Expert Input: Sebastian Harvey, leading facilitator and coach
Contact Officers act as a point of contact for employees, behave as an information network, identify workplace ‘hot spots’, and support HR initiatives.
Article updated on 15 July 2024 [Originally published in 2017]
Contact Officers play an important role in assisting employers meet their responsibilities to create positive workplace cultures. They help in preventing and managing poor and potentially unlawful workplace behaviour.
Some employers are adding to the scope of the Contact Officer role, including as an initial point of contact for employees experiencing violence at home. They may also form part of an information network, identifying workplace ‘hot spots’ or promoting workplace culture and HR initiatives.
The scope will also affect who is suited to the role and the training they will require.
Identifying potential contact officers
Contact Officers must be approachable and available for people. They are meant to be trustworthy and possess the ability to establish rapport quickly. Understanding the importance of maintaining confidentiality is essential. They also need to be able to remain impartial and resist the urge to get involved in interventions or to advocate on behalf of the employee.
They do this primarily by being a ‘sounding board’ for employees with issues about poor treatment and providing them with information to help them resolve the issue.
When first establishing a Contact Officer network, it is worth considering the manager’s nomination of trustworthy employees for the role. Managers should consider the employee’s interpersonal skills and knowledge.
To provide nominations, managers need to be informed about the role and develop a level of commitment to support the intricacies of the role.
Appointing contact officers
There are several methods for selecting Contact Officers. The two main methods are self-nomination (usually through an expression of interest) and nomination by managers. Both methods require HR to prepare selection criteria based on the organisation’s needs.
These needs include:
- the dynamics within the team
- the size of the workforce
- the organisation’s cultural ‘maturity’ (ability of managers to deal with issues, how embedded values and policies are)
- the frequency, seriousness, and complexity of issues.
Keep in mind that some managers may not be fully aware of what the Contact Officer’s role entails and notice an obvious crossover with some of their responsibilities. It is crucial that managers have their concerns addressed and are well informed of the roles and responsibilities of a contact officer. It was also highlighted in a previous article, Contact Officers vs HR vs Managers: Understanding the key differences, where Sebastian Harvey, a leading facilitator and coach emphasised the need to distinguish contact officers from HR and management roles.
He observed that “while it’s good to train your HR people to understand what contact officers do, it’s necessary to have a network of contact officers who sit outside of the HR and manager bucket.”
Upskilling contact officers
Whether it was self-nomination or not, HR has the final say and makes the decision based on the relevant criteria for selection. The next step involves upskilling these chosen contact officers to ensure they understand the responsibilities, workplace policies, and the ethical considerations of the role.
Once the Contact officer network has been established (and/or the organisation’s cultural maturity is strong), individuals could self-nominate through an expression of interest process. Spreading the word about EOIs will help raise awareness and build the role’s credibility. Giving people the opportunity to drop out from the role and bring in new Contact Officers will help to refresh the network.
Where to next?
Contact officers have defined roles and responsibilities. However, their role encompasses dealing with sensitive matters, which require them to prioritise impartiality and confidentiality. Often known to serve as a valuable support network for people experiencing poor or unfair treatment, contact officers complement line managers and HR in ‘resolving’ grievances. An important aspect of resolution includes understanding informal and formal actions that are either direct or with assistance from others.
If you have established a new cohort of Contact Officers, set them up for success with training to help them understand the scope of the role, record keeping, and how to support people in the role.
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