The Investigation Play

Use when evidence gathering is done. Writes the findings report allegation by allegation under the more-likely-than-not standard, the recommendation to management, and the close-out conversations with both parties.

Use when an employee concern or complaint just arrived, directly, through a manager, or from a hotline. Triages conduct vs. performance, spots words that create a duty to act, runs the intake, and handles "please keep this confidential."

Use when: Use to prepare or run investigation interviews. Builds the guide for the complainant, witnesses, or the accused, with opening and closing admonitions and broad-to-specific questioning, and handles in-the-room moments.

Use when: Use to document an investigation: turn a post-interview brain dump into a clean contemporaneous note, scrub conclusions out of notes, build the evidence log and chronology, and organize the case file.

Use when: Use after intake to plan the investigation: scope, allegations mapped to policy, interview order (complainant, witnesses, then the accused), evidence and preservation steps, and target dates.

Use when a manager (not HR) has seen or been told about possible misconduct. Decides whether it must go to HR, how to report it, and what not to do: investigate it themselves, discipline anyone, or promise secrecy.

Use when: Use to risk-check a case, intake, plan, or notes before acting. Flags retaliation exposure, protected-class blind spots, conflicts of interest, predetermined-outcome language, confidentiality promises, and when counsel must come in.