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Dear Faculty Relations: One of my colleagues brought a complaint to me, and after several weeks, I resolved it through the PRR. Now that it’s over, how do I follow up with the colleague who brought the complaint? —Wary Leader 

Dear Wary Leader:ÌýFirst, congratulations on resolving this complaint. When you participate in the PRR process, you play a vital role in shared governance.Ìý

Notice to your colleague who brought the complaint is an important and final part of the process. Do this verbally rather than through email. Communication is much more than the words we use. Your tone, facial expressions, and pacing of speech can help convey the seriousness with which you handled the situation.

Learning that there is a finding but not knowing your specific action can sometimes feel unsatisfactory to a person who brings a concern. For this reason, make sure to convey how seriously you took their concern, let them know that their concern was warranted, and give them confidence that you took appropriate action.    

You might word your response like this:

• I’d like to update you on your concerns about unprofessional behavior. First, thank you for bringing this to my attention. It may not have been easy, and I appreciate your courage.
• The inquiry is now complete, I found that Professor X violated the PRR (slow down to emphasize these words). I cannot provide specific sanction information, as this is a confidential personnel matter.  

Occasionally, this isn’t enough to give a colleague who brought the concern a sense of satisfaction. For example, they might push to know how your action will make a difference. If needed, you can let them know that their concerns and your findings have been documented following the PRR process. Knowing that there is a record can be reassuring. An additional option is to refer them to Faculty Relations, where we can answer questions about the process. Although Faculty Relations must also honor the confidential nature of personnel matters, there is a lot of other general information, such as insight about best practices, that may be encouraging for your colleague to hear.Ìý

When you conclude the PRR process and follow up in good faith with those who bring concerns to your attention, everyone benefits, and we create a more positive and productive culture for all.  

Written by Suzanne Soled, Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Support and Director of Faculty Relations, and Burke Hilsabeck, Assistant Director of Faculty Relations, Office of Faculty Affairs.

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