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As an employer, you are likely to come across complaints made by your employees. These complaints may concern either issues between you and the employee or the employee and their colleagues. The way that you deal with these complaints is an important part of managing employee relations.

Before you are able to receive and deal with workplace complaints, your employees must know that you are approachable. They need to feel comfortable that if they come to you with a complaint, they will be dealt with professionally, and in many cases discreetly. If you make yourself approachable, your employees are likely to come forward sooner, possibly preventing the issue from escalating further.

Complaints may arise due to simple and easily rectifiable errors or omissions on your part, such as a mistake with wages or entitlements. If an error is a result of your mistake, you should be apologetic and correct the problem as soon as possible.

Complaints against the employer may be of a more serious nature. This will usually occur where there is a breakdown of communication and negotiations have failed to solve the problem. This may also occur where an employer has intentionally tried to deceive an employee or refused them some of their rights or entitlements. It may relate to breaches of statutory regulations and OH&S rules. An employer can be reported to the Fair Work Ombudsman or Workcover Authority.

Complaints of harassment and bullying may also arise, often in the form of workplace disputes. It is a good idea to have a system in place to deal with these complaints in a professional and discreet manner when they appear. Occasionally these complaints may be of such a serious nature that they may need to be reported to the police or relevant authorities.