Employee Relations and InvestigationsCornell

Certificate Program

Employee relations is an increasingly important role within the HR function. Maintaining positive employee relations helps boost morale, reduce conflict, and raise workforce productivity.

In this course, you will develop an understanding of how to best facilitate relationships between an organization and its employees, employees and their managers, and employees and other employees. You'll be introduced to the Effective Employee Relations Conversations framework, which enables HR professionals to conduct effective conversations with team members at all levels of the organization. Throughout the course, you'll have an opportunity to apply key components of this framework by working through a variety of practice activities.

Internal employee investigations are complex and require a step-by-step process. Following a proven process helps organizations ensure that a fair and thorough method is being used for determining whether there have been serious policy violations.

In this course, you will focus on the role and competencies required of internal investigators, be introduced to the components of the internal investigations process, and explore topics that impact the entire process. You will also have the opportunity to identify specific knowledge, skills, and insights you would like to transfer and apply to your role as an investigator.

The following course is required to be completed before taking this course:

• Conducting Effective Employee Relations Conversations

Conducting interviews — and conducting them effectively — is a critical step in the complex process of internal employee investigations.

In this course, you will focus on the common structure of intake and investigatory interviews, as well as note taking and communication skills for conducting interviews. The course will introduce a case study that focuses on conducting the intake interview.

The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:

• Conducting Effective Employee Relations Conversations
• Internal Investigation Fundamentals

When investigating the complaint issues, it's important to have a defined method for gathering information during the internal investigation.

In this course, you will concentrate on investigating the issues, which includes planning, structuring, and conducting by actively gathering the information. The course will build on a case study that focuses on a continuous approach for acquiring sufficient information.

The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:

• Conducting Effective Employee Relations Conversations
• Internal Investigation Fundamentals
• Conducting Internal Investigation Interviews

In order to effectively conclude an internal employee investigation, there are a number of critical steps that need to be followed.

In this course, you will focus on concluding the investigation, determining and implementing outcomes, and evaluating the process. The course will complete a case study that focuses on the final details related to closing an investigation.

The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:

• Conducting Effective Employee Relations Conversations
• Internal Investigation Fundamentals
• Conducting Internal Investigation Interviews
• Investigating Internal Complaint Issues

Symposium sessions feature three days of live, highly interactive virtual Zoom sessions that will explore today’s most pressing topics. The HR Symposium offers you a unique opportunity to engage in real-time conversations with peers and experts from the Cornell community and beyond. Using the context of your own experiences, you will take part in reflections and small-group discussions to build on the skills and knowledge you have gained from your courses.

Join us for the next Symposium, in which we’ll share experiences from across the industry, inspiring real-time conversations about best practices, innovation, and the future of human resources work. You will support your coursework by applying your knowledge and experiences to some of the most pressing topics and trends in the HR field. By participating in relevant and engaging discussions, you will discover a variety of perspectives and build connections with your fellow participants from across the industry.

All sessions are held on Zoom.

Future dates are subject to change. You may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending Symposium sessions is not required to successfully complete any certificate program. Once enrolled in your courses, you will receive information about upcoming events. Accessibility accommodations will be available upon request.