Knowledge Check #4

An employee tells you a coworker keeps making off-color jokes and asks you not to "make a big deal of it." What is the correct next step? *

Note it informally and move on since she asked you not to escalate

Treat it as a serious complaint regardless of how it was framed, and begin the response process

Wait to see if it happens again before doing anything

Tell the coworker to stop informally, with no documentation

A supervisor sends repeated after-hours messages criticizing an employee's appearance via a work messaging app. This is best classified as: *

Verbal harassment

Digital / cyber harassment

Physical harassment

Not a form of harassment, since it's outside work hours

Within what timeframe should an investigation begin after notification of a complaint, per this training? *

Within a week

Within 24-28 hours

Within 30 days

Immediately, before fathering any facts

An employee asks you to promise the investigation will be kept completely secret. What should you say? *

Promise complete confidentiality to encourage reporting

Explain that information will be shared strictly on a need-to-know basis to conduct a fair investigation

Decline to investigate until they agree to go public

Tell them confidentiality cannot be guaranteed under any circumstances

During an active investigation, which interim measure protects the complainant without penalizing them? *

Moving the complainant to a less desirable shift

Adjusting schedules or reporting lines in a way that does not disadvantage the complainant

Placing the complainant on unpaid leave

Taking no action until the investigation concludes

Who should conduct a harassment investigation? *

The complainant's direct supervisor

An impartial, trained investigator with no stake in the outcome

The alleged respondent's mentor

Any available staff member

An investigator forms an opinion about the outcome before interviewing all witnesses. This is an example of: *

Efficient investigation practice

Pre-judging outcomes, which should be avoided

Standard best practice

A required step for fast resolution

After an investigation concludes, which of the following should occur? *

Only the respondent is notified of the outcome

The complainant and respondent are both informed appropriately, and records are kept in a confidential file

No documentation is needed once resolved

The complainant decides the disciplinary outcome