We’ve all been there. We’ve all had complaints about our job. At times, it seems like an inevitable part of working, but we don’t have to accept it as such. We wish to make our complaints known, but struggle with how to go about this.

Perhaps the most appropriate and effective way to go about eliciting our desired change would be to write a letter of complaint to our employer. While this is an appropriate practice, it can also be a fairly volatile one. After all, no employer likes to hear complaints from his/her employees. Therefore, if you are going to write a letter of complaint to your employer, it is vital that you follow these five practical pieces of advice.

1. Make yourself clear (very, very clear) – This one is incredibly important. If you can’t clearly describe the complaint that you have, then how can you expect your employer to address the issue to your satisfaction. Make sure you are very clear about what the problem is and provide as many details as possible. This will make your employers job easier and ensure that your complaints are made known.

2. Don’t be apologetic – Perhaps the worst thing you can do in this letter would be to apologize for the way you feel. First of all, this will convince your employer that the issue lies with you and not the problem you identify. Second of all, you will have failed to effectively describe your complaint. Being apologetic nullifies the whole purpose of a complaint letter. Write with deliberation and don’t be ashamed of your complaint. Own it.

3. Offer a solution – Employers love nothing more than to see employees striving to solve their own problems. If all a person receives is complaints and complaints, they are less willing to listen. However, if you accompany that complaint with a few possible solutions, your employer will be more willing to listen and address the problem. (Bonus- Not only are your employer’s ears more open, but you have a chance to change the problem the best way you see fit.)

4. Be formal – Don’t forget that this is still a letter to your employer. It should read with the same level of formality and respect that you use in your exchanges. The only difference that your employer should be able to detect is the fact that you are unsatisfied about something. Everything else in the letter should read normally.

5. Choose carefully – You will always have a complaint about where you work. It is an inevitable part of having a job. Any self respecting employer will not hesitate to fire an individual who complains about everything that bothers him/her. Therefore, it is important that you carefully choose which of your complaints to address. Make sure it is worth it, because the more complaints you make, the less your employer will consider them valid.