Three hard employee relations cases
Step 1 / 4·When an employee complains about their own manager
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Learning objectives — after this module you will:
- Handle a complaint aimed at a line manager
- Resolve conflict between two employees
- Carry out a termination conversation properly
When an employee complains about their own manager
Handle the riskiest kind of case.
This is the easiest case to get wrong, because HR usually works alongside that manager and naturally tends to believe their version first. But how you handle the FIRST complaint decides whether anyone dares raise a second one.
Five things to do as soon as a complaint arrives
- WRITE IT DOWN IMMEDIATELY: who said it, on what date, what exactly, who witnessed it. Memory for detail fades fast, and detail is what has value.
- DON'T PROMISE ABSOLUTE CONFIDENTIALITY. Say it honestly: 'I'll only share this with people who need it to handle the matter' — promising what you can't keep is the fastest way to lose trust.
- DON'T TELL THE SUBJECT BEFORE YOU HAVE A PLAN. An improvised early warning invites retaliation or the loss of evidence.
- BE EXPLICIT ABOUT NO RETALIATION: a good-faith complainant must be protected, and retaliation is a separate breach handled separately.
- SAY WHAT HAPPENS NEXT and by when. Prolonged silence is always read as 'the company is covering it up'.
Conflict of interest when choosing who handles it
If the person complained about is your own manager, decides your pay, or is a close working ally — you should not be the one handling the case. Escalate it or bring in someone independent. A handler with a conflict of interest devalues the entire outcome.
Key takeaway: Record it immediately, don't promise absolute confidentiality, be explicit about retaliation, and step aside if you have a conflict.