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3 Important Things To Remember When You Handle Employee Grievances

by Sylvia Miller

As a human resource manager, it is natural that employees will seek you out when they have disagreements or problems with their supervisors. You should expect to do some kind of grievance management on a regular basis. Keep the following tips in mind whenever you handle grievances, so that there can be a good solution for all involved.

Be Timely

When an employee comes to you with a problem, it is imperative that you have a timetable in mind. If you wait too long to come up with a solution, the situation can deteriorate and require greater intervention.

To make sure that the employee feels satisfied, offer them specific time frames for every step of the process. For instance, you may plan to talk to the other party in the conflict within a few days. Let them know when they can expect a solution, so that they don't feel as if they are waiting indefinitely and start doubting that anything will be resolved.

You may consider having a general timeline for all employee grievances that is posted in your office or distributed to all employees. That way, employees can have an idea of what to expect if they come to you with a problem.

Check with Federal Guidelines

Some situations must be resolved according to federal regulations. In these special cases, you need to be sure to follow federal protocols in place so that you can protect your employees and company from fines and other involvement from the federal government. These cases typically include problems with unsafe working conditions, sexual harassment and various forms of discrimination. Should an employee come to you with one of these issues, contact the federal Department of Labor to find out the specific steps you need to take.

Do Some Followup

After you have implemented any solutions, it is critical that you do some kind of followup. Checking back in with the employee who had the grievance can give you an idea of how well your solution is working. Not only that, but it shows the employee, and other employees, that you care about how they are doing.

If you find that your solution is not working, it may be time to offer alternate solutions. You might also enlist the help of human resources contacts outside the company to get new ideas for ways to resolve the situation in a positive way.

When you use the information in this article to handle grievances in your company, you can help your entire company function better because employees know that their problems can be resolved. Remember to keep an open door policy so that everyone feels safe coming to you with any issues and concerns.

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