Real pages from the kit files. Example details are illustrative.
Employee Relations and Workplace Investigations Kit
Handle a workplace concern the way a fair, defensible process should run, from the first report to a documented finding, without improvising the parts that carry legal weight. A guided system: triage what just landed, plan and run a neutral investigation, weigh the evidence on the everyday standard, reach a clear finding, and track the matter to close.
One-time purchase, no subscription. Instant download.
Built by expert HR practitioners and leaders
- A Field Guide to running a fair investigation: how to take a concern from the first report to a documented finding, covering when to look into it, planning, interviewing, weighing the evidence, confidentiality, representation, and retaliation
- An Intake and Triage screen: capture a new concern, run a four-point risk check, and get a leaning on how urgent it is and what path it needs, so the first decision is consistent across managers
- An investigation plan and interview tools: break the concern into the specific questions to resolve, log who you spoke with and whether a representative was requested, and keep the work neutral and complete
- A findings step on the preponderance standard: decide each point on its own, more likely than not, and record a clear finding of substantiated, not substantiated, or inconclusive, with the basis written down
- An ER Case Log and a full template set: a register that shows what is open, in progress, and closed and how long matters take, plus editable Word forms for the intake, the plan, the interview guide, the witness statement, the findings report, and the outcome record
The kit gives you the process and the record. It does not make the call for you, and it routes the high-risk situations to qualified counsel.
A guided process, templates, and general business information for planning, not legal or tax advice. How you handle a workplace concern carries legal weight that varies by state and changes over time, so confirm current requirements for your state, and bring in qualified counsel for anything involving safety, a protected category, a senior leader, a union, or a possible legal claim.
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Last reviewed June 2026
Buying for clients or multiple entities? The White-Label tier is in the license.
Four files that take a concern from the first report to a documented outcome
A guided process, not a stack of forms. Read the Field Guide first, work a new concern through the Workbook in order from intake to the case log, and use the matching Word templates for the record at each step. Built to be used together.
Start Here
A one-page map: read the Field Guide first, then work a new concern through the Workbook in order, from the Intake and Triage screen to the ER Case Log. It also sets out the ground rules to follow before you act on a concern.
The Field Guide (14 pages)
How to think through a concern in thirteen short sections: what employee relations is for, when to look into a concern, intake and triage, planning a fair investigation, interviewing well, weighing the evidence, findings and what is next, confidentiality, representation in interviews, retaliation, documentation, high-risk situations, and how the pieces fit together.
The Workbook
Seven working tabs: a Start Here, the Intake and Triage screen, the Investigation Plan, the Interview Log that records whether a representative was requested, the Findings tab on the more-likely-than-not standard, the ER Case Log register, and a Definitions reference. It works in Excel or Google Sheets, and a worked example runs through every tab.
The Templates
Six editable forms that produce the record at each step: a complaint intake form, an investigation plan, an interview guide and notes, a witness statement, an investigation findings report, and an outcome and corrective action record.
The method in the order a matter runs
Take the concern in, size it up, plan and run the investigation, weigh the evidence, and reach a finding you can stand behind. The kit structures each step; you make the calls, and counsel covers the close ones.
Take it in and triage it
Capture the concern calmly on the Intake and Triage screen, including who, what, when, and who else may know. Run the four-point risk check, note any immediate safety step, and let it point you to how urgent the matter is and whether it needs a formal investigation or a documented conversation. Make no promise that nothing will happen and no promise of total secrecy.
Plan a fair investigation
Pick someone neutral to investigate, and use someone independent if the concern touches a manager, a senior leader, or HR itself. Break the concern into the specific questions you must answer, list who can speak to each, and note what to gather. Write questions, not conclusions, so the plan stays a working tool rather than a verdict.
Interview and gather the evidence
Work the interview guide with each person, stay neutral, and log every conversation on the Interview Log, including whether a representative was requested. Capture witness accounts on the witness statement, keep the file to the people who need to know, and hold any confidentiality request to the open matter.
