Most investigation interviews are conducted by someone who has never been trained to do one — a manager with good intentions, a list of assumptions, and questions like 'Did he yell at her?' that write the witness's answer for them. The findings inherit every flaw in the interviews underneath.
This question bank gives any interviewer a defensible structure: a consistent opening script with the confidentiality and anti-retaliation instructions, neutral chronological questions, probes that pull specifics instead of conclusions, credibility checks grounded in perception and corroboration rather than demeanor, closing questions that catch what you didn't think to ask, and same-day documentation prompts.
Who should use this investigation toolkit
- HR professionals conducting harassment or misconduct interviews
- Managers assigned to investigate without formal training
- Small employers handling their first serious complaint
- Municipal and nonprofit investigators whose notes face records requests
What it helps prevent
- Leading questions that contaminate testimony
- Interviews that skip the retaliation warning and confidentiality instruction
- Credibility judgments based on demeanor instead of substance
- Notes written days later from memory
- The accused learning details only the complainant could know — from you
What’s inside
- Section 1 — Opening Script (read to every interviewee)
- Section 2 — Neutral Foundation Questions
- Section 3 — Follow-Up Probes
- Section 4 — Credibility Checks
- Section 5 — Closing Questions (every interview)
- Section 6 — Documentation Prompts
- Interview Log
Before you process payroll, terminate, classify, deduct, or respond to a claim, get the decision reviewed.
Faulkner HR Solutions helps Texas employers, nonprofits, municipalities, and growing businesses fix the people systems behind recurring workplace problems. If this resource raised a risk flag, do not guess your way through the next step.