Workplace Investigator Bias Halo Effect

Workplace Investigator Bias Halo Effect – A finding of bias in an investigation can derail the entire process & any finding is arrived at.

It many also cause a dismissal based on the findings to be unsound, lacking in fairness & failing to establish the valid reason for dismissal.

A bias can be defined as’
“An inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair.”

A Bias can be Actual, Perceived or Potential

It is important to not only to approach the investigation in an unbiased manner but also be seen to do so.

A somewhat unusual example of an investigator bias is a situation where the bias is actually created or engineered if you will, by the interviewee in most cases this will be a complainant or respondent.

This is what I refer to as a Halo effect – How your overall impression of the person effects how you feel about his/her Character or perhaps how you feel about what they are telling you & to the advantage of the interviewee.

This form of bias can be inherent in the investigator especially internal investigators who may know the parties involved in the complaint or misconduct & may have dealt with them in the past, many organisation have their ‘frequent flyers’.

In this case the complainant or respondent may seek to create the halo effect with you to enhance their position and perhaps hopefully that you will believe them or take their part.

I hear people scratching their heads thinking, what is he talking about?

As an external investigator like many others professionals I have a LinkedIn profile & my website that contains various information about me, past jobs and companies, university details etc.

There have been occasions where complainants or respondents have looked me up & found that we have had something in common such have having gone to the same university or worked in the same or similar professionals & they have raised this during their interview in the hope of making a connection that could potentially advantage them.

How do you deal with this?

A simple acknowledgement of the fact but don’t buy into it.

Don’t have a discussion just move on and base the outcome of the investigation and your findings on the evidence and the evidence only.

For more information about the Halo effect & other forms of investigative bias with advice on how you can manage potential bias, please check out this article

Workplace Investigator Bias Halo Effect – My advice;

If you are conducting workplace investigations ensure that you have a solid grounding in best practice investigation processes, including how to spot and respond to these tactics.

If you feel that any connection you have with a complainant or respondent may adversely affect your judgment, declare this and I recommend that you remove yourself from the investigation.

If I can assist you with investigation training please do not hesitate to contact me enquiries@awpti.com.au

Or check out the next open course for best practice workplace investigation training details here