Rebuilding Trust: Leading with Clarity and Care After a Workplace Investigation
In the Human Resources world, we talk a lot about documentation, workflows, and processes. We focus on protocols during a workplace investigation. But what happens when the investigation is over? How can we move forward? What's the right tone to use when communicating the outcome with your team? Let's talk about what to do after the investigation is complete, especially when you're tasked with rebuilding relationships, restoring trust, communication, and moving forward with clarity and care.
Rebuilding After a Workplace Investigation
You’ve just received the final report after the workplace investigation. Whether or not the complaint was “founded,” your goal is to rebuild by reestablishing trust and repairing relationships. Truth be told, rebuilding after the investigation can matter more than the events that sparked the complaint. Your role as a leader is now to communicate the outcome, support your team, and map a path forward.
Big decisions are not made in isolation. Rebuilding happens with your team through consensus. Co-creating a framework for best practices focuses on how we all support each other, which is even more relevant in today’s workplace. Let’s walk through a few practical steps after an investigation concludes, particularly when the findings are “unfounded” or inconclusive.
“Unfounded” Doesn’t Mean “Untrue”
If your final report finds some (or all) complaints “unfounded”, it may be due to insufficient evidence under the workplace investigation's criteria – even if parts of the complaints are “true.” A frequent misstep occurs when leadership declares that a complaint was “unfounded” without providing additional context or guidance, often resulting in confusion, diminished trust, and a sense of unresolved tension among team members. The results of the investigation simply address the specific details within the evidence but may not address the underlying behaviour. It may mean the investigator could not definitively prove that the actions or behaviours exhibited in the workplace met the thresholds as outlined by legislation to be considered founded.
After the investigation wraps up, instead of closing the door with legal jargon, open it wide with clarity and care. Acknowledge the courage it took for an employee to speak up. Let your team know that you are committed to supporting a respectful and safe workplace. Once they know that their employer is serious about getting better, they can get back to the job they were hired to do.
Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!
Now that the investigation is over, let’s figure out how to talk it out with the team. Please remember, you will most likely have a few groups to think about:
The person who raised the concern: Even if their claim wasn’t substantiated, they deserve respect and clarity. Let them know they are heard and you’re going to work with them to build a stronger and more engaged team.
The person the complaint was about (the Respondent): They may be experiencing stress, reputational damage, or uncertainty. They, too, need respectful closure and support on a path toward positive working relationships.
The rest of the team: If people sensed or knew something was going on, leadership can take this opportunity to share a general communication that reinforces shared values, workplace culture expectations, and next steps in fostering a healthy and positive work environment for everyone.
Communication means we don’t just tell people what’s happened, we invite them into a shared future. It’s not sharing specifics or confidential details; rather, it’s about reinforcing how the workplace helps us all stand taller in our own shoes.
An Opportunity to Grow
Too often, investigations are treated like an endpoint. In reality, they’re a starting point: it is a moment to reflect, regroup, and co-create ways to improve.
Ask:
What did we learn?
What contributed to this situation?
What’s missing in our systems, leadership, or culture?
Then, involve your people in the answers. That could mean facilitated team conversations, anonymous feedback forms, engagement strategies, or regular check-ins within the team. When people see themselves in the solution, they’re more likely to trust the process going forward. Investigations often expose breakdowns in communication, misaligned expectations, or gaps in supervision or accountabilities. These are all things worth exploring and repairing together.
More than any report or memo, people remember how leadership shows up. Were they clear? Respectful? Engaged? Did they disappear? Did they communicate next steps with confidence and care?
If your team has just finished a workplace investigation, or is bracing for one, you don’t have to figure out the aftermath alone.
We can help you plan what comes next:
- Leadership debriefs and messaging
- Team engagement workshops
- Monitoring and developing performance strategies
- Respectful workplace and policy review sessions
The Leadership Fundamentals Training Program can help equip your team to avoid escalated conflicts in the first place
Reach out if you’d like support building trust in the aftermath of a hard situation and the conversations that follow. We’re here to help you grow.
From the LIHR team and lead collaborator, Jessica Tomic HR Consultant Jessica@LisaIsaacHR.com
For professional HR advice that you can trust, contact us today!
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