Human resource leaders need to train managers on how to notice of certain employment conflicts and then to notify HR before taking any action on their own. One example of how things can go wrong is when an employee injures themselves at work and a number of colleagues witness the accident.
A manager may think it makes sense to bring all the witnesses into one room, gather statements and then turn a report over to HR. Or the manager may opt to write a report based on their own interpretation of what happened. But HR would rather a manager notify them first before taking any action.
Gregory Hare, an attorney with Ogletree Deakins in Atlanta, warns that a manager collecting witness statements may not be the best idea. Hare, who spoke recently at the SHRM 2018 Annual Conference & Exposition, says the most vocal employees could overshadow other witnesses in an instance where a manager brings everyone into the same room.
Managers instead should automatically contact HR about accidents, harassment claims or other workplace incidents and allow HR to conduct one-on-one meetings.