Workplace Investigation: When Someone Lies

False allegations in workplace investigations are somewhat rare. Or are they?

HR professionals need to know how to recognize and handle a bad faith complaint when one comes up. Bob Stenhouse, founder and CEO of Veritas Solutions and a former police investigator and undercover officer, explains the difference between unfounded, vexatious, and bad faith complaints. He also covers counter allegations and why employers need a policy on bad faith allegations.

Key takeaways:

🤷 An unfounded complaint is not a false one. Many complainants believe their own account, even when the evidence does not support it.

👹We don't usually use the word 'lying'. Usually these are called bad faith.

🫵 Counter allegations are common. Sometimes both parties breached policy, and sometimes the counter allegation is retaliation.

🧐 Investigators must keep an open mind to all possibilities, including a false allegation. A closed mind leaves findings open to legal challenge.

00:00 Intro 00:48 Unfounded vs. bad faith complaints 02:44 Vexatious vs. bad faith explained 04:13 Why investigators avoid saying “lying” 05:15 Handling counter allegations 07:32 Does it matter who started it? 08:37 Can an investigation be harassment? 10:22 Why employers need a bad faith policy 12:07 Acting on dishonesty without a policy 13:32 False allegations in the #MeToo era 15:13 Keeping an open mind 16:17 Where “he said, she said” came from 17:01 Finding Bob and Veritas Solutions

**Find Bob** Website: https://veritassolutions.net/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-stenhouse/ Book: Truth Matters: A Guide to Conducting Successful Workplace & Other Administrative Investigations: https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=Truth+Matters+Bob+Stenhouse

**Find Andrea (me)** Website: https://thehrhub.ca/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/