The answer is absolutely, “yes”.
I have been conducting workplace investigations for nearly 25 years and I will not conduct ANY interview unless it is recorded.
There are three main reasons why.
First, it saves time as I don’t have to write down everything the interviewee says.
That allows me to concentrate on what they are saying, to observe them give their evidence and to remain flexible in my questioning.
You can’t conduct a sophisticated interview unless you are listening carefully to what is said and constantly adjusting your line of questioning.
Second, the recorder records things exactly as they are said.
This protects you and the interviewee against any later dispute as to what was or was not said during the interview.
This is critical if you want to avoid (1) false complaints about your conduct; and (2) attempts by interviewees to walk back their evidence once that have had a chance to reflect on what they have said.
Third, when analysing disputed evidence and determining issues of relative credibility, it is often critical to have a record of precisely what the interviewee has said – not just the gist of their evidence, which is what notes give you.
So, for me, it’s a hard yes for audio recording workplace investigation interviews.
