The HR Investigations Podcast

If It's Not Written Down, It didn't Happen: How to Get Managers to Document

Natalie’s upcoming 2-day Virtual Investigations Workshop:
July 23-24, 202511:00 am – 4:00 pm
Details and registration link:
https://www.rpchr.com/webinar/internal-investigations-virtual-event
In this episode, podcast host Natalie Ivey discusses Key topics: 
Announcement of the release of the 2nd edition of Natalie Ivey’s book, How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Guide for Human Resource Professionals
Announcement of the upcoming 2-day virtual workshop: How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Workshop for HR Professionals on July 23-24 from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm.  The workshop will provide education on how to navigate tricky employee relations’ issues, how to assess when to open an investigation and when not to, how to prepare for and conduct effective witness interviews, how to gather and preserve evidence, and how to prepare a final investigation report.
Examine the issue of managers just not documenting employee behavior and performance issues.
Discuss the danger in firing an employee “At-will” without any sort of documentation and how an EEOC investigator sees it
Examine why it is critical to have documentation that supports an employee engaged in misconduct that violated organizational policy or that the employee wasn’t meeting performance expectations
Discuss the issue of managers failing to document employee issues, run to HR announcing they wish to fire an employee and then view HR as “the enemy” when HR pushes back on a termination of employment due to lack of documentation.
Identify root causes to managers failing to document
Explain the benefits of phone apps and tech shortcuts to help managers stay organized and minimize the burdensome task of memorializing notes of employee conversations.
Review several key solutions to improving managers’ documentation capabilities
Check out Natalie’s new book here:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Conduct-Internal-Investigations-Professionals-ebook/dp/B0F6W3CM8M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=85BSXHJNIJZD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fMSMv7BRFHw6ljJoBjP4uGljsUr8ocRRqCxTa6rWlSliyLb1ONDXw2uFskHFDMgJrFZYU6wBbZtWWt1f40QjEPHBqcKQLxThHAdG8qr7WYRjihInvDtQv5WKLxiNchk0ISvRSh3mVRHdpRjh0Xk1xOwGBrJJFKFS3nu6ZBJ2tPaRD5WxK2_S9j2qMo1FO37E_pjkwBF46P-zFuwxgvY-dQJmex4m-cgpkXKAbsvXSu4.Ycb0vQbtuKH2IaUhA4lKpd3uAreWsrft58a2JMMsVSw&dib_tag=se&keywords=natalie+ivey&qid=1748551923&sprefix=natalie+iv%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-1

When the Truth is Murky Navigating 'He Said, She Said' Investigations

Visit RPC HR for more information.
Check out Natalie's REVISED book How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Guide for Human Resource Professionals here:https://tinyurl.com/y39s7n77

My NEW Book is Coming: How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Guide for Human Resource Professionals

Check out Natalie's REVISED book How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Guide for Human Resource Professionals here:https://tinyurl.com/y39s7n77
Visit RPC HR for more information.
 

HR Headaches: Sorting Drama From Real Risk

Visit RPC HR for more information.
Check out Natalie's book How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Guide for Human Resource Professionals here:https://tinyurl.com/y39s7n77

Gen Z at Work: Workplace Priorities and Employee Relations Red Flags

In this episode, podcast host Natalie Ivey and special Gen Z’er guest, Madison Ebben, discuss generational differences and priorities, what Gen Z looks for at work, and how organizations can make some adjustments to improve employee engagement and retention of this dynamic generation.
Special guest:
Madison Ebben, SHRM-CP Executive Assistant | Event Manager
Key topics:
Review of Gen Z and this generation’s characteristics
Discuss what HR and business leaders need to know about Gen Z
Examine what Gen Z’ers really want from their employers
Discussing employee relations and things that Gen Z won’t tolerate that previous generations may have tolerated 
Review the Top 3 things that leaders need to do to fully engage their Gen Z talent to improve employee relations and minimize turnover
Visit RPC HR for show notes and more information.
Check out Natalie's book How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Guide for Human Resource Professionals here:https://tinyurl.com/y39s7n77

The Digital Edge in HR: How Software Transforms Internal Investigations

In this episode, podcast host Natalie Ivey and special guest, Deb Muller, Founder & CEO of employee relations case management software solution, HR Acuity, discuss the evolution of employee relations and investigations in the digital age. Deb Muller shares proactive approaches, emphasizing the importance of using technology to prevent incidents and improve employee relations. Deb shared her experience of working in a time when employee relations was not a strategic function, and how the landscape has changed with the increasing importance of centralized employee relations teams.
Key topics:
 
