Promoting and enhancing the quality of impartial workplace investigations.™
Credit Available - See Credits tab below.
Total Credits: 1.0 CA MCLE, 1.0 HRCI Credits, 1.0 SHRM
In a time when neutrality and trust are central to effective workplace investigations, understanding and addressing conflicts of interest is more important than ever. This session will explore the complex and often nuanced conflicts that can emerge in both internal and external investigations—from prior relationships and reporting structures to unconscious bias and organizational pressures. Through real-world examples and practical frameworks, we’ll examine how to identify red flags early, assess the severity of potential conflicts, and implement safeguards that protect the integrity of the investigation process. Attendees will leave with concrete strategies to maintain impartiality, enhance transparency, and make defensible decisions when conflicts arise. Ideal for internal investigators, external consultants, HR professionals, and legal counsel, this session will challenge attendees to look critically at their role and responsibility in upholding fairness, even when the lines are blurred.
Learning Objective
Speaker: Ritu Pancholy | Moderator: Rachel Ablin
All registrants will have acces to a recording of the webinar 48 hours after the live program.
Disclaimer:
The contents of this webinar and the positions taken are those of the presenter only, may be time-sensitive, and are not warranted, endorsed or otherwise recommended by AWI and are not intended to provide legal advice.
California MCLEs: 1.0
HR (General) Credits: 1.0
SHRM PDCs: 1.0
Ritu Pancholy, Esq. (she/her/hers) is the founder of Culturupt, a HR consulting firm. She is an experienced workplace investigator and an attorney barred in New York and New Jersey. Ritu has over 10 years of deep experience in handling employment related matters for organizations including public companies and the government. Most recently, Ritu was in-house global employment counsel at Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. (a public company with 5,000 employees) where she was responsible for all employment, compliance and litigation matters. Ritu supervised all global employment and compliance investigations, handled on boarding and performance management questions, advised on employment policies, as well as reductions in force, and championed diversity and inclusion programs. Ritu has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Seton Hall University and has taught Conducting Internal Investigations.
Ritu is a graduate of Duke Law School and received her undergraduate degree at Rutgers University. Prior to working in-house, Ritu was as an attorney at the NYC Department of Education where she advised the agency on employment and education matters, handled investigations and defended the agency against suits with the EEOC or federal/state agencies. Ritu started her career as an associate at Weil, Gotshal and Manges LLP in New York City.
Ritu is passionate about providing organizations with the tools necessary to build a respectful culture and empower its employees. Ritu believes that people are the heart of all organizations and that organizations must manage these relationships with care.
Rachel Ablin is the founder of Ablin Law, PC, a firm that specializes in providing employers with expert, professional and confidential workplace investigation solutions in the areas of harassment, discrimination, policy and employee code of conduct violations and other legal violations. Ms. Ablin has extensive employment law experience working with both employers and employees. Prior to starting Ablin Law, she worked for over 19 years as in-house employment counsel for Walgreens. She is on the Webinar Committee for the Association of Workplace Investigations.