Lesson Overview

Incident intake and escalation operate within the governance framework for Workplace Harassment & Diversity Training. This segment defines what qualifies as a harassment-related incident and the reporting channels available to employees. Emphasis is placed on timely, neutral intake to enable appropriate escalation and risk assessment.

Intake Roles and Reporting Channels: The governance team, in collaboration with HR and Compliance, owns intake. Reports can come through confidential hotline, email, or the LMS incident form. Each report should capture essential data: date, time, location, reporter identity (where allowed), affected individuals, and a concise description of the conduct. All data must be stored securely with controlled access.

Escalation Thresholds: Escalation criteria include potential safety risk, policy violations, or high organizational impact. High risk incidents should be escalated to the Steering Committee and executive leadership without delay. A simple low/medium/high categorization aids assignment and transparency.

Initial Triage and Interim Measures: The triage step assigns an incident owner within 24 to 48 hours and determines whether interim measures are needed to protect involved parties while the investigation proceeds (eg temporary reassignment or leave).

Documentation and Privacy Considerations: Every intake action, escalation decision, and triage outcome is recorded with timestamps in a secure system. Access should be role-based with data minimization and privacy safeguards to protect reporters and involved individuals, creating an auditable governance trail.

Next Steps: The investigation team takes over with a clear handoff, aligned with policy and risk controls, while governance monitors progress and adjusts escalation levels as needed.