When an incident occurs and you weren’t there to see what happened, you need to talk to those who did see it. This is particularly true if the defendant denies responsibility for what happened. Meet with witnesses as soon as possible after the incident. The questions asked should be open-ended and phrased to show no bias that might influence the answers. Larry, who works in a major appliance retailer, told me about an incident in which he was involved. A senior manager was investigating an employee’s complaint against another manager. As a colleague, Larry was contacted. The senior VP asked him, “You don’t think [Joe] is a bully with employees, do you?” A fair and objective question? Not at all.
Keep notes of witnesses’ comments. These will be part of your documentation for your next meeting with the employee. During this investigative stage, you may want to put the employee on suspension to minimize tension as you look into the situation.
If you will be interviewing several individuals who were present or are familiar with the situation, ask each the same questions. Compare notes. If you are dealing with members of your own department, you should be familiar enough with their relationship with the employee to recognize lies told either to protect or to impugn the employee.
Once you have insights into what actually happened—the who, what, where, and how—you are better able to discuss the incident with the employee.