Independent Workplace Investigations & Mediation
Thorough, impartial investigations and skilled mediation that protect your people and your organisation.
Getting the investigation right
Whether a formal complaint has been made, a whistleblowing concern has been raised, or something has come to light that you know you cannot ignore, you are now in a position where how you investigate will determine everything that follows.
Get it right, and you have clear, defensible findings that enable fair decision-making and protect your organisation’s legal position. Get it wrong, and you face tribunal claims, regulatory scrutiny, grievance appeals, and the kind of reputational damage that takes years to repair.
What we investigate
We are regularly instructed to investigate misconduct and gross misconduct allegations, discrimination and harassment complaints including sexual harassment, bullying at every level including between senior leaders, whistleblowing and protected disclosure concerns, safeguarding and PREVENT matters in education and healthcare settings, data protection breaches and covert recording incidents, professional misconduct, conflicts of interest, financial irregularities, and complex grievances involving multiple parties or intersecting issues.
How our investigations work
We scope every investigation carefully before it begins. That means agreeing clear terms of reference with the commissioning manager, identifying the relevant policies, legal frameworks, and Equality Act considerations, and setting a realistic timeline that balances thoroughness with the need for timely resolution.
Evidence gathering is structured and methodical. We conduct detailed interviews with complainants, respondents, and witnesses, review all relevant documentation, and maintain a comprehensive investigation log throughout. Every party is treated with fairness and respect, and we ensure procedural safeguards are in place from the outset.
Our analysis applies the balance of probabilities standard, considers all relevant legal tests, and assesses each piece of evidence on its own merits and in the context of the wider picture. We do not work to a predetermined outcome.
Our investigation reports set out the evidence, the analysis, and the findings in a format that is clear, logical, and written to withstand challenge, whether from a disciplinary panel, an employment tribunal, or a regulator. Every report includes practical recommendations for the commissioning organisation.
Our approach to sensitive and complex cases
Many of the investigations we conduct involve people who work in emotionally demanding environments, whether that is a hospice where staff deal with death and bereavement as part of their everyday work, a healthcare setting where clinical pressures compound workplace stress, an educational environment where safeguarding concerns add a layer of complexity, or any workplace where the subject matter of the complaint touches on trauma, mental health, or deeply personal experience.
Our investigation methodology is informed by trauma-informed principles, which means we recognise that people who have experienced or witnessed distressing events may respond to the investigation process in ways that can be misinterpreted as evasiveness, inconsistency, or hostility when they are actually predictable responses to stress and trauma. We adapt how we structure interviews, how we sequence our questions, how we manage breaks and pacing, and how we communicate throughout the process, so that every participant can engage meaningfully without the process itself causing unnecessary additional harm.
This does not mean we compromise on rigour, procedural fairness, or the quality of our findings. It means we recognise that getting the best evidence from people requires creating conditions where they can give it, and that an investigation approach designed without regard for the human experience of the process is likely to produce poorer evidence, not better.
What happens after the investigation
An investigation report is only useful if the organisation knows what to do with it. We offer a post-investigation briefing with the commissioning manager and, where appropriate, support with implementing recommendations, communicating outcomes, and addressing any broader issues the investigation has identified.
Why use an external investigator?
Internal investigations carry real risks: perceived bias, insufficient time and resource, methodology that would not withstand tribunal challenge, and findings that employees do not trust. An independent external investigator removes these risks and gives your organisation the confidence to act on the findings.
Supporting your people through and after the process
A workplace investigation affects everyone involved, not just the complainant and the respondent. The person who raised the complaint may have spent months building the courage to come forward, and whether the complaint is upheld or not, they need to know that their working life will not be defined by having raised it. The person the complaint was made against may be carrying the weight of the investigation itself, the uncertainty, the stigma, and the impact on their confidence and professional identity, regardless of the outcome. The managers above both parties are often expected to lead their teams through what has happened while processing their own anxiety about the situation, usually without any structured support of their own. Even the wider team can be affected, navigating divided loyalties and uncertainty about what happens next.
