strategy should include targeted messaging deliv-ered
consistently to employees. Senior leaders will also be the
ones coaching mid-level managers, who will be largely responsi-ble
for monitoring employee morale and productivity with a goal
of returning it to pre-incident levels. This is where activities such
as team-building events designed to reinforce esprit de corps and
rebuild confidence in the organization can be important.
Whether vindicated or disciplined as a result of the investigative
outcome, the employee(s) who faced the allegations will need sup-port
reintegrating into the workplace and regaining respect among
staff. If the individual is removed from the workplace as a result of
the investigation process, the emphasis should shift to setting up
their replacement for success and encouraging the team to work
towards a fresh start by realigning them with the organization’s
core values and refocusing on shared goals for success.
However, what happens when even the most effective work-place
restoration plan fails to resonate? There are situations when
MANY MANAGEMENT TEAMS
AND HR PROFESSIONALS BELIEVE
THAT WHEN AN INVESTIGATION
WRAPS, THEIR WORK IS DONE
WHEN, IN SOME RESPECTS,
IT’S ONLY JUST BEGINNING.
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44 ❚ CONFERENCE ISSUE 2019 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL
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