How do you handle disgruntled employees?

Question

This is an interview question for an hr position. What is a good answer for this.

Answer 1

The answer they want to hear:

"You deal with them by trying to find out why they are disgruntled and then you deal with the root cause"

What happens in real life:

"It doesn't matter why they are disgruntled because your job as an HR PERSON IS TO KEEP THE COMPANY OUT OF COURT.  So you let the employee complain all they want.  After they leave your office you call their supervisor and counsel the supervisor on how to get rid of the employee without any legal claims being filed against the company."

This is why most HR people wind up in h**l when they die.

Answer 2

How I would answer:

Firstly I would follow company policy. If our company has it's own guidelines on how to deal with a disgruntled employee then it is very important to use our policies so that there is constancy within the work place.

Next listen - it is important to listen the staff members concerns and find out the root of the problem.  Of cause I would also be diplomatic and then work on creating a solution that will satisfy everyone involved.

It of cause is a priority to act quickly on such matters as a disgruntled employee isn’t likely to be a very dependable worker- and it will be part my job to make sure the company has happy employees work as hard as they can for the company in a happy environment.

I hope that helps and good luck - hope you get the job.

Answer 3

When I am confronted by a disgruntled employee, the first thing I want to do is take them aside, preferably to my office, and listen to their complaint.  Sometimes, they just want to get something off of their chest.