How to Handle Employee Complaints in the Workplace: Part 1
Yes, we all hope our employees are happy 100% of the time, but the reality is that just isn't true. As a business owner or manager, you need to make sure everyone feels comfortable communicating their concerns in a productive way. Allowing your employees to feel free to express themselves openly makes for a much better work environment. In this 2-part blog series, Kmet Consulting is here to explain what justifies an employee complaint and the best ways to address employee complaints and review the outcomes.
An employee complaint can start with a real or imagined feeling of dissatisfaction that an employee experiences in the course of their job. These complaints must then be communicated to management or the organization as a whole.
Once these complaints have been communicated to management, how do you handle them as a manager or business owner? How do you know if you are giving each complaint the time it deserves?
Our HR consulting firm will explain some of the best ways to address employee complaints.
What Qualifies as an Employee Complaint?
An employee complaint can start with a real or imagined feeling of dissatisfaction that an employee experiences in the course of their job. These complaints must then be communicated to management or the organization as a whole.
Once these complaints have been communicated to management, how do you handle them as a manager or business owner? How do you know if you are giving each complaint the time it deserves?
Our HR consulting firm will explain some of the best ways to address employee complaints.
How to Handle Employee Complaints in the Workplace
1. Set up a System
Create a system for employees to express complaints in order for them to be addressed. Try incorporating some of the following things to help with setting up this system.- Create a policy for expressing employee complaints to management.
Have a policy in place that states how your employees should go about expressing their complaints. Create a policy can help everyone to remain on the same page.
- Include your policy in your company's employee handbook.
Once your policy has been created, make sure it is added to your employee handbook. This will allow for your employees to reference it anytime they may need to. You can even add an acknowledgment form to the process that can help ensure that your employees read the policy.
- Assign someone or an entire department to handle the receipt of these complaints.
Typically, this is Human Resources. Employees just want to be assured that they are able to express their complaints in confidence.
- Provide a central location for issuing employee complaints.
Have a box that is easy for employees to access and is strictly for employee complaints.
- Create a way for employees to be able to submit complaints CONFIDENTIALLY.
Your employees may hesitate to truly state their complaints if their fear that their managers will punish them for it. Create an online survey form that doesn't collect any identifying information.
- Establish a schedule to address your employees' concerns and complaints.
Creating a schedule can allow for you to make sure you have time to address everyone's complaints fairly. Have a timeframe in place for when and how you will address complaints and stick to that timeframe. Your employees may expect a certain level of responsiveness from you as their manager.
2. Categorize Your Complaints
Now that you have set up a system for receiving complaints and determined a process for addressing them in a timely manner, think about how you will categorize your complaints. Determine which issues should be prioritized. Here are 3 categories you can use to sort your complaints.- Working Conditions and Safety - These types of complaints can include anything from unsafe working conditions to indifferent managers.
- Unreasonable Management Policies - When an employee feels a certain policy is unfair or unreasonable, they need to be heard. For example, an employee may feel your overtime policy is unfair and that it needs to be revamped. Hear them out.
- Violations of Rules and Policies - These types of complaints can include any company rules or policies that an employee feels are being violated by other workers and/or management.
In Need of HR Help You Can Count On?
Stay tuned next week when we continue to explain the best ways to address employee complaints and review the outcomes.Kmet Consulting has a passion for people. Whatever your HR issue may be, we are here for you! Call our office at 877-783-5638 today for HR help.
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