Handling Complaints From Employees
Handling Complaints From Employees
There are many parts of owning a company that is less than glamorous. One of those parts is dealing with complaints. You can try and please everyone. There will always be people who complain though. There is no escaping the inevitable customer in a foul mood. You have to hear them out. You can also take our preferred path by letting a manager handle the complaints. But what if the complaints are coming from the manager? That is a whole different situation. It goes from dealing with customers to a human resource management issue. You have to listen and prepare to take action.
When a customer has a complaint, it could be a legitimate concern or something petty. When an employee or manager comes with a complaint, it’s something important. It’s affecting the inner workings of your business. One of the gears are getting stuck, and it could start affecting the whole machine. What is the best way to handle a complaint from an employee or manager? Let’s sit down and look at a list of steps to take.
- Listen And Ask Questions: Hear your employee and let them speak. Depending on the issue at hand, ask appropriate questions. Encourage them to give details on the problem. You cannot handle a vague problem. For example, if someone says the overnight cleaning crew is doing a terrible job. Why are they doing a terrible job? But, if someone says they are missing spots in the kitchen. That the morning crew has to spend time cleaning what they miss, now the issue is clear. Having a clear understanding of the problem is the best start to a solution.
- Separate Fact And Opinion: When an employee complains, there will often be bits of fact and opinion mixed in. Depending on the employee it might be more fact or more opinion. Make sure you focus on the facts surrounding the problem. Again, it is easier to handle a clear, defined problem. Wading through opinions to handle a problem only slows the process down.
- Ask For Solutions: If the employee has seen the problem, it’s possible they also saw a solution. If not, they should be open to creating one. Working with an employee’s solution shows you care about them and the company. It reinforces their faith in the company. It also cuts back on the time it would take to create a solution on your own. What if you don’t believe their solution would be effective? Help them change it or approach it from a different angle.
- Agree On A Solution: Looking at the complaint, facts, and possible solutions, come to a conclusion. Use all relevant data to decide on a course of action to fix the issue. If you can not come up with a solution that day, schedule a time to meet again. This has at least two people reviewing the solution. It helps solidify the effectiveness of the solution.
- Schedule A Follow-Up: Finally, once the solution is in place do a follow-up meeting. See that the problem gets resolved. It doesn’t have to be a long meeting. See how things have gone since implementing the solution. Thank them for coming to you with the complaint. Don’t forget to compliment their proactive approach.
Following these steps has many benefits. It helps solve a problem, build strong working relationships, and increase employee retention. Want more tips on handling employees? Contact the Daytona Beach Human Resource Management specialists at Vision H.R.
