One of the unpleasant aspects of owning or managing a company is dealing with employee complaints. However, doing so properly is important for employee morale as well as to avoid possible legal issues. But when a complaint involves another employee, it simultaneously becomes more crucial and challenging.
The best way to ease the challenge is to have a process in place for investigating all complaints brought by an employee against another employee. This will help you know where to start and ensure that all complaints are treated in a consistent manner.
Remember that every complaint should be taken seriously. Ignoring one because you think it’s not a big deal or that employees can work it out between themselves opens a company up to legal repercussions. Once an employee brings an issue to the attention of management, the problem needs to be addressed promptly and professionally. If a complaint involves legal issues, such as harassment, discrimination or violence, never hesitate to consult someone experienced in those matters, such as your lawyer or a human resources consultant.
A complaint process should have several distinct steps: listen to the complaint, investigate the allegation, reach a conclusion and take needed action. Make sure that each step is completed before moving onto the next one and remember to thoroughly document everything along the way. Rushing to conclusions or not documenting how you reached a decision is a recipe for disaster.
Listening
Sit down with the employee as soon as possible and get a full report of what he/she is concerned about. Listen thoroughly to what the employee has to say, taking notes and asking questions to clarify any points you do not clearly understand. During this time, do not make judgments, give any indications to the employee that you either agree or disagree with them or take any disciplinary action. Make sure you ask them what it is they want done about it. If it is an interpersonal conflict with a coworker, the only resolution they may be looking for is being moved to a different shift or work station. At the end, let them know what actions you will be taking and give them a time-frame for when they should hear more from you.
Investigate
There’s always more than one side to a story and it’s your job to hear all sides to ensure you handle the complaint properly. Sit down and interview any other people involved in or knowledgeable about the issue. If a complaint is brought directly against another employee, begin the investigative step with them. If the complaint involves interaction between employees, also interview any coworkers or supervisors that are named as witnesses. As before, do not make conclusions, express agreement or disagreement or take corrective action during this time.
Conclusions and Actions
Once the matter has been thoroughly investigated, it is time to decide what to do about it. Use the documentation you accumulated to review all aspects of the matter. Make sure that the documentation supports the decision you reach about how to handle the complaint. Once a decision has been reached, don’t delay taking any needed action. Whether it is letting an employee know that your investigation did not find their complaint to be true, moving an employee to a different shift or letting an employee go, take action promptly to conclude the issue. Inform the employee about your decision and how it was reached. If they are not satisfied, offer to hear the complaint again. Do so, then carry out your decision and move on.
Though it is not an enjoyable task, dealing with complaints raised by employees does not have to be a harrowing one. By having a set of basic procedures in place, you can deal quickly and effectively with any that arise while ensuring you are treating all complaints fairly.