Most organisations focus, understandably, on reaching the findings and making a decision. But the quality of what happens after that point determines whether the organisation genuinely recovers or whether the damage from the process lingers for months. We provide structured post-investigation support that helps organisations look after the people at the centre of the process, including trauma-informed coaching for individuals who have been through the investigation as complainant or respondent, leadership coaching for managers who need to rebuild their own effectiveness and their team’s confidence, and facilitated conversations to help teams move forward after a difficult period.
We also work with organisations to assess whether their existing support mechanisms are fit for purpose. In emotionally demanding sectors such as hospice care, healthcare, education, and social care, standard occupational health and employee assistance programme providers do not always understand the specific pressures staff face. Where that is the case, we help organisations identify what they actually need and how to access it.
Workplace Mediation and Conflict Resolution
Sometimes the right response to a workplace dispute is not an investigation but a conversation. Most of the mediation work we do involves people who need to continue working together but have reached a point where they cannot resolve the situation between themselves. It might be two colleagues whose relationship has deteriorated to the point where it is affecting the whole team, or a grievance that has been upheld but has left the underlying dynamic more strained than before. It might be a team where trust has quietly eroded over months without anyone being able to point to a single cause, or a situation that is heading towards a formal complaint but could still be resolved if someone helps both parties talk honestly about what has gone wrong.
What workplace mediation involves
Mediation is a voluntary, confidential process in which an independent mediator helps two or more people have a structured, honest conversation about what has happened between them and how they want to move forward. It is not about deciding who is right or apportioning blame, and it does not produce findings or recommendations in the way an investigation does. Its purpose is to help the people involved find a way to work together that they can both genuinely commit to.
We begin with individual pre-mediation meetings with each party, which allow us to understand each person’s perspective, what matters most to them, and what a good outcome would look like from where they are standing. These conversations also give us an honest view of whether mediation is the right approach for the situation, because it is not always the answer and it is better to know that before the joint session than to discover it during one.
The mediation session itself typically takes place over a full day and is facilitated by an experienced mediator who ensures both parties are heard, the conversation stays productive, and the discussion moves towards a concrete, written agreement. The agreement belongs to the parties rather than to us or to the organisation, and that sense of ownership is what makes mediated outcomes last, because the resolution has come from the people involved rather than being imposed on them from outside.
When mediation is the right approach
Mediation tends to work best when the people involved are willing to engage with the process, even if they are sceptical about whether it will help, and when the primary goal is to preserve or rebuild a working relationship rather than to reach a finding of fault. It is particularly effective after formal processes have concluded but the relationship still needs repair, or where early intervention could prevent a situation from escalating into something more damaging and more costly. There are also cases where the time, expense, and emotional toll of formal proceedings would be disproportionate to the issue at hand, and a single well-facilitated day of honest conversation can achieve what months of formal process could not.
When mediation is not the right approach
Getting the right process matters more than getting our preferred process, and we are always honest with clients about whether mediation is likely to help in their particular situation. It is not appropriate where there are serious safeguarding concerns, where one party is unwilling to engage, where there is a significant power imbalance that cannot be adequately managed within the process, or where the allegations are serious enough to require formal investigation first. In some cases, mediation may be the right step after an investigation has concluded and the focus has shifted from establishing what happened to rebuilding the working relationship going forward, but that is a judgement that needs to be made carefully and on the specific facts of each case rather than applied as a default.
Beyond individual mediation
Workplace conflict does not always sit neatly between two individuals, and we regularly work with situations that require a broader approach. We provide facilitated team discussions for departments or teams where the issues are collective rather than personal, helping people surface what has been left unsaid and agree together how they want to work going forward. We also provide coaching for managers who are navigating difficult team dynamics and need support to lead effectively through a period of tension, and follow-up support after mediation to make sure that the progress made during the session translates into lasting change in the day-to-day working relationship rather than fading once the pressure of the mediation day has passed.
Whether you need an independent investigation, are considering mediation, or are not yet sure which approach is right for your situation, we would welcome a conversation. Every enquiry is treated in complete confidence.