Handling Employee Complaints

Course Description:

The main objective of this session is to help you handle employee complaints successfully so that you and your employees can get past the problems that lead to complaints and get on with your work. By the time this session is over, you should be able to acknowledge employee complaints promptly and effectively, investigate complaints thoroughly and make fair decisions, decide when help is required to resolve a complaint, and avoid pitfalls that could cause complaints to escalate into larger problems.

Why “Handling Employee Complaints” Matters:

Complaints are a normal part of working life. It’s a mistake to think that if you run an efficient department and relate well to your employees, you’ll never have any complaints.

Paying attention to employee complaints is an important part of your job.

Some complaints could have serious implications—for example, complaints about discrimination and harassment or complaints about safety conditions.

Ignoring complaints is dangerous. It could have unexpected and undesirable consequences for you and for the organization.

Key Points:

• Occasional employee complaints are to be expected;
• Take all complaints seriously;
• Give employees a fair hearing;
• Work with employees to find solutions to their complaints; and
• Always follow established policies and procedures when handling complaints.