How should an unsigned letter of complaint and malice be addressed in a work setting?
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009This letter is the second letter received. This letter is really a letter of defamation.
This is an interesting question that really can’t be answered without more information. If you are the HR representative and this was given to you as a complaint about how an employee is being treated by another employee, then you must formally investigate the person being accused as if it were an anonymous tip. If this is a harassing letter being sent to you directly, then you should take it up with HR.
To simply dismiss the allegations as “Malice” and “deformation” sets the company up for a law suit. It sounds like there is some interoffice bias by the wording of your question. Stating that this is the second letter indicates that someone feels very strongly about what is said, and is unsatisfied by the actions taken so far.
If the accusations turn out to be false (as you obviously believe them to be) then there will be documented proof that this is not the case, and the situation can be resolved, given you or the HR department completes the formal investigation. In any case, this will increase the staffs confidence in going to HR about such issues.
Hope this helps. I suggest what ever your action, you document and cover your own butt!