When the complaint is serious, the investigation has to hold up.
I’m Chiedza Nziramasanga — an attorney, licensed private investigator, and neutral third-party workplace investigator based in Seattle. Organizations bring me in when the allegation is too serious, too senior, or too close to home to investigate internally.
Book a ConsultationSee how an investigation works- AttorneyAdmitted in Washington State
- Licensed Private InvestigatorWashington State
- AWI-CHAssociation of Workplace Investigators · Institute faculty
- Washington State VendorApproved for investigation services
When to bring in a neutral
Some complaints can’t be handled in-house.
Not because your HR team isn’t capable — because the situation makes internal neutrality impossible to demonstrate, even when it’s real.
The respondent is senior
An executive, a board member, or the person HR reports to. No internal investigator can be seen as neutral when their own review runs through the subject.
The complaint names HR
If the allegation is that HR mishandled an earlier report, HR cannot investigate it. A second internal review compounds the problem.
Litigation is possible
When counsel expects the file to be read by a judge or opposing counsel, it needs to be built to that standard from the first interview.
The stakes are public
A university, a hospital, a state agency, a nonprofit with a watching donor base. An independent finding is what makes the outcome defensible.
Three ways I work with organizations.
Workplace Investigations
I conduct the investigation end to end as a neutral third party — intake, interviews, evidence review, credibility determinations, and a written report with findings you can act on.
Investigate an allegation →Consulting
I build your internal capability — intake workflows, interview templates, report formats, and investigation policy — so your team handles the routine cases well and knows when to escalate.
Strengthen your process →Training
Live, customized training for HR teams, ER specialists, and managers. Case studies from real investigations, not slideware. Taught by a practising neutral.
Train your team →The process
What happens after you call me.
No surprises, and no open-ended engagements. You’ll know the scope and the timeline before I speak to a single witness.
- 1Confidential intake callThirty minutes, no charge. I tell you honestly whether this needs an external investigator.
- 2Scope and engagementAgreed in writing: the allegations to be investigated, who I expect to interview, and what the report will contain.
- 3InvestigationInterviews and document review under one consistent process. Every party gets a full opportunity to respond.
- 4FindingsPreponderance of the evidence, credibility determinations where accounts conflict, and the reasoning shown.
- 5Report and debriefA written report built to withstand review by counsel, an agency, or a judge — plus a live debrief.
Most investigations are complete within three to six weeks, though timelines vary with the number of witnesses, the volume of documents, and the complexity of the issues.
“[We] appreciate the detailed efforts you’ve made on this matter… I look forward to working with you in the future.”
Deputy DirectorWashington State Agency
“We appreciate your expertise during this investigation period.”
Board LeadershipNonprofit Organization
Where I’ve investigated
State agencies · Universities and community colleges · Hospitals and healthcare systems · Nonprofits · Large corporations · Small and midsize employers
I’ve seen what happens when an investigation is done poorly.
Before I became a neutral, I represented workers in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage theft cases. I read the investigation files. I saw which ones held up and which ones fell apart under questioning — and why.
That’s the standard I investigate to now.
More about meNot sure whether you need an outside investigator?
That’s a reasonable place to start. Book a confidential thirty-minute call and I’ll tell you straight — including if the answer is that you can handle this internally.