Complaint handling system
A complaint handling system should include procedures for reporting, investigating, resolving and appealing workplace harassment complaints.
The system should be fair, impartial, and be developed in consultation with workers, managers, supervisors and the workplace health and safety committee (where there is one).
The system should provide procedures for managing both informal and formal complaints.
For informal complaints this might be encouraging complaints to be raised with the appropriate contact person in the workplace, identified in the workplace harassment prevention policy.
Interpersonal conflicts are often effectively resolved through open discussion between the parties. This should be encouraged as the first step in every complaint, unless otherwise requested by the person making the complaint.
A formal complaints handling system should include:
- a formal reporting procedure
- an investigation procedure
- a complaint resolution procedure
- an appeals process
The complaint handling system should be based on the principles of natural justice, for example:
- the person alleged to have committed workplace harassment is presumed to be innocent until allegations are proved to be true
- all allegations of workplace harassment should be investigated promptly
- the person who has allegedly committed the workplace harassment is informed of all allegations and given an opportunity to explain their version of events
- should the complaint be proven to be true, then remedial action must be taken
More information on complaint handling systems is provided in Section 8.2 of the Prevention of Workplace Harassment Advisory Standard 2004 (now known as a Code of Practice) .
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