Weigh the evidence and reach a finding
Decide each point on its own using the everyday standard, more likely than not. Weigh each account for what it is worth rather than counting heads, watch for the credibility traps, and record a clear finding of substantiated, not substantiated, or inconclusive, with the basis written down.
Close the matter and log it
Record the outcome on the outcome and corrective action record, log the matter on the ER Case Log, and close the loop with the person who raised it without sharing private details about anyone else. Where a finding points to discipline or an exit, that is a separate decision the Discipline and Termination Decision Kit walks.
A fair investigation is run, not improvised
Concerns go wrong in predictable ways: a slow response, a biased or sloppy inquiry, a confidentiality demand that reaches too far, or a finding that turns on who is loudest rather than what the evidence shows. The fix is a process. This kit gives you the triage, the plan, the interview tools, and the standard, so a matter is handled promptly, neutrally, and on the evidence, and so you know which situations to stop and hand to counsel.
The kit tells you when to call a lawyer
Most concerns can be handled in-house with a fair, documented process. Some sit near a legal line, and the kit marks them, so you slow down and get qualified input before a decision creates exposure. Advice before you act is far cheaper than defending a misstep after.
Who does what
A fair investigation splits the work between you, the kit, and your counsel. Here is the split, stated plainly.
- The kit structures the process; you run it. The triage screen, the plan, and the interview tools organize the work and keep it neutral. Talking to people, weighing what they say, and reaching the finding are yours to do.
- The kit sets the standard; you apply it. It explains the more-likely-than-not standard, what makes evidence stronger or weaker, and the credibility traps to avoid. Deciding what the evidence shows on each point is the judgment only you can make.
- The kit flags the legal lines; counsel rules on them. A concern near a protected category, a senior leader, a union, or a possible claim is a signal to pause and get input. The kit tells you when a matter needs a lawyer; counsel tells you what to do about it.
- The kit keeps confidentiality in bounds; counsel reviews the broad rules. It shows what you can and cannot ask people to keep private. A standing or company-wide confidentiality rule is reviewed with qualified counsel before you rely on it.
- The kit keeps the record, and the record is the point. A documented intake, a neutral plan, logged interviews, and a clear finding are the difference between a matter you can defend and one you cannot.
Who it is built for
Who this kit fits, and where to go if that is not you.
Built for
- An HR generalist, manager, or business owner who has to look into a workplace concern and wants to run it promptly, neutrally, and on the evidence, with the record to show for it.
- An HR team of one, or a small HR function, that needs one consistent process for intake, investigation, findings, and a case log across every manager and every matter.
- An operations or people leader who has to be sure a complaint was handled fairly and documented, and who wants to know when a matter has to go to counsel before it goes further.
If you are looking for
- An ordinary performance concern with no misconduct or protected issue behind it, handled through the review process rather than an investigation. The Performance Review and Calibration Toolkit builds that.
- A leave or accommodation request to handle under FMLA, the ADA, or state law, rather than a complaint to look into. The Leave and Accommodation Kit covers it.
- The everyday people-management playbook for routine one-on-ones, coaching, and team issues, not a formal investigation. The People Manager Toolkit is built for that.
Before you buy
What format are the files and can I edit them?
Is this legal advice?
How is this different from a free template or checklist?
Can employees be told to keep an investigation confidential?
What is the refund policy?
What happens after I buy?
Can I expense this purchase to my business?
Most customers buy TrueStep HR tools for business use, and a tool you use for work often qualifies as a deductible business expense. Whether it does for you depends on your situation, so confirm with your accountant or tax professional. Your receipt arrives by email at checkout and works as documentation.
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Handle the next concern fairly and document it
Triage it, plan it, run it on the evidence, and reach a finding you can stand behind, in files you keep, with the kit telling you when to bring in counsel.
A guided process and templates for planning, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed June 2026.