Creating a safe and neutral environment is the foundation of any effective employee relations (ER) investigation. When an employee approaches you with a concern, your first responsibility is to help them feel comfortable and respected. This means listening without judgment, maintaining a calm demeanor, and making it clear that your role is to ensure a fair process. For example, rather than saying "I can't believe that happened to you," which signals bias, you might say, "Thank you for sharing this with me. My role is to understand your perspective and ensure a fair process." Small adjustments in language and body language—such as open posture and steady eye contact—can make a significant difference in building trust.

Gathering fact-based, unbiased evidence is the next critical step. Your goal is to collect specific, observable details rather than opinions or assumptions. Ask questions that prompt for concrete examples, such as "Can you walk me through what happened, including who was present and what was said or done?" Avoid leading questions or those that suggest a particular answer. When documenting, focus on direct quotes and actions: "Alex raised their voice and said, 'This is your fault,'" is much more objective than "Alex was being aggressive." This approach ensures your findings are defensible and helps maintain the integrity of the process

As an HR Business Partner (HRBP), you play a pivotal role in ensuring investigations are both thorough and fair. One widely used technique is the Funnel Questioning Technique, which helps you move from broad, open-ended questions to more specific, detailed ones. This approach encourages employees to share their perspective without feeling led or judged.

Funnel Questioning Technique:

1. Start Broad: Begin with open-ended questions to allow the employee to share their story in their own words.
   • Example: "Can you tell me what happened from your perspective?"
2. Narrow Down: Ask follow-up questions to clarify details and focus on specific events or behaviors.
   • Example: "Who else was present during the meeting?" or "What was said immediately before and after that comment?"
3. Seek Specifics: Request concrete examples, direct quotes, and observable actions.
   • Example: "Can you recall the exact words that were used?" or "How did people in the room respond at that moment?"

This technique helps you avoid assumptions and ensures your documentation is based on facts rather than interpretations.

Clear communication about the ER process, scope, and confidentiality is essential for setting expectations and building confidence in the process. At the outset, explain what will happen next, your role, and how confidentiality will be managed. For instance, you might say, "I'll be gathering information from everyone involved to understand the situation fully. While I will keep your information as confidential as possible, some details may need to be shared with others involved in the process to ensure a fair review." Be transparent about the scope: "My focus is on understanding the facts related to your concern. If we uncover issues outside this scope, I’ll let you know how those will be addressed." This clarity helps employees feel informed and supported, reinforcing HR’s commitment to fairness and due process.

Let's look at a sample conversation where Jake, the HRBP demonstrates a safe, neutral, and fact-based approach so Jessica, the team lead, can share their concerns:

• Jessica: Thanks for meeting with me, Jake. I’m not sure if this is the right place to bring it up, but something happened in yesterday’s team meeting that made me uncomfortable.
• Jake: I appreciate you coming forward, Jessica. My role is to listen and make sure we understand what happened so we can address it fairly. Can you walk me through what took place? (Funnel: Start Broad)
• Jessica: During the meeting, Dan interrupted me several times and at one point said, "Let’s move on, this isn’t important," in front of everyone.
• Jake: Thank you for sharing those details. Just to clarify, Dan said, "Let’s move on, this isn’t important," and this was after he interrupted you a few times? (Funnel: Narrow Down)
• Jessica: Yes, that’s right. It felt dismissive.
• Jake: I understand how that could feel. I’ll be speaking with others who were present to gather a full picture. While I’ll keep your information as confidential as possible, some details may need to be shared to ensure a fair review. If we uncover anything outside this specific concern, I’ll let you know how we’ll handle it.

In this exchange, Jake demonstrates neutrality, gathers specific behavioral evidence, and clearly communicates the process and confidentiality. Notice how he uses the Funnel Questioning Technique to move from broad to specific questions, and how his documentation would align with the FAIR Model by focusing on facts, setting aside assumptions, noting the impact, and clarifying next steps.

Mastering these skills and frameworks will enable you to handle ER concerns with professionalism and empathy, ensuring both employees and the organization are treated with respect and integrity. In the upcoming role-play, practice using the Funnel Questioning Technique and the FAIR Model to create a safe environment and gather unbiased evidence in a realistic scenario.