HR investigation support involves guiding employers through the process of reviewing workplace complaints, gathering facts, and documenting findings in a structured and compliant manner. Rather than relying on internal teams that may lack neutrality or investigative training, companies benefit from experienced professionals who manage investigations objectively.

Exceptional HR Solutions delivers HR investigation support as part of a broader people and compliance strategy. Their professionals work independently to assess concerns, conduct interviews, review evidence, and provide clear investigative summaries. Learn more about their broader fractional HR approach here:
https://exceptionalhrsolutions.com/services/fractional-hr/

Exceptional HR Solutions delivers comprehensive HR investigation support services tailored to the needs of Austin companies.

Complaint Intake and Initial Assessment

HR investigation support begins with reviewing the complaint, relevant policies, and legal considerations to determine scope, urgency, and investigative approach.

Interview Support and Facilitation

Investigators conduct structured interviews with complainants, respondents, and witnesses to gather accurate information while maintaining professionalism and confidentiality.

Evidence and Documentation Review

HR investigation support includes reviewing policies, emails, messages, time records, and other documentation related to the complaint to ensure findings are evidence-based.

Investigation Summaries and Findings

Exceptional HR Solutions prepares clear, well-documented summaries outlining investigative steps, findings, and policy considerations to support informed employer decisions.

Guidance on Process Next Steps

While investigations remain impartial, HR professionals provide guidance on documentation, process requirements, and compliance considerations following the investigation. Learn more about compliance support here:
https://exceptionalhrsolutions.com/additionalservices/compliance/

Organizations can also stay informed on investigation best practices through resources provided by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM):
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/workplaceinvestigations.aspx

The HR investigation support engagement begins with an initial consultation to understand the nature of the concern, organizational context, and urgency. Exceptional HR Solutions then conducts a structured investigation while maintaining neutrality, confidentiality, and compliance throughout the process. Findings are delivered in a clear, professional format.

This approach helps Austin companies address workplace concerns promptly while protecting organizational integrity and employee trust.

• The local forum. Austin City Code Title 5, Chapter 5-3 prohibits discrimination in employment and is enforced by the City’s Civil Rights Division, which accepts complaints against private employers. It stands on Texas Labor Code section 21.151, which expressly authorises a political subdivision to adopt and enforce an ordinance prohibiting a practice already unlawful under Chapter 21, another state law or federal law. That express authorisation is why it fits the carve-out in Texas Labor Code section 1.005, added by HB 2127 effective 1 September 2023, which otherwise voids local ordinances regulating terms of employment. No court has applied section 21.151 against section 1.005; we present this as the operative framework rather than settled law.
• The federal thresholds. Title VII (42 U.S.C. 2000e(b)) and the ADA (42 U.S.C. 12111(5)(A)) apply at 15 employees for 20 or more calendar weeks, and the ADEA (29 U.S.C. 630(b)) at 20. Because those count weeks rather than current headcount, a company that briefly exceeded a threshold remains covered.
• Who is the employer, if contractors or a staffing partner are involved. The NLRB final rule withdrawing the 2023 joint employer standard, 91 Fed. Reg. 9707, published and effective 27 February 2026, reinstated the 2020 standard at 29 C.F.R. 103.40, requiring an entity to share or co-determine essential terms and to possess and exercise substantial direct and immediate control. Reserved authority no longer suffices. Separately, the Board’s Browning-Ferris decision of 23 February 2026 applied a reserved-authority test but expressly solely as law of the case – the two are routinely conflated and should not be.
• And if the complainant works elsewhere, the exposure changes shape. New York’s Human Rights Law reaches all employers under Executive Law section 292(5), allows three years to file under section 297(5), and rejects the federal “severe or pervasive” standard, providing a defence only where conduct amounts to no more than petty slights or trivial inconveniences. California’s FEHA applies at five employees generally under Government Code section 12926(d) but at one or more for harassment under section 12940(j)(4)(A), allows three years to file with the Civil Rights Department under section 12960(e)(5), imposes an affirmative duty at section 12940(k) to take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment, and carries no statutory cap on damages.

We are not attorneys. Where an investigation is likely to become litigation, or privilege matters, it should be directed or supervised by employment counsel in the relevant state from the outset.

Exceptional HR Solutions has one physical location, in Melissa, Texas, and no Austin office or staff – and for investigations that is worth stating carefully. Interviews are conducted by video or telephone. If a matter genuinely requires an in-person investigator, because of a site inspection or a witness who will not participate remotely, we will say so and help you scope that separately rather than pretend the format does not matter. What we bring is structure: a defined scope, a documented interview plan, consistent handling of complainants and respondents, and findings written to survive being read later by someone hostile.