Program: The Art of the Inquiry: A Strategic Guide to HR Investigations

When
05/21/2025
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Location
Eisenhower Recreation Center 2850 Kirkwood Dr, Manhattan, KS 66502

Registration

Pay Ahead - Education Program & Meal – $20.00
Pay Ahead - Non Members – $25.00
Student - Free

Join Flint Hills SHRM for our monthly chapter meeting and program.

Topic: The Art of the Inquiry: A Strategic Guide to HR Investigations

Speaker: Sara O'Keef, Foulston Siefkin LLP

This will be a strategic, step-by-step guide to conducting lawful and effective investigations of employee complaints, misconduct allegations, and policy violations. We will discuss the stages of the investigation process—from planning and interviewing to resolution and follow-up—while emphasizing confidentiality, neutrality, and legal considerations. Attendees will walk away with practical tools, real-world scenarios, and actionable tips to navigate HR investigations consistently and effectively.

Three Learning Objectives from this program:

Conducting interviews, deciding who to interview and when, to get the facts without unduly interrupting the workplace.
Documentation during the investigation process – what to document, when to document, how to document in a way that will be helpful to you and your attorneys
Investigation outcomes – making a decision on the facts, when to consult outside counsel, following up with the complainant (when and how)
And a bonus – preventing retaliation, threats of retaliation, fear of retaliation against those who participate in the investigation

Sara O’Keefe is an employment and labor attorney, practicing nearly exclusively in employment law her entire career. Sara takes a practical, business-first approach to working with clients, helping them find a way to reach their goals through all aspects of the employment relationship. In addition to providing day-to-day advice and counseling to executive leaders and HR professionals, she has extensive experience as an employment and labor specialist on corporate transactions, performing due diligence to identify potential liability, as well as negotiating employment-related terms in purchase agreements, deal-related executive employment and separation agreements, retention agreements, and transition services agreements.

Sara truly enjoys working with her HR clients, building relationships with them, learning about their workplaces, their unique challenges, and their day-to-day operations. You will eventually hear her start to talk about your employees as if they are her employees, too.

While Sara seeks to help employers avoid litigation whenever possible, she also represents clients in all phases of employment litigation, including defense of discrimination and harassment claims, wrongful termination, and retaliation in state and federal courts and administrative proceedings. She is an experienced litigator skilled in arbitration, mediation, and negotiation, and she works with a wide range of clients across multiple industries, including Fortune 500 companies, governmental entities, private equity firms, and nonprofits.

Sara has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in the area of Litigation - Labor & Employment for 2023-2025.
Washington University St. Louis School of Law (J.D. cum laude, 2003)
MidAmerica Nazarene University (B.A., Communications, 2000)

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Affiliate of Society for Human Resource Management, Chapter #662
"Human Resource Management Network" is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization.