Occasionally, there are situations where the employees are subjected to mistreatment, unfair and unreasonable behavior of a colleague or contractor/agent or face technical difficulties that they are pressured to solve but cannot as they are not in their area of expertise or the company has not provided the needed tools for that.
When an employee honestly believes that they have reasonable grounds to complain about such situation, then they can submit an employee complaint, most usually, to the company’s Human Resources department. In such situations, it is highly critical that there is a good communication platform for the employee to lodge a complaint against the matter/person in question as that might have a direct impact on the company’s business results and reputation.
An employee complaint service should be available for the employees with the help of HR managers at the human resource office so a good working relationship between the employer and the employees is maintained. Where possible, supervisors are often present to address the problems and provide timely solutions to the reported problems.
Channels for raising complaints
Most commonly, complaints are lodged through a simple phone call where the operator guides the employee on the selection of the category of their problems and specify what exactly is the issue. The complainer can also submit the complaint in writing over email or in a letter. Such a channel is appropriate when the extent of the complaint is moderate. Moderate levels of complaints can include issues with the amount paid as salary, theft, excessive workload or perhaps a lack of friendliness in the work environment.
However, when there are cases of workplace harassment or other offensive behavior being faced by someone, it is directly taken to an appointed/authorized person in the company so that an immediate action can be taken against the person causing the offense.
Types of complaint procedures
There are two types of complaint procedures that can be found in almost all major companies.
The first is an informal complaint procedure. In this case, if the issue remains unresolved, the employee can report the matter directly to his manager or departmental administrator verbally. This type of procedure can be followed by any employee.
But, in the formal complaint procedure, there is written material where concerns are addressed regarding a specific term or provision of the company’s policies and regulations. Formal procedures are mostly employed by staff members who are prone to facing technical or ethical issues in their field of work. Sexual harassment is one of the examples where the victim might prefer a formal procedure of reporting the case as they feel more comfortable in doing so without having to discuss the matter with the offender.
