Employee complaints can be made about a number of issues relating to an employee's employment and can include complaints about the way an employee has been treated, conduct of others, working hours or decisions that have been made which affect an employee.
Making a complaint
If you wish to make a complaint, where possible you should first speak to your line manger and discuss your complaint. Trying to resolve the issue locally and informally should be the first step in the complaint process.
If your manager is the person you wish to make the complaint about, you can speak to your line manager's supervisor or you may wish to speak to your local Human Resources team for assistance.
Managing complaints - the process
Complaints are managed in accordance with HR Policy E12 Employee Complaints [PDF 161 KB].
Where a complaint cannot be resolved locally and informally, as a general rule, the person who is the subject of the complaint will be given the opportunity to respond to the concerns raised.
The decision maker* will then consider the complaint, responses and any other relevant information before making a decision on what action needs to be taken.
Action taken can range from a decision that no further action needs to be taken to a formal investigation. The person making the complaint and the person who is the subject of the complaint are provided with letters detailing the outcome of the complaint.
*A decision maker can be the person the complaint is taken to or another party.
Review/appeal options
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint you may be able to appeal the decision internally or take it to an external body.
Appeal or review options will be included in the outcome letter that is sent to the complainant.
In some instances you may be able to have the decision reviewed or appeal to an external body. Information on these options should be provided to you in the outcome letter.
Policies
Policies outlining the process for lodging and managing employee complaints are available on the policy page of your local intranet.
Anonymous complaints
It is possible to make an anonymous complaint; however, assessing and managing an anonymous complaint is more difficult for the decision maker. A complaint will never be rejected because the information comes from an anonymous source.
However if there is insufficient information to progress the complaint, and no ability to obtain more information or clarification, the ability to effectively resolve the complaint may be affected.
Confidentiality
There is no guarantee that your complaint will remain confidential.
The person the complaint is about may need to know the complainant's identity so they can respond to the issues raised.