Basic Complaint Handling

Basic Complaint Handling – This course is designed to help managers and supervisors to deal with complaints including bullying, harassment, sexual harassment and other forms of misconduct. This is not a full workplace investigation course.

As a manager you may be the first port of call for someone making a complaint or  you may be the person that becomes aware of employee misconduct.

While managers may not need complete and in depth workplace investigation training it is important that they deal with misconduct and/or receive complaints in a proper manner and take some sort of action.

• Types of action can include
• • Informal enquiries
  • Formal investigation
  • Dispute resolution
  • Refer to HR or outsource to an external investigator

Before you take any action, it is important to understand what the complaint is because failure to act could result in a breach of a duty of care and a claim of negligence.

The Basic Complaint Handling training program has been designed to teach managers and supervisors;

• What to do when a complaint is made
• Whether or not to investigate.
• Whether to seek assistance or refer to HR or outsource to an external investigator
• The basics of receiving and recording and complaint
• The basics planning your enquiries
• What is procedural fairness
• What are support persons and why are they important
• What is evidence and how to gather it
• How to conduct interviews

While an investigation may be time-consuming and costly if you outsource it is likely the cost of NOT conducting one could be substantially greater.

If you dismiss or take disciplinary action against an employee without having properly investigated the incident or issue and establishing relevant facts it is possible that the Fair Work Commission or a Court could find that the dismissal or disciplinary actions were harsh, unjust or unreasonable and remedies at law could be applied.

The Basic Complaint Handling 1 training program is a short course that runs for about 90 minutes to 2 hours, it is a lecture format with some interactive case studies and discussions.

Basic Complaint Handling 2 is a half day course that has the same content but in addition provides managers with the opportunity to practice interviewing with our facilitators acting in the role of the complainant.

We recommend a limit of 6 -8 managers in Basic Complaint Handling 2 to allow for sufficient interview practice time.

This course can be conducted face to face or remotely via Zoom or MS Teams.

The half day programs can be delivered a number of ways;

1 x half day (approximately 4 hours) program.
2 x 2 hour sessions

For organisations we provide a flat rate cost with unlimited participants, the same cost rate is applied to the 2 x 2 divided sessions that can be conducted to suit your timetable for example consecutive days or once a week depending on your needs, we are very flexible.

We will also conduct the course for limited numbers or even 1 person and at times we conduct open courses, please contact us for details.

The Basic Complaint Handling training program is also part of the larger Management Essentials Program

The training is conducted by Phil O’Brien a highly qualified and experienced workplace investigator as a result of having to investigate a number of complaints against managers that had their origins in complaints made to a manager where no action is taken.  The training is not theory based, it is based on actually complaints and issues experience by managers. and designed to ensure that if a complaint is made that the manager acted in the appropriate manner.

Please contact us for more details, costings and to book courses – enquiries@awpti.com.au

Failure to manage complaints

If you fail to manage a complaint the following may result:

• Action by any regulating authority.
• The potential for action under the Work Health and Safety Act for any subsequent injury or illness suffered by the complainant
• An inability to defend a legal claim by an employee due to lack of evidence
• Being found vicariously liable for the actions of an employee (e.g. “reasonable steps” defence)
• May give rise to potential penalties under the Fair Work Act bullying amendments – eg: the commission will be required to take into account what actions the employer took in response to original complaint
• Being unable to show circumstances of mitigation to a court or tribunal in response to a legal claim
• Failing to meet relevant duty of care to employees
• Being subjected to adverse and/or damaging publicity
• The loss of, or inability to attract, good employees – creates a poor work culture, (i.e. perception of employer incompetence)

This course has been designed for business owners, managers and supervisors of all levels it is not as in depth as the full Investigation Workplace Misconduct courses details are here that has been designed for HR professionals.

AWPTI – workplace investigation Sydney and through-out NSW, QLD and Victoria. Workplace training national wide

Misconduct investigations, bullying investigations, harassment investigations & sexual harassment investigations, complaint investigations, grievance investigations, discrimination investigations

www.awpti.com.au
http://awpti.com.au/investigations/
http://awpti.com.au/training/