What do I do if somebody connects with me after completing an investigation? So sometimes, the reporting party, in particular, will reach out to me. I do counsel my clients to circle back around with the reporting party when the investigation is done. Still, they don’t always do that well or consistently or timely, and so sometimes the reporting party in particular, but sometimes it’s other people, reach out to me after an investigation is complete. Sometimes they have new information when they do that, too. So, generally speaking, unless I have an active and ongoing research related to that issue, I tell the person, “You know, you need to reach back out through your traditional reporting procedures so go back to your handbook, go back to your ethics hotline, go back to your complaint hotline, and make a report anew. I’m not your substitute HR person or reporting person.” I try to avoid actually saying that I’m done with the investigation, but ultimately I’ve usually wrapped up my investigation and they need to start a new process.
