What To Do If Your Coworkers Complain Against You At The Workplace In Australia?

In any kind of office setting, coworkers always have disagreements and conflicts. Though most of the issues resolve by themselves, sometimes, some co-worker disputes can lead to complaints that the employer has to investigate and solve. The supervisor or HR usually handles coworker complaints and presents the best solutions to these conflicts to ensure there is a productive workplace.

 

When you move to management, you are normally expected to deal with different staff problems to maintain productivity and morale. This can also help you weigh down the HR department. You must take proper workplace investigation steps to ensure no quarrel or argument turns big enough to cause legal issues.

 

You must learn to deal with employee complaints. Read the blog below to learn more about coworker complaints in workplaces.

 

Review Your Company’s Complaint Policy

 

When a complaint has been made by a coworker, it is important that you take steps to resolve the matter and you must refer to the workplace complaint policy in such cases. Most workplaces are known to have a complaint policy that can outline the procedure for handling staff problems.

 

The main purpose of this policy is to allow coworkers to voice all their complaints efficiently. This policy also helps provide particular instructions on workplace complaint procedures like if the complaint must be in writing and how the employer will handle the complaint.

 

Conduct A Workplace Investigation

 

You must not react or respond to any employee complaints before you have researched both sides. If the complaints made by coworkers are about a workplace matter, you must verify the validity of the complaint. To keep it simple, the worker’s immediate supervisor needs to determine if the complaint has any merit.

 

This is usually done by asking the workers who brought the complaint to explain the situation. A proper investigation into the complaint can help those who are involved decide how to proceed. When exploring the facts, it can help determine if a worker has violated any workplace policy and if proper action is necessary.

 

You Can Document The Complaint

 

As an employer, you must document employee complaints and keep the records in the employee’s file. The documentation should include information regarding the original complaint and statements from all the involved parties. Based on how severe the complaint is, the employer can choose to forward the documentation to another department or other parties outside the company.

 

For instance, if workers complained to the employer about harassing behaviour from a supervisor and looked to file a formal grievance with the Equal Employment Equal Opportunity Commission, the employer must forward all the important information about the incident to the commission upon request. The employer should also cooperate entirely with the commission’s investigation.

 

Find Or Remedy The Situation

 

If the complaints made are valid, you must take action to help solve or improve the situation. Some of the possible solutions to these complaints can include disciplinary action if there is a workplace policy violation. This is said to be true in cases where the complaint usually involves potential illegal activities such as discrimination, alcohol use, drug use or harassment.

 

An employer must also ensure to take proper action to resolve the matters when they are aware of any discriminatory or harassing behaviour in the workplace. If you can, you must hire top workers’ rights lawyers to ensure that you do not put your company at any risk for not handling these situations legally.

 

Employee Rights

 

Harassment is a form of discrimination and the workers who are part of these behaviours will be violating the state and federal anti-discrimination laws like the Civil Rights Act and other disabilities Acts. Employees are known to have the right to work in an environment that is free of discrimination and harassment.

 

Employees can also report any kind of harassing behaviour to the ‘Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’ and local, and state agencies.

 

For instance, in Australian states, harassment victims can report events to the specific commission on Human Rights. Linked with other local offices in the area, the commission will also look into allegations and take important steps to provide a remedy to the situation.

 

Employer Responsibility

 

To use an employee harassment policy, you must first know that the policy does not release employers from liability if a specific worker is a victim of harassment. Employers must make a proper effort in good faith to prevent harassment or other issues in the workplace and find a remedy to the situation if a worker files a complaint.

 

As an employer, you will be liable for harassment if you are made aware of harassing behaviour and do not take action to correct the situation. In such cases, the problem might become too big and these events might lead you to appear in court.

 

Ways Of Preventing These Issues

 

Before you opt for a workplace investigation, you must know that employers implement harassment guidelines to eliminate and restrict any kind of unpleasant behaviour in the workplace. These guidelines will help prevent harassment via proper education and training about the problems that harassment causes and the lone responsibilities involved in such cases.

 

There are specific training institutes that employers can use to implement technical assistance programs and training to enhance employee awareness regarding harassment. There are several workforce commissions in Western Australia that can provide access to workshops, seminars and physical training to employers to help develop harassment guidelines that are specific to the state or country.

 

How Do You Manage Jealous Coworkers?

 

Before employee rights lawyers are hired by your employees, you must know that managing jealous coworkers can be a tricky thing in a workplace. But as you are a supervisor, you must fulfil your responsibility to ensure a workplace that is free from distractions or conflicts. You must take the responsibility to change your employee’s behaviours and ensure that there is no harassment in the workplace.

 

Associate with Employment Lawyers Perth WA

 

If you find out that there are problems in your company that you or others are unable to solve, you can take the help of expert lawyers. Contact Employment Lawyers Perth WA in such cases to get the best lawyers who can help solve any workplace-related problems and ensure that any issue gets eliminated at the earliest.