Alpine Shire Council is reinforcing its commitment to ensuring the health, safety, and wellbeing of its staff, volunteers, contractors, and Councillors with the adoption of the Dealing with Difficult Customers Policy.
The policy aims to protect Council employees from unacceptable behaviour, ensuring a safe and respectful working environment for all.
Council Chief Executive Officer, Will Jeremy, emphasised the importance of this policy, particularly in light of recent increases in poor behaviour from a small number of customers and community members.
"While the vast majority of our customers are respectful and a pleasure to serve, we have seen a troubling rise in instances of rude, abusive, and even threatening behaviour towards our staff," said Mr Jeremy.
"This type of conduct is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated under any circumstances."
The Dealing with Difficult Customers Policy, based on the Victorian Ombudsman's 'Good Practice Guide: Managing Complex Complainant Behaviour,' outlines clear steps for managing challenging behaviour - preventing escalation where possible, responding to complex situations, managing unreasonable behaviour, and, as a last resort, limiting access to Council services.
Mr Jeremy acknowledged that whilst Council is focused on improving the quality of customer service and reducing frustration for customers, it is crucial to set boundaries to ensure that staff can perform their duties in a safe environment.
"We are committed to being responsive and timely in our customer service, but we also need to protect our teams from any form of abuse or threats," he said.
"Whether our staff are in the Bright Office, out in the field, or interacting with community members at libraries, Visitor Information Centres and transfer stations, they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity."
Council thanks those who provided valuable feedback during the policy's development and invites all community members to review the final document on Council's website.
You can read the final by visiting: Dealing with Difficult Customers Policy