How to Deal With Employee Complaints About Their Supervisor

In life, we spend time with people who are a positive influence and enjoy friends and family as much as possible. The only time this may not be the case is at your place of employment because you don’t get to pick your coworkers.

While the dynamics of a work environment are usually civil, sometimes conflict and friction develop between employees and management. What can you do in these situations, especially when the issue is with a superior? This is a common complaint among staff and can be very challenging for HR departments. Fortunately, there are answers.

Dealing with employee complaints about their supervisor is crucial. Ultimately, you are responsible for the safety and security of your employees while on the job. Following these procedures will protect your business and the good people that help your company thrive.

This is how to deal with employee complaints about their supervisor.

HR Consultants

Often, these types of complaints are too difficult to deal with and while some smaller companies may not have an HR rep, even those with an HR department may need additional help and advice from an outside source.

HR consultants are highly trained professionals who offer a wide range of services, including conflict management, and they can consult with your team and provide training and education to deal with any future conflicts that may arise. They can step in and investigate your immediate needs.

HR consulting professionals are impartial and can see the situation clearly. They use best business practices and a streamlined process to safeguard your employees while training your leadership team on ineffective management strategies. 

Having an HR consultant ready to deal with staffing issues takes the burden off of you and keeps every employee protected. They know you take the matter seriously and see their welfare as paramount by using outside professionals to deal with threats or bullying.

Implement an Anti-Bullying & Harassment Policy

It is easier to stop a problem before it starts, which is best achieved through a comprehensive anti-bullying and harassment policy in your business. This defines what behaviours are unacceptable and what will and won’t be tolerated in the workplace. 

Have an employee handbook with all the pertinent information given to every employee, new and existing and review it periodically with the entire staff. Collect confirmation of receipt and understanding from every employee so you know they have gotten the information, and then implement the consequences of misbehaviour accordingly. This will give your employees recourse when they have issues with fellow workers, especially their superiors.

While this may not be in place for a recent incident, the sooner you implement this program, the better, as it lays the foundation to deal with these matters.

Take All Complaints Seriously

Everyone wants to feel safe and valued at work, but if there are altercations with a superior, it can lead a subordinate to become frustrated, depressed or even suicidal.

When someone comes to their HR department or employer with a complaint from a superior, it must be taken seriously. You depend on your key staff members to effectively communicate and implement your business strategies and workload professionally, and handling the complaints as serious issues not only protects the workers but also allows you to have better leadership through retraining or replacement. 

Also, when employees know they are being heard, they feel their workplace is safe and can come to you with any problems.

Investigate the Issue

You need to uncover the truth about what is happening at your workplace, so do an investigation to collect facts and get proof. This could be from:

• Eye witness testimony
• Emails
• Texts
• Statements from all involved parties

As you go through the information, remain objective and open. Try to understand the circumstances that lead to the issue and look to resolve it if possible without any personal change. If you need to let someone go because it can’t be resolved or the incident is considered harassment or bullying, fire the employee and look for a better person to take over the position.

When a complaint is valid, thank the employee for bringing it to you and assure them that it is being swiftly dealt with so they can have a safe work environment again.

Unfounded Complaints

During your investigation, you may find insufficient evidence to support the complaint. This needs to be communicated to both parties and explained in detail. Let the complainant know what evidence they need for future incidents and correct any potential unwanted behaviour from the supervisor so they treat employees with respect and good leadership.

There shouldn’t be a need to reprimand the employee unless they are caught in an unrefutable lie, as this may deter them and others from reporting other issues going forward. Also, give the same support to the wrongly accused as you would a victim of abuse.