HR Professional - December/January 2008 - (Page 36)

FEATURE SPEAK NO EVIL Avoid wasting time and get better results in your workplace investigation interviews using a method designed by the police BY MICHAEL STINSON A FTER SEVERAL HIGHPROFILE CRIMINAL CASES involving false confessions, t the United Kingdom changed the way police conducted interviews. w Since 1992, the U.K. has used the P PEACE (see box, right) model of ) c conducting witness, victim and suspect interviews. Developed by p psychologists, PEACE combines e elements of cognitive interviewing a and conversation management to get far greater detail in interviewee a accounts and create a process to safeguard against accusations of b bias. In a national evaluation, psycho ologist Becky Milne found the model got more accurate information than t traditional police interviews. Human resources can use the same method to conduct thorough, u unbiased workplace investigations. PREPARATION AND PLANNING T This involves background checks, r reading reports and, where possible, talking to people who have p previously interviewed the subject. I It also means developing and writi ing an interview plan with aims a and objectives speciﬁc to the case. T The primary goal is to get informat tion from the subject. 36 D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 8 / J a n u a r y 2 0 0 9 Base your plan on a route map. The route map is made up of four questions about the case, ranging from general to speciﬁc. For example, you could ask a subject accused of a theft: 1. What were you doing yesterday afternoon and who were you with? 2. What brought you to that location? 3. Speciﬁcally, what were you doing between 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.? 4. What involvement, if any, did you have in the theft? These questions are obviously case-specific but the principle is to frame the boundaries of the interview. If an interview subject came in with a prepared statement, the route map questions may throw them off. While creating your plan, think of potential responses to these questions and what questions those responses would generate. objective—an underlying principle of the PEACE model. Building rapport with your interviewee goes far beyond asking questions about their job, hobbies and family. Investigative interviews are stressful and obviously this applies more so to people who are accused of wrongdoing. Explaining the interview process in easily understood terms is a great place to start. Showing respect and empathy and being non-judgmental are critical to establishing a bond with suspects and witnesses alike. Show subjects you’re listening by nodding your head, making eye contact and summarizing what they have said. They will talk much more if they feel they are being listened to. ENGAGE AND EXPLAIN In this phase, everything from the reason for the inquiry, what the allegations mean and how the interview will be conducted is explained to the subject. It is important you tell them you are looking for the truth because it shows you are PEACE: Preparati P Engage Account, Cl Eval osing uation on and Planning and Explain Clarify and Challenge HR P ROF ES SI O N AL

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Professional - December/January 2008

HR Professional - December/January 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Contributors Leadership Matters Upfront Legal Compensation Human Capital Talent Management The R-Word Speak No Evil On Message Strategy HR 101 Interview with Donna Wilson Off the Shelf The Last Word

HR Professional - December/January 2008

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