High statistics around stress and fear as a result of an alleged workplace incident

Investigation Key Statistics: Edition 5

iHR Australia conduct independent investigations for a wide range of organisations. We have compiled a collection of statistics to track trends in the workplace. These key statistics give valuable insights into areas of concern that can influence your business.

iHR Australia’s Business and Counselling Psychologist and Training Facilitator, Steven Booker provides some valuable insights into how to identify and manage stress caused by an alleged incident in the workplace.

What are some of the signs of stress caused by an alleged incident?

Because the outcome of an investigation has the potential to impact the participants’ team relationships, duties and in some cases their ongoing employment, it is not surprising that investigations can be a major source of stress. This is true even when the investigation is conducted accurately and in a timely fashion. It is also true that the stress an investigation can cause may affect not only the complainants/respondents, but in some cases witnesses, other team members, the HR professionals/managers overseeing the investigation, and even investigators.

Some common signs of stress arising from investigations can include:

• rumination (intrusive thinking) about the investigation (e.g. the inability to stop thinking about it, even when trying to)
• negative moods (e.g. anger, sadness, frustration)
• being more reactive than usual (e.g. getting angry or “triggered” by little things, or overreacting to small problems)
• sleep difficulty or nightmares
• unexplained pains (e.g. headache, sore back, muscle tension with no obvious physical cause)
• loss of enjoyment of life and work (e.g. not experiencing the usual happiness or welcome distraction from work, hobbies or entertainment)
• burn out and reduced performance, engagement, communication, motivation and/or satisfaction at work

In more serious cases, stress arising from investigations can significantly reduce a person’s functioning at work or home. Examples of this could include:

• worrying about the investigation so much that the employee is unable to sleep, and therefore can’t come to work, or focus on tasks, the following day
• panic attacks (e.g. hyperventilating, feeling dizzy/fainting, feeling of impending doom)
• post-traumatic stress symptoms (e.g. anxiety triggered by people, places or conversations that directly or indirectly remind the person of the investigation or incidents leading up to it)
• depressive symptoms (e.g. feelings of exhaustion, hopelessness, negative self-evaluation, apathy)

How should stress resulting from an alleged behaviour be managed?

It’s important to keep in mind that the stress which can arise from investigations is often more than the usual stress employees experience in their normal duties. Just because an employee is generally fit for work from a psychological perspective, it cannot necessarily be assumed that it is safe for them to be exposed to the additional stress of an investigation.

This is a complex issue and employers are strongly recommended to seek professional advice. However, as a general principle, if there is any suggestion that an employee may be at risk of developing or exacerbating a diagnosable mental ill-health condition as a result of an investigation, the employer should address that risk prior to requiring the employee to participate in the investigation. This usually involves obtaining advice from the employee’s treating mental health professional confirming they are fit to participate in the investigation.

Secondly: it’s a good idea for the employer to appoint someone as a point of contact for all investigation participants if they feel stress or are worried about the investigation. This should be someone who is not involved in conducting, participating in, or overseeing the investigation. For example, in larger organisations, it may be a manager or HR professional from an area of the business that is not involved in the investigation. In a smaller company, it may be an owner. The role of this “contact officer” is not to discuss the investigation (which will be confidential), but to be there for employees who may want or need to have an R U OK conversation as a result of stress from the investigation.

Third: investigations that are not conducted in a timely, fair or accurate way tend to cause a lot more stress. Plan the investigation to minimise as much stress as possible. Do it quickly but accurately. Give people reasonable time to respond to allegations. Follow the laws of procedural fairness, and any investigation policy your company may have.

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