Workplace Investigations: A Manager's Guide
Instructor: Cognosco Learning · Duration: Full Day · In-Person
One-day, in-person course — $595 per person · 3–4 seats save 10% · 5+ seats save 20%
About This Course
Most workplace investigations fail before the first interview. They fail because the investigator never wrote down the question he was asked to answer, because he interviewed the person he liked first and believed him, because the relevant messages were deleted in the ordinary course of business while he was still deciding how to begin, because a witness was promised a secrecy no one could keep, or because the final report mixed what people said with what the investigator concluded until no reader could separate them. None of those failures requires bad character. All of them are failures of method, and method can be taught. This course teaches it end to end: how an investigation is charged and scoped, how evidence is preserved and gathered, how complainant, respondent, and witnesses are interviewed with discipline and fairness, how credibility is assessed on evidence rather than instinct, and how findings are written so that the people who must act on them — and the people who must live with them — can see exactly what was established and what was not. You will learn to define the question before you ask anyone anything; to keep your own impartiality in fact and not merely in intention; to plan the sequence of an investigation the way you would plan any operation whose product is a record; to open every interview with ground rules that make honesty possible; to ask questions that produce accounts rather than arguments; to take notes that hold up a year later; to weigh conflicting accounts by consistency, corroboration, and evidence rather than by confidence or rank; and to close the matter cleanly — findings delivered, outcomes communicated within your authority, the file kept whole, and a watch kept afterward for the retaliation that would undo everything the investigation stood for.
What You'll Learn
- Open an investigation properly — a defined question in writing, a plan for sequence and evidence, preservation from the first hour, interim measures that protect without prejudging, and an honest statement of the limits of confidentiality given to every person involved.
- Gather facts with discipline — interviews framed by ground rules, questions that draw out complete accounts, contemporaneous notes that separate what was said from what you think of it, and documentary evidence collected before it disappears.
- Treat every person in the process fairly — complainant, respondent, and witnesses alike: each heard fully, each told the truth about the process, each protected from retaliation, and none promised outcomes or secrecy that are not yours to give.
- Close the matter cleanly — findings stated issue by issue and tied to the evidence, a report that a stranger could audit, decisions handed to the people whose job they are, outcomes communicated within your authority, and the file preserved entire.
What's Included
- A full day of in-person training, led by a Cognosco Learning instructor
- A printed participant manual for every attendee
- All course materials, exercises, and practice scenarios
- Guided practice and small-group work throughout the day
- Group savings built in: 3–4 seats save 10%, 5+ seats save 20%
Who It's For
Employees and supervisors in roles where awareness, standards, and sound judgment keep people — and the organization — safe.
Your session’s training location, date, and start time are set by Cognosco and confirmed with you after registration — the scheduling is handled for you.
Looking to train a whole team? See corporate training →
Enroll in This Course
In-person · Full day · Taught by Cognosco Learning instructors
Add 2 more seats to save 10%.
No account required · Secure checkout
What happens next
- Choose your seats and enroll — no account required.
- Cognosco sets your training location, date, and start time, and confirms them with you.
- Check out securely; your confirmation is sent immediately.
Before You Enroll
What's included in a course day?
A full day of in-person training led by a Cognosco Learning instructor, a printed participant manual for every attendee, and all course materials and exercises. One flat rate per person — no proposal required.
How are the training location, date, and start time set?
They are set by Cognosco. When you register, we confirm your session’s location, date, and start time with you directly — you don’t need to propose or hold dates on your own.
How do the group savings work?
Automatically, at registration: 3–4 seats save 10%, and 5 or more seats save 20% off the $595 per-person rate. The discount is applied in the seat selector before you check out — no code, no negotiation.
Can we train a large group or a whole department?
Yes. Online registration handles up to 50 seats per course. For a larger group, a multi-course plan, or training across several locations, email us at hello@cognoscolearning.com and we’ll plan it with you.
What if we need to change our date?
Email us at hello@cognoscolearning.com as soon as you know — we’ll work with you to move your session to a date that works.