In episode 87, Coffey talks with John Hagan about best practices for employment investigations.

They discuss the criteria for determining when an investigation is necessary; the definition of a hostile work environment; managing confidentiality in complaints; investigation guidelines and considerations; remote interviews; recording interviews; determining credibility; the do's and don'ts when writing the investigation report; and continuing communications with a complainant.

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About our Guest:

John P. Hagan is an HR attorney who practices nationwide employment law from his office in Allen, Texas and is Board Certified in Texas Labor and Employment Law. He is ranked by his peers to be in the top 5% of all lawyers in Texas and is an award-winning author for the College of the State Bar. 

Mr. Hagan has written on many employment law issues, including damages, discrimination, and wrongful termination. Mr. Hagan has co-authored the Employment Law Handbook - Texas (Texas Association of Business and Chambers of Commerce) and Texas Employment Law for James Publishing.

Mr. Hagan and his firm represent a wide range of companies of all sizes and in all industries. His specialty is counselling companies using best practices and preventative HR resulting in less litigation. He has served as President for both DallasHR and Mid-Cities HRA. He served on committees for Collin County HR Association.

Mr. Hagan has been named consistently as a Texas SuperLawyer (©Thomson Reuters) for twelve years, from 2010 – 2022.

John Peter Hagan can be reached at 

www.linkedin.com/pub/john-hagan/4/406/a3b

About Mike Coffey:

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, human resources professional, licensed private investigator, and HR consultant.

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations firm helping risk-averse companies make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.

Today, Imperative serves hundreds of businesses across the US and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies.

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence and has twice been named HR Professional of the Year.

Additionally, Imperative has been named the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.

Mike is a member of the Fort Worth chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and volunteers with the SHRM Texas State Council.

Mike maintains his certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute. He is also a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).

Mike lives in Fort Worth with his very patient wife. He practices yoga and maintains a keto diet, about both of which he will gladly tell you way more than you want to know.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify when an investigation is warranted.

2. Understand when a hostile work environment constitutes a possible violation of law.

3. Implement sound employment investigation guidelines and processes.