The role of a Contact Officer is NOT to mediate or counsel. If they engage in either of these important resolution strategies, it puts the organisation, the people involved and themselves at risk. They are also not authorised to conduct investigations into allegations that are raised with them.
A Contact Officer’s main role is to provide information to people with a grievance (usually related to discrimination, harassment and bullying) and help the person make decisions about their preferred approach to resolving issues, consistent with the organisation’s policy and procedures.
Contact Officers may be approached by either complainants or respondents who will often be experiencing high levels of stress or anxiety. Contact Officers should therefore be well versed in relation to support services (e.g Employee Assistance Program) that are available to the individuals involved in a grievance.
iHR Australia’s Contact Officer Training has been designed by experts, enabling selected Contact Officer’s to fully understand what is required of them as a first point of contact for employees at their organisation.
