1. A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE OF DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS Cathy McSkimming May 2015

2. Synopsis The Training Manager for an employer raised a formal complaint through the college complaints system regarding the conduct of a Lecturer. The complaint was submitted on behalf of five employees and included concerns re:  Leaving the class unattended for long periods – it was a workshop with machinery  Being late back from breaks  Lack of support and explanation for students when they didn’t understand  Favouritism Case Study

3. The role of the complaints handler is to identify where and how this should be dealt with… 1.Is it one complaint or five? 2.Is it a Stage 1 complaint with the possibility of frontline resolution? 3.If not, who has the authority and expertise to deal with the issues raised ? What do you do?

4. 1.It was decided that this was to be treated as a single complaint. WHY?  The college’s primary relationship was with the employer – partnership working  The Training Manager was acting on behalf of the students  The complainants could be dealt with more effectively as a single group  One person would be the point of contact and maintain an overview of progress, resolution etc. This is what we decided…

5. 2.It was identified that front line resolution was not appropriate in this case. WHY?  It was unlikely that resolution could be effected within five days  A number of serious issues had been raised and investigation was required  A third party was involved so disclaimers to allow information to be released was required This is what we decided…..

6. 3.It was agreed that the investigation and response should be handled by the Director of Faculty – supported by the Head of Curriculum. WHY?  There was a possibility that if the complaint were upheld, it could result in staff discipline.  Due to structural changes in merger, some staff posts had not yet been finalised and although complaints are normally dealt with at the lowest level possible, there was as yet no Union agreement on which level would be responsible. This is what we decided…

7.  All students signed a disclaimer to allow information sharing  Students were interviewed and statements taken individually  Staff member was interviewed with Union Rep present  Training Manager was supplied with regular updates This is what we did…

8.  A full investigation was carried out by the Director of Faculty  The complaint was upheld and as a result an apology was issued and the students were thanked for bringing this to our attention  The file on this complaint was added to other information and was passed to Organisational Development  Further action was decided on by the college This is what we did…

9.  Having an easy to complete complaints form  Using complaints handlers as a central control  Awareness of all staff of the complaints handling process  Training in complaints handling for relevant staff  Enabling systematic evidence collation and review  Clarifying issues raised and whether these have been upheld Advantages of using the CHP