Phase 2 · Module 6
Use these scenarios for team coaching sessions, 1:1 debriefs, or certification preparation
Scenario 1
Situation
An employee — Keisha — comes to you and reports that a colleague made a sexually suggestive comment. She says: "I just wanted to tell you, but please don't make it a big deal. I don't want drama. Can we just let it go this once?"
Your Task
Handle the disclosure correctly, including honoring Keisha's feelings while fulfilling your legal duty to act.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Thank Keisha immediately: "I'm glad you told me. That took courage."
Validate her feelings: "I completely understand why you don't want drama. Your comfort matters to me."
Be honest about your obligation — do not mislead her: "I have to be transparent with you. What you've described triggers a duty for me to involve HR. I can't let this go — not because I want to make it hard for you, but because my job is to protect you."
Explain what happens next: "HR will reach out to you. The process is confidential — not secret. That means only people who need to know will know."
Do NOT investigate yourself, question the subject employee, or discuss it with other team members.
Notify HR the same day — this is not optional.
Follow up with Keisha after HR makes contact: "I just want to make sure you felt supported through this."
Facilitator Debrief
The hardest part of this scenario is that Keisha is asking you to do nothing. But honoring a silence request for potential harassment is not supportive — it is dangerous. You cannot protect her by ignoring it. Explaining your obligation with warmth and transparency is how you honor both her feelings and your duty.
Key Principle
Duty to Act: You cannot un-know a harassment report. Once you hear it, you own the obligation to report it — regardless of what the reporter wants.
Scenario 2
Situation
HR is conducting an active investigation into a complaint involving one of your team members — Chris. During the week of the investigation, Chris asks you: "Can I switch to the day shift while this is going on?" — his current shift is the same as the complainant's. You consider saying yes to reduce tension.
Your Task
Understand and avoid retaliation risk during an active investigation.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Stop and think before acting: any change to Chris's schedule, responsibilities, or treatment during an active investigation is a potential retaliation flag.
Do NOT approve or deny the schedule change independently — this decision is not yours to make right now.
Immediately contact HR: "Chris has requested a schedule change. I want to make sure I handle this correctly given the active investigation."
Let HR decide. They may approve it, deny it, or handle it differently — but the decision must go through them.
Do not discuss the investigation with Chris. Do not signal whether things are going well or badly for him.
Continue treating Chris exactly as you did before the complaint was made — same workload, same communication, same respect.
Document everything: the request, when you referred it to HR, their response.
Facilitator Debrief
Retaliation claims are often not about intent — they are about outcome. A schedule change that seems helpful to you could look like retaliation against the complainant (or preferential treatment of the subject) without context. When in doubt: refer to HR. That is not weakness — it is legal protection for everyone.
Key Principle
During an active investigation: freeze your own decision-making about the subject employee and route everything through HR.
Scenario 3
Situation
After HR opens an investigation, you mention to a colleague manager at lunch: "Just between us, Sarah filed a complaint against Tom. I don't think it's going to go anywhere but HR had to get involved." You did not mean any harm.
Your Task
Understand the severity of confidentiality violations and how to prevent them.
Step-by-Step Guidance
This is a serious breach — recognize it immediately.
Do NOT tell more people in hopes of "correcting the narrative."
Go to HR proactively and disclose what happened: "I made a mistake. I shared information about the investigation with another manager. I want you to know so you can address it."
Understand the consequences: the confidentiality of the investigation is now compromised. The complainant could face retaliation from peers. The process could be legally challenged.
Debrief with yourself: what made you share it? Discomfort? Wanting to seem in-the-know? Identify the trigger so it does not happen again.
Going forward: treat every HR matter as if it is under attorney-client privilege. If you are not sure whether you can share something — you cannot.
The rule: confidential means you share only with people who need to know for the process to work. Not friends. Not other managers. No one.
Facilitator Debrief
Confidentiality violations during HR investigations are among the most legally and organizationally damaging things a manager can do. They are almost always unintentional — but intent does not reduce impact. The standard is zero disclosure outside the necessary parties.
Key Principle
Confidentiality is not about secrecy — it is about limiting information to those who need it. When in doubt, say nothing.