10 Key Guidelines for Handling Complaints

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Madison, Wis.—June 10, 2010—As the new department chair, you are pleased when a graduate student comes to you to discuss her career. That pleasure fades, however, when you find that the conversation is not about choosing between job offers, but about a consensual affair she says she has been having with a faculty member up for tenure.

The student says she has been trying to end the affair, but the faculty member has resisted, even threatening to delay her degree. Although she says she has talked to every member of her committee as well as the student advocate, she refuses to file a formal complaint or let her name be used for fear it will damage her career.

And one more thing: She doesn't want the faculty member to get tenure.

Unfortunately, handling complaints is an unpleasant part of the job of an academic administrator, and it is one that must be done regardless of comfort level. In a recent online seminar, C.K. Gunsalus, a widely-respected administrator and author ofThe College Administrator’s Survival Guide(Harvard University Press, 2006), says that academic administrators must learn how to management conflict effectively. They must set boundaries on the amount of time, the topics for the conversation, and on the confidences that can be kept private. These are skills that take practice.

There are ten key guidelines for handling complaints. These include:
1.Don’t take it personally:Avoid the temptation to take complaints personally and become defensive. Find out what action the person making the complaint expects from you; perhaps listening is all that is required. Keep your demeanor calm and courteous.
2.Never act on only one side of the story:Many problems stem from differences in perceptions. As you collect information, keep your stance neutral and remind people you are gathering data in the face of a problem presented to you.
3.Nobody knows what “everybody knows":If someone tells you “everyone knows” something, it is a good idea to drill deeper into the facts of the case. Often, things that some believe are common knowledge have little basis in truth.
4.When in doubt, leave it out:If you are thinking better of making a statement or putting something in writing, don’t do it. Emphasize facts and decisions, not opinions and motives.
5.Never attribute to malice that which incompetence will explain:Most bad things happen not through nefarious intent but through inattention, inaction, or miscommunication. Ask for clarification of facts, and repeat back what you have heard until you get it right.
6.Say what you’ll do, and do what you say:Just as giving a screaming child a candy bar trains that child to yell for a treat, you can also train adults to behave inappropriately if you break the rules out of pressure or desire to have the problem solved. Let the person know the plan of action and its timeline, and stick to it.
7.In the absence of facts, people make them up:If you leave people hanging for a long period of time waiting for the next step or response, they will imagine the worst. Stick to your time schedule to alleviate this kind of worry.
8.Keep notes:Your notes can serve as everything from reminders of your action plan to facts required for a lawsuit. Only four things belong in notes: the date, who was present, the facts brought to you, and the action you promised. Leave speculation, analysis, and thoughts out.
9.Trust your instincts:If you have an anxious or fearful feeling about a situation, don’t hesitate to call in someone else to help handle the situation properly with the appropriate boundaries. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance.
10.Some problems require formal process:It is possible that most of the problems brought to you will require only a calm ear to listen. However, some situations, like reprimands, discipline, and terminations, will require formal action. The more complex the problem, the more likely it will require a formal process. Acquaint yourself in advance with the resource people on your campus.

Unfortunately, it is part of administrative life to have to handle conflict. But with advanced planning and practice, you will be ready for the situations that occur.

If you missed the seminar and would like to purchase it for your institution, you can

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