A Time of Renewal

Happy Easter, if you celebrate it. If not, Happy April 4th. Spring is a time of renewal and we start it out early with April Fool's day. This reminds us to suspend our belief in the words of even the most reliable individuals in our lives. This is a day where it can be plausible and wrong, but also implausible and right, either way we won't believe it until we see it. As one of my bosses used to say, believe but confirm. In HR, anyone that does investigations regularly has learned that nothing is as it seems on first report. We are obligated to suspend the habit of belief in what seems believable to create a broader picture from someone else's sketch. Their intent is mixed with sketches from others and colored in by still more observers. The best investigations end up with a detailed depiction of the scened, some remain a sketch. All the same, a result is required that, like true art, draws criticism and praise depending on the individual observer. The level of risk varies depending on the skill and knowlege of the investigator. If HR seemed easy, remember that we make tough decisions with limited data every day, just like our line management partners.