We start by meeting with you (and legal reps if needed) to understand the concerns, confirm the scope, and agree whether we’re investigating a specific complaint or taking a broader look at contributing factors.
We’ll provide a written plan with the key steps, likely timeframes, and an estimate of hours involved.
We review any relevant background documents and interview the Complainant to understand the key concerns. Next, we review any additional information the Complainant supplies and interview any witnesses they nominate.
From there, we draft clear allegations and may check back in with the Complainant to confirm accuracy and completeness.
The Respondent is provided with the allegations in advance and offered the chance to respond — in writing or during their interview. We then identify any additional witnesses who may have relevant information, and follow up with interviews as appropriate.
Once all evidence is gathered, we assess each allegation against the facts and applicable policies or standards.
You’ll receive a detailed report with findings, a clear Table of Evidence, and — if requested — practical recommendations to help address any contributing cultural or systemic issues that emerged during the process.
We utilise our legal lens:
Every investigation is approached with the analytical rigour of a legally trained mind — thoughtful, fair and thorough.
We are timely:
We are sensitive to the fact that this is likely to be a tough time in your workplace, and pride ourselves on finalising investigations promptly.
We handle investigations with heart:
Investigations can be tough. We’re kind, calm and professional every step of the way.
Upfront and transparent
You’ll receive a clear time and cost estimate upfront. If anything changes — for example, additional witnesses we need to interview — we’ll inform you promptly and adjust the estimate accordingly.
We build rapport quickly:
We build trust with participants, helping people feel safe to share what really happened.
We provide detailed findings:
You’ll get clear findings + report— plus advice on what to fix, if bigger culture issues show up (upon request).
We’re typically engaged by HR teams, senior executives, or Boards . And yes, we are frequently engaged by external legal counsel acting on behalf of an employer. There are many benefits to engaging us via your lawyer, particularly the protection of 'legal professional priviledge'.
You’ll receive a detailed report outlining the process, evidence gathered, findings via a comprehensive Table of Evidence and — where requested — practical recommendations. Where relevant, we will also provide additional commentary such as background information that we believe may have contributed to the issue(s) being investigated, witness credibility, scope limitations etc.
Factors that impact how long an investigation will take include: how many allegations a Complainant makes; how many witnesses are nominated who need to be interviewed and the availability of all parties. For example, if one party is absent from the workplace due to illness etc, then the interview will subsequently be delayed and so will the overall investigation. And whilst it is rare that an investigation is finished in less than a month, we pride ourselves on finalising investigations as soon as possible.
Yes — our approach aligns with best practice investigative standards, informed by both legal and HR perspectives. It’s fair, structured, flexible and empathetic.
If relevant and specifically requested, yes. We can flag any underlying patterns or cultural issues that may have contributed to the concerns raised.
"Alison has an extremely personable approach that makes the entire process more comfortable for employees which is incredibly important when dealing with what are often complex conflict situations. She is flexible in her approach and always completes projects in a timely manner. She also keeps me fully updated and asks questions along the way to continue to ensure that she is conducting the process in a manner that suits both the organisation and the situation at hand. I cannot recommend Alison more. She is the best investigator and workplace culture expert that I have ever have the pleasure of working with."
