In Session 2, 2015 a project co-sponsored by Deidre Anderson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students and Registrar) and Nicole Gower, Director of Human Resources, delivered a Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public. This project also delivered a Complaint Management Portal and Online Complaint Form.

As the next step, a team drawn from Governance Services, Human Resources and Student Advocacy and Support has been working on a series of resources, so staff managing complaints have the right sort of training and support to navigate their way through the sometimes complex field of complaint management.

The resources include a short online training video, which features an introduction by the Vice-Chancellor developed in conjunction with Nina Harding. Nina is a professional mediator, facilitator and law lecturer at several universities. Using practical examples, the video demonstrates key steps for responding to complaints. Accompanying the video is a discussion guide for teams to use, and a checklist to remind staff of the steps to consider when dealing with a complaint.

“Effectively managing complaints from our students and community is critical to Macquarie achieving its purpose of being a University of service and engagement,” said Deidre. “These training resources will provide teams and individuals who deal in front line management with the skills to respond to complaints in a timely and professional manner.”

Staff are encouraged to watch the video and use the resources, to learn about how to manage complaints, or to brush up on their existing skills.

Watch the video now.