Examining the digital age of employee relations
KPIs for workplace improvement
Discussing the need for predictive indicators and the use of data to demonstrate the impact of employee relations on cost savings.
Discussing the importance of trust in the workplace, noting that employees who had experienced an investigation and resolution were more likely to recommend their company as a place to work. 
Investing in HR Technology and Strategies
Discussing the importance of investing in technology for HR functions, emphasizing that HR professionals should not be expected to operate without the same level of technology as other departments.
Highlighting the need for HR to move beyond reactive measures and focus on proactive strategies, such as job design and employee relations.
Link to HR Acuity resources:  https://www.hracuity.com/resources/
Visit RPC HR for show notes and more information.
Check out Natalie's book How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Guide for Human Resource Professionals here:https://tinyurl.com/y39s7n77

HR Insights: The Data Speaks

Ep: 44: HR Insights: The Data Speaks
In this episode, podcast host Natalie Ivey discusses some of the data from the 8thannual employee relations benchmark study provided by software company, HR Acuity.
Natalie shares important information regarding the trends noted in the benchmark study such as organizations seeing sharp increases in allegations of policy violations, behavioral issues, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation allegations.  
Key topics:
Examining 3 Key Trends from the 8th Annual Employee Relations Benchmark Study:
Policy violations, behavioral issues, discrimination, harassment or retaliation allegations and EEOC charges reached their highest levels since 2018
Mental health issues continued to be the primary factor behind case volumes, with 70% of organizations attributing increases to mental health-related challenges
Organizations are starting to respond to continually growing case volumes by examining data to identify patternsand predict and prevent future issues
Reviewing strategies on how to address the increase in allegations and increasing employee relations’ case volumes
Examining the importance of using data and analytics to drive meaningful organizational change
Examining the increase in mental health issues to more clearly define root causes and develop action plans to reduce employee complaints
Visit RPC HR for show notes and more information.
Check out Natalie's book How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Guide for Human Resource Professionals here:https://tinyurl.com/y39s7n77

HR Recharge: Strategies For Managing Your Own Well Being

In this episode, podcast host Natalie Ivey discusses her observations of capacity issues and the stress and strain that is affecting HR and Employee Relations professionals. Natalie shares some sage advice in taking ownership of one’s workload, assessing leadership support or lack thereof, and some best practices in reducing stress levels and improving one’s state of well-being.
 Key topics:
Examining workloads for HR and ER and increasing caseloads
Discussing the need to get real with oneself and size the capacity problem
Examining why “suffering in silence” is a lousy strategy
Evaluating the importance of documentation, specifically action steps in managing cases to accumulate historical data
Examining how historical data becomes a platform for meaningful change
Reviewing the differences in negotiating styles for “managing up” with leadership to obtain the necessary resources
Natalie shares exciting news:
Launch of the 2nd edition of How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Guide for Human Resource Professionals in April 2025
Launch of the How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Workshop for HR & ER Professionals
Launch of the rpchr.com website in March 2025
Launch of the new RPC Academy, an online training portal at rpchr.com with access to Natalie’s content, launching in April 2025
Visit RPC HR for show notes and more information.
Check out Natalie's book How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Guide for Human Resource Professionals here:https://tinyurl.com/y39s7n77

Navigating Employee Relations: Insights and Trends from a Senior HR Leader in Hospitality

In this episode, Natalie Ivey “talks shop” with special guest, Michele O’Neil, the Senior Director of Work Environment with Marriott International. Michele is a seasoned veteran with over 37 years in human resource management and employee relations. Natalie discusses with Michele the current trends in employee relations, particularly in the hospitality industry.
 Key topics:
Allegations of harassment and bullying
Employees increasingly reporting issues that are increasing their anxiety and affecting their mental health
Managing work/life balance
Performance Management issues
Best practices in leadership to minimize the risk of employee relations’ issues
Consistency in enforcement of organizational policies
Training leaders on the ADA to ensure they understand the “dos and don’ts” when it comes to employee mental health issues
Core competencies that Employee Relations’ team members need to possess to be successful in navigating the current challenges in employee relations
Recognizing that the words “mental health” can be abused by some employees who simply don’t want to be held accountable
Visit RPC HR for show notes and more information.
Check out Natalie's book How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Guide for Human Resource Professionals here:https://tinyurl.com/y39s7n77

Documenting the Details: 3 Key Tips for Investigative Note taking and Documentation

In this episode, podcast host Natalie Ivey shares 3 Key Tips from her best-in-class internal investigations training programs on how to improve note taking and documentation when conducting investigative interviews. Natalie shares the importance of proper planning, the use of templates, how to navigate difficult conversations with interviewees, and especially Subjects.
Key topics:
If you Fail to Plan Your Investigation You are Planning for Your Investigation to Fail
Identifying preparation strategies to improve interview documentation
Examining the negative impacts when investigative documentation isn’t effective and is done very poorly
Reviewing a strategy to get interviewees back on track after going off on tangents
Identifying critical details that need to be in every single document of conversation with interviewees to avoid creating holes that an investigator later needs to fill
Visit RPC HR for show notes and more information.
Check out Natalie's book How to Conduct Internal Investigations: A Practical Guide for Human Resource Professionals here:https://tinyurl.com/y39s7n77