How to Write a Complaint Letter to Employer?

Work for a great number of modern people has already become an inseparable part of their lives. Majority of adult population works full-time. It means that a lot of employed individuals spend approximately a third part of their day at work.

All the people are different, have their own cultures, habits or interests. That’s why it’s common affair to be involved in some kind of an unpleasant conflict at work or face different difficulties which can prevent you from work without obstacles or stressful moments.

As an employee you can be abused, have minor or complicated disputes or disagreements with your colleagues, team leads, HR department or any other individual who works back to back to you.

When the problem occurs, first do not speed up to draft an employee complaint letter as soon as possible, but try to solve the problem peacefully with your ‘offender’, talk to your colleague and see if your troublesome issue can be resolved without any third party intervention. If not, the best way to deal with the problem successfully is to turn to your manager. As a head of your team he or she is responsible for secure and problem-free environment for every employee.

You can arrange a meeting and discuss your issue face to face with your boss. But when your problem is much more important and significant, it’s possible to choose a more formal way of making a claim – a letter of complaint to employer.

We advise you to use some basic tips in order to get ready for complaining to management:

• Never be afraid or feel guilty turning to your chief. First of all you are involved in working process and supposed to stay in a friendly and secure atmosphere.
• Write an employee complaint letter in a good language in details, but strict. Be consistent, polite; describe the main source of problem clearly and write how the problem affects you.
• If your issue concerns some particular department (for example a letter of complaint to HR), a letter of dissatisfaction to employer must be specifically drafted.
• Be ready for a following meeting with your boss or even also with your offender.
• Demand a fare resolution of your problem and safe working environment.
• Be sure you are turning to a right person – sometimes it’s necessary to specify who is supposed to tackle your issue. It can be a team lead, a chief executive or a head of any department depending on your problem.
• Be steady and confident.
• Keep to the facts only. If some data cannot be proved – don’t use it.

Below you will find a sample letter of complaint to management. This will help you to make a good claim and be heard.

If your issue concerns directly Human Recourses department below you can get acquainted with a letter of complaint to hr example.

While writing a letter of complaint to employer people usually feel awkward or uncertain. Sometimes employees feel hesitation and avoid complaining. It’s very important to think over thoroughly and consider all the pros and cons. You should realize that resolution of your issue can be sound and even turn up the pressure among colleagues. Anyway if your problem at work reveals unresolved, you should spend some time and create a good claim.

Your letter of complaint to employer must include the following details:

1. Your contact information – full name, position, department, address and phone.
2. Contact information of your employer.
3. The body of grievance letter must include:
   • Date, place and participants of the conflict situation;
   • Names of witnesses (if these people are);
   • Detailed description of the problem.
4. If you demand some kind of material consideration or suppose you were not fully paid, it’s necessary to mention the monetary sum you are to receive.
5. If you have some proofs connected with your issue, it’s better to add them to your complaint letter. These can be any evidences which will help you to resolve the issue successfully – documents, video records and so on.
6. It’s possible to offer some kind of fair dispute resolution if you have some. Try to help your employer to settle the problem as soon as possible, without excessive troubles and unpleasant moments. Remember that both of you are supposed to stand united at work and tackle the problem effectively.
7. Ask for time frame for your issue to be considered.
8. At the end of the letter put the date and your signature.

Download a Sample Letter of a Complaint to an Employer

When your letter of complaint to boss (or a grievance letter to hr) is ready, remember to make a copy and use it when needed.

There are also some things you should not use in your complaint:

• If you are not sure about exact date or time when conflict arose, do not make it up. It’s better to write approximate time or event after which the problem occurred.
• Stick to those facts and evidences you are totally sure in. Do not mention anything if you cannot prove it.
• Do not send your complaint to all the departments. Your issue must be examined by a person (or department) who is in charge to consider these particular issues.
• Do not discuss your complaint with colleagues.
• Do not wait too long and stay indifferent, but always be interested in the flow of your problem resolution.

If any dispute or disagreement arises at work and you for some reasons cannot write a grievance letter on your own, you can also contact the Trade Union (if you are a member of this organization). Trade Union is aimed to represent rights, obligations and interests of employees. If you need to contact this organization you will be able to find Trade Union in almost every US State.

With the help of these basic rules and tips it will be easier to compose an effective complaint letter to your manager and, hopefully, handle the problem for your own benefit.