Writing Effective Statements

Witness statements are like testimony in a court room. Words that describe what happened, what was seen, what was heard or experienced. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Written statements are extremely important in our dispute resolution process. This is especially true if the grievance is appealed to Step B. The Step B team will render a decision based on the information that is contained in the grievance file, including the witness statements.

Have you ever been asked to write a statement for a grievance? You may be asked to provide a statement sometime. Do you know what to do? What to write? How to write it down?

What you saw, what you heard, may well be the difference between someone losing their job or keeping it. From causing a supervisor to stop unacceptable behavior or allowing it to continue.

If you are a shop steward, do you understand how to help a witness know what to write?

It is not a matter of telling a witness what to say, but how best to say it. If so, then the below information may prove helpful to you.

A statement serves as a snapshot of what happened during a particular event. It is up to you to ensure that the picture shown, through your statement, is clear and accurate.

Here are a few easy-to-remember tips for writing an effective statement for a grievance file:

■ Statements should be clearly written and contain specific details about what was seen or heard. It is easier to do this if the statement is written as soon as possible after an event occurs while the details are fresh.

■ An effective statement will contain thorough answers to as many of the following questions as possible:

■ Who was involved?

■ When did the event occur (date and time)?

■ Where did the event occur?

■ What happened?

■ Exactly what did the witness see and hear?

■ Exactly where was the witness when the event happened?

The best statements focus on answering the questions above with detailed facts and avoid expressing personal opinion. The reader should be able to get a clear picture of what happened.

Effective statements do not take much more time or effort to write than ineffective statements. Just be descriptive, focus on the facts, and write the statement so someone who does not know a thing about the people or particular circumstances in the office can easily understand what happened.

In summary, make sure your statement is:

■ Legible

■ Sufficiently detailed

■ Easy to understand if the reader knows nothing about the people or particular circumstances in the office

■ Signed (including the printed name [no nicknames], title, and contains the witness’ contact information)

■ Dated

Remember, the quality of the statement could be the difference between success and failure in the grievance procedure. Following the advice above will give the union the best chance for success.

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Stay safe, be well, and keep smiling.