How Should I Handle Employee Disputes and What Incident Report Format Works Best?

I am working as an HR Manager in a charitable institution (an Eye Hospital). There are 90 employees in the Base Hospital and 25 field workers. Employee disputes are a major issue here. Numerous times, I receive complaints from staff about these disputes. Today, an incident occurred that became the reason for a dispute between two employees, and both have valid points from their perspectives. Although the management has sympathy for one of the employees, I need to listen to the other side before making any decisions. Kindly advise on what I should do, and please share the incident report format as well.

Regards,

Handling Employee Disputes in a Hospital Setting

Two female employees have some personal issues as I am working in a hospital. It is necessary and a legal requirement to maintain patient records. One of them is saying that another employee has stolen a patient file, which caused patients to wait and then leave.

This complaint was brought to the Manager of Operations and then to me. Now, another employee is claiming that it is not her mistake, as the file was missing from the reception.

This is a serious issue, and our Director has sympathy for one of the employees, so I won't take any action against her. The accused employee has been with us for the last 5 years, is good, but from an orphan background and lacks professional behavior. Despite this, there have been numerous complaints about her misbehavior with other staff, for which she has been warned.

Now, I don't understand what I need to do. I also have a soft spot for the accused one, as she is from an orphan background, and if she loses this job, she will have nowhere else to go.

Regards,
Seema Mishra

Thanks for the explanation. I see you are in a position of HR Manager. You should be very cool in handling this situation. Despite knowing the truth, you are not able to make a justification. Right, as you know, the other lady has really made a mistake and is getting support from a high officer. You should be more at ease to confront her. The only way is to keep your favored employee beside her, record all the compliance against her, take witness accounts from your employees, document her behavior and conduct, create a file, and you will be stronger to take any action against her. Nobody will support her after seeing the file.

Regards,
Srihari

You can connect on WhatsApp using the number below.
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

In my opinion, as an HR professional, you need to set aside emotions and sympathy and approach the problem without any prejudice (e.g., she is an orphan, what happens if she loses her job, etc.). Many times, employees trade accusations against each other, but to nip it in the bud, you need to pick one case and get to the bottom of it. Grill all the persons concerned and find out the cause of the problem. This must be done immediately after receiving the complaint because employees tend to forget the sequence of events, or at least pretend to, if the process is delayed. If you can establish the facts and record them in one case, these kinds of trivial matters will start to decrease.

If employees see you as transparent, unbiased, approachable, pragmatic, logical, and empathetic, matters can be dealt with relatively easily. While it may not be possible to establish the exact cause for every incident, if you can identify the root cause in at least one or two instances, there will be more trust in you.

Steps to Investigate the Dispute

In this instance, first find out the following:

1. Who is the primary custodian of the patient's file?
2. Who brought this file from the custodian to the reception?
3. What evidence is available to show that the file was taken from the custodian? Does the employee sign when taking the files?
4. What time was the file taken to the reception?
5. What were the reporting times of the two employees in dispute?
6. What is their primary scope of work? Who is supposed to handle the patient's file?
7. Who is the custodian of the patient's file at the reception?
8. When was it noticed that the file was missing?
9. At that time, where were these two employees engaged? Is there any evidence that they were working in the said spot? Do any coworkers or employees provide evidence for it?
10. Who first reported that the file was missing, and to whom?
11. Was the file later found? If so, by whom?

The questions can be endless based on the situation and the employees' reactions. If you can identify the employee responsible for the mistake, inform her that her actions have brought disrepute to the hospital. In a service industry, if patients don't trust the file protocol procedure, there is a risk they may not return to the hospital, and they may spread negative word-of-mouth, tarnishing the hospital's image. Advise her to refrain from such activities.

Establishing Procedures

After the process is completed, draft a procedure for handling patients' files and consider if this procedure can be implemented horizontally across the organization. Assign responsibility to positions, not individuals. By establishing procedures, such lapses are less likely to occur.

Subsequently, conduct audits in various departments and establish processes and procedures with clearly defined responsibilities across the organization.

This is what ISO certification is all about.

Regards,
M.V. Kannan

You have two issues at hand.

1. To resolve a problem

2. Protect an orphan

You may have to handle both separately.

To solve the dispute, you have to justify what is right according to your view and investigation. You cannot go by who is right or wrong.

You want to protect the orphan, but your director wants to protect the other person. I feel both of you are right in your approach. You can express your views here that the orphan will have no other option or will face a lot of difficulties in her life. Explain this to your director.

Let me put it this way. When someone wants to introduce a product, they will create desire for the product through advertisement and other means in order to sell it well in the market.

Your problem seems to be to sell your idea of protecting an orphan who could be innocent according to you. Find a way to put it to your director or, if you cannot, find someone who could be close to your director whose words your director will listen to; use such a person to convey your thoughts to your director. As an HR head, it is not only to work professionally but to protect the human values which I can see in you. Go ahead and find how to push your ideas. That's all.

Regards,

Vivian Chandrashekar

[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

If you find anyone responsible for any dispute or negligence, whether it be a director or an orphan, it does not mean you should immediately fire them. He/she can be given a warning letter, have their increment stopped, their promotion stopped, or any action less severe than terminating the employee.

Just go to the root of the problem, find the guilty person, and warn them strictly. Take notes from her in writing and take appropriate action without any bias. Fair decisions from your end will develop confidence in other employees. You can take strong action because you have written proof.

Thanks,
Daljeet Singh