How HR Should Handle Employee Complaints

As HR personnel, the chances are that you will receive employee complaints from other employees at some point.

The employee complaints will range from something very minor in nature to something very serious. It’s up to you to figure out if the complaint is legitimate and how to respond to it.

It’s not that easy though. Mishandling a complaint can have future and dire consequences. There are steps you must take to protect yourself, the employee making the complaint, and those affected by the complaint if it’s about another person.

So, here’s a guide on how to nip complaints in the bud and avoid them escalating;

1. Create the system:

The first thing is to set up a grievance redressal system for your companies to help your employees lodge complaints and grievances so that you can resolve them. Something that you must consider here is-

The grievance procedure must be added to the employee handbook’s content so that all can easily access it.

Someone must take responsibility for grievance receipts. You must ensure the employees that their complaints are placed in confidence. Generally, it should be someone from the Human Resources Department.

The place of receiving the complaints must be within reach to all. That is, it should be located centrally. If you use a grievance box, it should be in the area of common accessibility.

As it might involve personal matters, it is essential to focus on confidentiality while dealing with employees’ grievances. Involving the least number of people prevents the issue from being widespread.

The complaints put forwards must be followed up timely. That is, no issue should be on hold for a long time. It should follow a schedule to expect a certain level of responsiveness within a specified period.

2. Acknowledge the grievance:

It would help if you listened more than you talk while dealing with employee grievances. When your employees come to you lamenting over an issue, lend them your ear.

That doesn’t mean that you should resolve it immediately but so that your employees know that their complaint is acknowledged. Let your employees know that you have received their report and are willing to do something about it.

3. Investigate:

Not all issues qualify for a hearing. Generally, it is essential to review whether the grievance is valid or not. Inquire about the incidents or situations and gather any relevant information. It may not always be necessary but if the matter involves other staff, they will need to be informed and given a chance to explain themselves and put forward their own shreds of evidence.

Once the investigation is over, you can arrange a formal meeting.

4. Hold the formal meeting:

The employee with the grievance and all the relevant parties should be called to be present in the formal hearing. The employee can put forward any evidence that backs up the complaint and explain how they would like the problem to be resolved. Later on, you can circulate the minutes of the meeting notes.

5. Take your decision and act accordingly:

This is the decision-making phase. Once you have collected all the required information and closely examined the situation, you should decide.

You might decide to accept the grievance in whole or part or reject it altogether. It would help if you let the employee know in writing about the actions that you will take. At the same time, you can advise the employee on how they should deal with similar situations.’

Lastly,

 Avoid complaints, by creating the right culture – one of positivity where managers have the right tools and training to help people to shine without the fear of being able to deal with difficult issues effectively, as and when they may arise. Get in touch by enrolling in our HR training course and scale your business through HR.