Dina Mastellone to Present "Workplace Investigations: Understanding Micro-Aggressions, Implicit Bias, and the Impact of Long-Term Virtual Workplaces on Employees and Workplace Cultures" Webcast

Partner Dina M. Mastellone, Esq. will participate in a webcast for the New Jersey State Bar Association entitled "Workplace Investigations: Understanding Micro-Aggressions, Implicit Bias, and the Impact of Long-Term Virtual Workplaces on Employees and Workplace Cultures" on September 30th. 

About the Program:

This year’s workplace investigations seminar explores the approaches needed to conduct a fair and complete investigation. The program is beneficial to investigators and plaintiffs, and defense counsel who need to assess or challenge an investigator’s methodology.

The following principles guide workplace investigators :

• To be neutral and fair
• To be culturally competent in how they conduct interviews
• To understand witness complaints and appreciate that not all discrimination or harassment is blatant and often manifests itself in repeated subtle slights, some might characterize as microaggressions
• To understand the context in which the harassment took place. Was it in person, or done virtually, or both ways?

Topics for discussion include:

• Understanding microaggressions
• Are microaggressions actionable in court?
• Understanding implicit bias
• How to conduct a culturally competent interview
• Developing an information gathering process
• Building trust with plaintiff and witnesses
• Understanding and summarizing the witness’s story
• Making findings about conduct
• How impact of virtual workplaces has impacted claims

Click here to register.

ABOUT THE ATTORNEY

Ms. Mastellone, Partner in the Firm's Newark and Tinton Falls, NJ offices, is Chair of the Human Resources Counseling & Compliance Practice Group and a member of the Employment Law & Litigation and Criminal Defense, Investigations & Compliance Practice Groups. She works as a strategic and tactical business partner alongside the firm's regional and national clients, counseling them on employment matters of all kinds and establishing and auditing human resources policies, handbooks and procedures.

Ms. Mastellone has extensive experience training businesses and human resources organizations on matters involving anti-harassment and diversity policy compliance, best human resources practices, hiring, documentation, discipline, termination and managing accommodations and leaves of absence in accordance with local, state and federal employment laws.