HR managers and HR directors
Replace scattered requests with a consistent starting point. The answers help you understand the work, identify gaps and prepare a follow-up. Review “Your Department” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.
Employee Complaint Form Template
A workplace complaint form does two things: it gives employees a safe channel to raise serious concerns, and it protects the organization by creating a documented, consistent record of every report received. This template supports anonymous submission, covers 10 complaint categories, and captures the detail HR needs to investigate.
Free for non-commercial projects, with unlimited forms and responses.
Last updated
About this template
Most employees who experience serious workplace issues — harassment, discrimination, safety violations — never report them. The primary barriers are fear of retaliation, lack of trust in the process, and not knowing how or where to report. A visible, accessible complaint form with a clear anti-retaliation statement removes the logistical and psychological barriers to reporting.
More about this template
This template is designed around the information HR and legal teams actually need to investigate: what type of complaint it is, who was involved, who witnessed it, a detailed description of what happened, and whether this is part of a pattern. The 'Has this happened before?' and 'Have you reported this previously?' fields are particularly important — they help HR identify cases where prior complaints may have been mishandled and cases where an employee has escalated because informal approaches failed.
Making all personal information fields optional isn't just a nicety — it's a meaningful design decision that increases the likelihood that employees who are afraid of retaliation will actually file a report. An anonymous report that identifies a pattern is far more valuable than no report at all. formformform stores every submission securely, and you control exactly who has access.
12 fields to make your own4 required in this starting form
Make it fit your workflow.
Use your own copy to change labels, remove questions and add the details you need. Try the preview alongside this guide to see what respondents will be asked.
The questions, explained
Fields in this template
Review the starting questions and choices. You can change them in your own copy.
Your Name
Jane Smith
Your Email
jane@company.com
Your Department
Marketing
Date of Incident
Type of Complaint
11 choices
- Harassment (verbal, physical, or sexual)
- Discrimination (race, gender, age, disability, religion, etc.)
- Workplace Bullying
- Retaliation
- Safety Violation or Unsafe Conditions
- Manager Misconduct
- Coworker Misconduct
- Policy or Procedure Violation
- Wage or Hours Issue
- Privacy Violation
- Other
Individual(s) Involved
Name or job title of the person(s) involved
Witnesses (if any)
Names or job titles of anyone who witnessed the incident
Description of the Incident
Describe what happened in as much detail as possible: what was said or done, where and when it occurred, and how it affected you.
Has this happened before?
2 choices
- This is the first incident
- This is part of a pattern — it has happened before
Previous Incidents (if applicable)
If this is a recurring issue, describe the prior incidents including approximate dates.
Have you reported this previously?
2 choices
- No, this is my first report
- Yes, I've reported it before
Desired Resolution
Describe the outcome you're hoping for — a formal investigation, mediation, policy change, etc. This is optional and does not limit our response.
Where it fits
Who uses this template
Suggested uses, and why this starting point can help. Adapt the questions to your own process.
Small business owners
Turn initial interest into information you can review. Use the answers to prepare a relevant follow-up and decide whether the opportunity fits your work. Review “Date of Incident” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.
Operations and compliance teams
Replace scattered requests with a consistent starting point. The answers help you understand the work, identify gaps and prepare a follow-up. Review “Type of Complaint” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.
Legal and compliance departments
Use this as a starting point when you need the same essential information from each person. Review the questions against your process before sharing your copy. Review “Individual(s) Involved” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.
School and university administrators
Give participants a clear set of questions and keep the information together, making it easier to prepare, respond and follow up. Review “Witnesses (if any)” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.
Nonprofit leadership
Give people a straightforward way to get involved, while collecting the context needed to coordinate the work and follow up. Review “Description of the Incident” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.
Healthcare HR teams
Collect a consistent starting point for review, so the next conversation can focus on suitability and missing details rather than repeating basic questions. Review “Has this happened before?” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.
What's included
Full anonymity support — all personal info fields are optional
10 complaint type categories including harassment, discrimination, and safety violations
Pattern identification — captures whether the incident is isolated or recurring
Prior report tracking — flags whether this has been reported before
Desired resolution field to understand what the employee is seeking
Witnesses field for investigation follow-up
Anti-retaliation statement included in the form intro
Free with unlimited submissions
How to create an employee complaint form
- 1
Click 'Use this template' to open the employee complaint form in formformform.
- 2
Update the intro paragraph to reference your company's specific anti-retaliation policy and the name of the HR contact or ethics hotline for employees who prefer to speak with someone.
- 3
Customize the complaint type dropdown to align with your company's policy language and any industry-specific categories (e.g., 'HIPAA Violation' for healthcare).
- 4
Set your HR director or a shared HR inbox as the notification recipient — not individual managers, as complaints about managers need to route around them.
- 5
Make the form accessible: link to it from your employee handbook, your intranet, and your onboarding documentation.
- 6
Review your intake process to ensure every submitted complaint receives an acknowledgment within 24 hours and a resolution or update within your policy's stated timeframe.
Best practices for your employee complaint form
Route notifications to HR leadership, not line managers
complaints often involve managers. Make sure your notification email goes to HR or a compliance officer who can handle the complaint independently.
Acknowledge every complaint promptly
employees who file complaints and hear nothing feel more discouraged than employees who never filed. Send a confirmation that the complaint was received and is under review, even if you can't share investigation details.
Train managers on the process
managers should know this form exists, what to do when an employee tells them about a concern (direct them to the form), and what they should not do (investigate independently, discourage reporting).
Document your investigation
the form creates a record of the report; your investigation needs its own documentation. Keep records of every step taken, who was interviewed, and what was found.
Review complaint trends quarterly
even if individual complaints are resolved, patterns across multiple submissions reveal systemic issues. A quarterly review by HR leadership keeps this data actionable.
Make the form findable, not just available
a form linked only in an employee handbook nobody reads isn't accessible. Pin it in your intranet navigation, mention it in onboarding, and include it in your HR communications.
Frequently asked questions
Is this employee complaint form template free?
Yes, completely free. You can collect unlimited complaint submissions with no subscription required.
Can employees submit complaints anonymously?
Yes. All personal information fields (name, email, department) are optional in this template, allowing employees to submit anonymously. Anonymous reports still capture the incident type, description, and other key details HR needs.
Who receives the complaint submissions?
Submissions go to the email address you configure in your formformform notification settings. Set this to your HR director, a shared HR inbox, or a dedicated compliance email — not a general company inbox or direct manager.
Is this form legally sufficient for complaint documentation?
This form creates a structured, timestamped record of complaints, which is a good foundation. However, legal compliance requirements vary by jurisdiction and company size. We recommend having your employment attorney or HR compliance team review your overall complaint handling process.
Can I add a field for the employee's preferred communication method for follow-up?
Yes. You can add a dropdown or radio field asking how they prefer to be contacted (email, phone, or in person), though anonymous complainants won't be able to use this.
How do I ensure confidentiality of submitted complaints?
Control access to your formformform dashboard carefully — only HR leadership and relevant compliance personnel should have access. For highly sensitive complaints, consider creating a dedicated formformform account used solely for complaint submissions.
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