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Description

Workplace Harassment Officer: Preventing, Assessing Facts and Investigating

Tell demanding management apart from workplace harassment and run an investigation that holds up

  • 1 day — 7 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Workplace harassment is rarely revealed by a single incident. It takes hold through ordinary acts: work being withdrawn, exclusion from meetings, repeated criticism in front of the team, targets that cannot be met. The designated officer must separate a questionable exercise of authority from a deliberate deterioration of working conditions. Getting that assessment wrong exposes the organisation as much as doing nothing.

This one-day programme equips the officer on both sides of the mandate. Participants learn to read organisational warning signals upstream, then to conduct a structured internal investigation through to a report that sets out facts rather than impressions.

Learning objectives

  • Distinguish workplace harassment from interpersonal conflict and from a questionable exercise of authority
  • Identify work organisations that encourage at-risk situations to emerge
  • Scope an internal investigation by defining its perimeter and its panel
  • Conduct interviews with the complainant, the person concerned and witnesses
  • Analyse the evidence gathered and draft a fact-based investigation report
  • Recommend interim measures and proportionate follow-up actions

What makes this programme different

A complete investigation is run on a single running case, from scoping to final report
Interviews with the person concerned are role-played with their specific difficulties
An analysis grid separates established facts from alleged facts and interpretations

Programme

1Recognising workplace harassment

Naming what is happening before reacting

  • Constituent elements of repetition and of the deterioration of working conditions
  • The boundary with relational conflict and with pressure on results
  • Downward, upward and horizontal forms of harassing behaviour
  • Warning signals visible in absenteeism and staff turnover
  • Effects on the health of the person targeted and on the wider team

2Preventing through organisational action

Addressing causes and not only cases

  • Analysis of organisational tension factors within the departments concerned
  • Inclusion of the risk in the occupational risk assessment and the action plan
  • Awareness-raising across the management line and clear markers given to managers
  • Internal reporting channel and employee information on how to use it
  • Indicator monitoring and lessons learned once a situation has been handled

3Conducting the internal investigation

Establishing the facts without prejudging

  • Decision to investigate and composition of the investigation panel
  • Drafting the terms of reference and informing the people concerned
  • Interview framework and rules of conduct for the hearings
  • Handling written evidence and witness statements
  • Drafting the report and formulating conclusions and follow-up actions

Who is it for

Designated workplace harassment officers, human resources managers, risk prevention specialists and members of health, safety and working conditions committees.

Prerequisites

Familiarity with the general framework for preventing psychosocial risks in the workplace.

Dates & locations

24 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.