Six ways to resolve employee complaints   

Andrew Kellard shares his advice on handling employee complaints 

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on the British Medical Association

The importance of actively managing relationships with employees can easily be overlooked. For GPs it’s a broad concept, without a clear process, and is often at the mercy of individual personalities. However, taking a relationship-focused approach to managing staff can reap many rewards – a happy and motivated workforce, fewer capability and misconduct issues, and fewer time-consuming procedures. 

To make sure your employee complaints don’t turn into grievances, you can:

Respect your differences

A healthy workplace is open-minded and inclusive. There can be many beliefs, identities and circumstances, even in a small team, but there’s no reason why everyone can’t work together happily when managed appropriately.

Keep an eye out for where tension might arise and explore ways to build and maintain respect, from one-on-one conversations to team-wide training sessions. Difference doesn’t have to be a source of challenge; it can be an opportunity to learn and strengthen relationships.

Consistency is key

We’re all human, including managers, so we’ll invariably like some people more than others. It’s vital that we don’t allow this to affect how we manage staff. A consistent approach will ensure fairness and avoid escalating problems.

Managers should apply policy and procedure consistently, and handle matters with the same attitude regardless of who is involved. This ensures a sense of fairness, which is vital to good employee relations.

Be mindful of cliques and social dynamics

Friendships can develop at work and can be an essential support system – our colleagues often see us through challenging times. However, cliques or tight-knit social groups can also create issues.

This could point could lead to unaddressed relationship issues or even acts of misconduct. Don’t let your own relationship with staff members get in the way either – be as impartial as possible and keep an eye out.

 Informal over formal

Disagreements are unavoidable, and how they’re best-handled depends on the circumstances. However, in most cases, an informal approach is most effective and efficient.

Often, simply listening to employees can go a long way to resolving issues. Managers with good judgement and listening skills can nip issues in the bud before they become more significant.

Dealing with grievances

Unfortunately, sometimes a relationship issue or complaint must be addressed in a more structured way. An accusation may be too serious, or a problem too dysfunctional, to be solved informally. A formal grievance procedure is then essential to meet the employer’s legal obligations and deal with the matter correctly.

Your organisation should have a robust grievance policy which maps out the routes of complaint available to an employee (typically informal or formal) and what to expect. This is an essential reference point. There are statutory requirements for formal grievances, and it’s important that all managers understand this process. Another manager might need to step in and take over a process if there are impartiality issues.

Learn how to identify a grievance. Sometimes this can be unclear due to how it’s communicated or a lack of confidence from the complainant. Don’t ignore offhand remarks and be prepared to engage an employee directly if you suspect they are raising a concern.

Talk it through with an adviser

It’s fine to still feel unsure how to proceed. If in doubt, contact an advisor such as the EAS (the BMA’s employer advisory service) to talk it through, untangle the complications and help you plan your next steps.

To contact the EAS call 0300 123 1233 or email [email protected]