5 Tips for Handling Anonymous Complaints
Imagine finding an anonymous thread on Reddit or Blind (the anonymous forum and community reporting app) stating that a manager in your company creates a hostile work environment. Everything about the post is anonymous, but there is just enough detail in the allegations to cause concern. What would you do?
If you would dismiss the post outright, you might want to think more carefully. Just because a complaint is anonymous doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be investigated; in fact, there are many reasons why a complaint may be anonymous. For example, the complainant may be concerned about retaliation, safety, or reputation. Anonymous does not equal frivolous.
Moreover, if the allegations warrant review, anonymity doesn’t make the complaint any less serious. Just take the case of Canada’s Governor General Julie Payette—Canada’s highest ranking member of government—who resigned this January after an anonymous complaint sparked an external workplace investigation that found pervasive workplace harassment.
Because employers have little to operate on when they receive such complaints, they ignore them at their own peril. If you receive an anonymous complaint, here are some tips for how to respond.
1. Think Carefully About Being “On Notice”
Once an employer receives a complaint of harassment or discrimination, they are deemed to be “on notice” and are responsible for taking appropriate steps to remedy the issues outlined in the complaint. To that end, it is important to remember that information can reach employers, managers, and human resources folks from all angles. Be alert and think carefully about anonymous complaints when they come up.
Simply put, an employer is on notice when they have observed misconduct or have a reasonable suspicion that misconduct is occurring. If an anonymous tip does the latter—even in the absence of a formal complaint—an employer may be on notice. Not acting once an employer is on notice can expose them to potentially far-reaching liability.
2. Make Sure You Have a Confidential Employee Reporting System in Place
Making employees feel safe in bringing complaints without fear of repercussions like workplace retaliation can often help avoid the lurking problems of anonymous complaints. Simply put, if an employee feels safe bringing it up internally, they won’t need to do so externally.
Some organizations are being proactive about offering the ability to report anonymous complaints (for example, the online reporting system for Brown University recently launched with this function). This can be done with a confidential web form employees can fill out, or a 24-hour hotline set up to handle these complaints.
Confidential reporting services managed by a third party can also be an option, so that complainants’ identifying information isn’t available to your organization. This will ensure anonymity, allowing employees to comfortably give information like complaint type, parties involved, and time and location of the alleged incident.
3. Consider Hiring an Investigator
If the complaint is in response to sexual harassment, workplace harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or another equally serious issue, you may want to consider hiring a workplace investigator. But remember, the investigator’s role isn’t to identify who filed the complaint; they will be working to investigate the allegations.
4. Conduct a Workplace Climate Survey
If the complaint reveals conduct that may violate your equal employment opportunity policies, a workplace climate survey is a valuable tool for obtaining insight into the work environment.
This survey should include questions about whether the employee has any specific concerns regarding harassment, discrimination, or retaliation. You may also want to include questions about whether employees would feel comfortable reporting such claims.
This survey allows employees the opportunity to provide feedback regarding their work environment. It also allows employers to:
Measure and understand what motivates their employees;
Assess whether their employees are satisfied; and
Address any latent discontent bubbling under the surface.
Done correctly, such surveys can provide employees with a sense of ownership over their workplace while giving employers access to the information they need to address employee issues before they become more serious complaints.
5. Leave the Door to HR Open
If you find during the workplace climate survey that employees may be unwilling to report claims, fix it. Reassure them that the door to HR is always open. You can even offer to set up appointments for them to meet with HR personnel for in-person meetings to discuss their concerns.
Ultimately, employers should underscore their commitment to addressing all complaints—anonymous or not—as they are raised, in order to continuously improve the workplace. This will signal to all employees that their concerns will be taken seriously, and may help empower employees to come forward when making a report in the future.
