He Said, She Said – Now What? Tips for Effectively Assessing Credibility
You just completed an investigation interview. Now comes the hard part: assessing credibility. Sometimes the facts and credibility of the complainant, subject and witnesses are clear; but often, they’re all credible, or it’s a close call as to who is more credible. Nevertheless, the investigator must reach a conclusion: giving up and saying “inconclusive” is not an option. Credibility assessments are imperative in helping the investigator determine which testimony and evidence is more credible. In the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, employers must confidently rely on investigation findings that are based on credibility assessments in order to support their employment decisions. The presenter, an experienced attorney investigator, shows you how to effectively assess credibility using factors such as plausibility, prior record, corroboration, consistency and motive.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn about the various factors used by experienced investigators to make credibility determinations.
- Learn to effectively analyze testimony in order to assess credibility.
- Get tips for asking insightful and probing questions to determine witnesses’ credibility.
Allison West, Esq., SHRM-SCP, AWI-CH
Allison West is an employment attorney by background and for over 20 years has assisted employers in creating and maintaining safe and respectful work environments.
She focuses her practice on delivering customized workplace training, conducting workplace investigations, coaching executives/managers concerning performance or disciplinary issues as well as leadership topics, and serves as an expert witness. Allison also specializes in using her mediation skills to help individuals and groups to work through conflicts and create more collaborative work environments.
Allison is a top-rated speaker at the SHRM Annual Conference as well as other HR/diversity conferences, and is a national expert on harassment, discrimination and investigations. She has appeared on PBS, CBS This Morning and in O Magazine discussing workplace harassment issues.
She is a member of the State Bar of California and holds her SHRM-SCP certification and AWI-CH (investigation) certificate.