Workplace conflict is unavoidable. It makes no difference what industry you work in. When people share office space and work together, they will have disagreements and problems. Coworker disagreements, complaints about a supervisor, sexual harassment, concerns about company policy, or misunderstanding of the employee’s job description can lead to conflict.
Employees may complain as a result of these conflicts. Businesses must not minimize complaints due to their potentially sensitive nature, especially in the #metoo era. When complaints go unresolved, they can lead to bigger problems and even lawsuits.
Create a formal complaint procedure.
When reporting a complaint, employees must feel safe. If they are afraid of retaliation, they are less likely to report a situation. You should provide them with options. Outsourcing the complaint process could be one option. Employees can make anonymous complaints, and those complaints will be forwarded to the appropriate person. These may be required in cases of sexual harassment or workplace intimidation.
A central point of contact for employee complaints within the company is also required. Employees must have the ability to contact that individual and file a complaint. While these conflicts may be minor, the contact person must be able to handle delicate situations.
Keep an open-door policy
The person who handles complaints must have an open-door policy. You can’t make it difficult for an employee to schedule a meeting or force employees to correspond through email. The person must make himself or herself available for employees to drop in. The complaint process can run smoothly when it’s informal, and employees know that the person’s door is open.
Get the who, what, why, where, and when
To understand the seriousness of a complaint, you need the facts. That means you must gather information and determine what happened and why it happened. You don’t want the employee’s feelings about the situation. You want details. Once you have a better understanding of the facts, you can determine the best course of action.
Make sure to leave a paper trail
Take notes during a meeting with an employee or supervisor. You need to make sure you have written evidence that not only backs up your actions. You need to write down the complaint from the employee as well as the information gathered from the people who were part of the situation. The notes should accurately document the facts. You also want the employee to submit something in writing. You don’t want a decision based on a people’s recollection.
Act quickly
You can’t procrastinate. You need to act quickly on a complaint. People can easily forget the details of a situation. As well, when you act quickly, you validate the concerns of the employee who made the complaint. That is an important part of the process. Acting quickly also protects the company legally. You don’t want the company getting sued due to your inaction.
Be careful about notifying the supervisor or manager
When an employee makes a complaint, especially about a supervisor, you need to be careful what information you divulge. The employee might have legitimate concerns, and they could be sensitive in nature. You need to divulge as little information as possible to the supervisor or other employees to protect the company and the employee.
Get to know your management/supervisory team
You should meet with supervisors and the management team regularly. You want to develop a relationship with them. This helps them develop trust in you and your decisions. You don’t want to be some unknown figure when a serious situation arises.
Hold regular employee meetings
Just as you need to regularly meet with management, you also need to meet with employees regularly. You need to inform employees about the process, and the fact that your company has a policy in place for complaints. They need to understand the types of complaints that the company can handle, and the various actions that can be taken.
Realize that incidents can be minor
Many incidents are very important to employees, but they are not necessarily a major problem for the company. You must be able to filter through the emotion and determine if the incident was something that needs to be acted upon. You need to ask the employee what actions he or she believes are necessary. You can decide if that is a reasonable request after you determine all the relevant information. You don’t want to make a decision too quickly.
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Website: https://www.pcg-services.com/
Articles by: Pacific Crest Group (PCG)
