As an honest and caring employer, you want to create a workplace where every single employee feels valued and accepted. You do everything you can to nurture this type of environment, but you can’t be everywhere at once.
Therefore, you want to create an HR system that allows people to make anonymous complaints when something isn’t right. While this is a feature employees value, coming forward with issues makes many people uncomfortable, because they fear their identify will be discovered and they’ll be retaliated against.
Here’s some advice to help you put a secure process in place that will make your team stronger than ever.
4 Tips to Create an HR System Employees Feel Safe Using
Make Complaints Completely Secure
Many people hesitate to submit complaints, because they don’t want their boss to find out they spoke up. Avoid this by ensuring submissions are only sent to a neutral third party — i.e., HR or senior management. Make it clear to employees that no one else will ever know who submitted a complaint, so they can feel confident their identity will remain confidential.
Explain How the Process Works
Filing a complaint requires a lot of courage, so employees deserve to know what goes on behind the scenes. Informing them of the steps involved in the investigation process shows you’re taking the issue seriously. This should make them feel like they’re being given fair consideration, no matter what the final outcome.
Start Investigations Promptly
Employees report issues they feel are a major problem, so don’t allow the complaint to collect dust. Begin the probe as soon as possible, so it’s clear you’re committed to resolving the problem. Waiting weeks or months to get started sends the message you don’t really care about the issue at hand.
Give Regular Updates
Let the employee know you’re working hard to resolve the problem by staying in touch. Give them a contact person and check in regularly to provide status updates. Even if you don’t have any new information to provide, touching base lets them know you haven’t forgotten about their complaint.
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