Objective of the Interview

The objective of your interview is to gather all of the information concerning the allegation and subsequently take the necessary action to safeguard the workplace. We recommend you create a checklist to help you throughout your interview process. Areas in which you should focus on include:

Goal of the Interviews

1. Identify legal/Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) issues
2. Identify potential witnesses (Witnesses play a key role during your investigation)
3. Identify time frames and order of interviews
4. Identify documents for review (i.e., HR records, social media profiles, etc.)
   

Interviewing the Victim, Witness, and Subject

• When conducting any type of investigative interview, it’s essential to ask the following six questions: who, what, when, where, and why. While asking these questions, what you are trying to determine are the facts of the case. These questions can be very direct. We will want to ask these same questions to all parties involved: the victim, the witness, and the subject.
• Who was involved
• What happened
• When it happened
• Where it happened
• Why it happened
• How it happened
  

Note: If imminent danger is present, dial 911 and conduct an investigation once safety has been restored.