GRIEVANCES AND GRIEVANCE HANDLING Every employee has certain expectations which he thinks must be fulfilled by the organisation

he is working for. When the organisation fails to do this, he develops a feeling of discontent or dissatisfaction. When an employee feels that something is unfair in the organisation, he is said to have a grievance. According to Jucius, a grievance is any discontent or dissatisfaction, whether expressed or not, whether valid or not, arising out of anything connected with the company which an employee thinks, believes or even feels to be unfair, unjust or ine uitable.! ". #rievances or conflicting thoughts are part of industrial $ corporate life. %. &t is essential to bring this conflict to the surface. '. All conflicts cannot be eliminated but their exposure will contribute towards their reduction. (. )uch exposures lead to adjustments and further improved organi*ational effectiveness. GRIEVANCES AND GRIEVANCE HANDLING

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#rievance procedure %. +irect observation '. )uggestion boxes (. ,ersonal counselor -. Exit interviews .. /iscellaneous channels

GREIVANCE According to 0illipo, 1he term would include any discontent and dissatisfaction that affects organi*ational performance. &t can either stated or unvoiced, written or oral, legitimate or ridiculous. 2a3 A complaint is a discontent that has not assumed importance. 2b3 A complaint becomes grievance when the employee feels that injustice has been committed. + & ) ) A 1 & ) 0 A 4 1 & 5 6 , 4 5 / , 7 A & 6 1 A 6 + #8&E9A64E

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1o understand what a grievance is, you must clearly be able to distinguish between dissatisfaction, complaint and grievance. 1orrington 2":;<3 provides us with a useful categori*ation in this regard= Dissatisfaction: Anything disturbs an employee, whether or not the unrest isexpressed in words. Complaint:= A spoken or written dissatisfaction brought to the attention of thesupervisor or the shop steward. Grievance= A complaint that has been formally presented to a management representative or to a union official.

EA!"RES &f we analyse this definition, some noticeable features emerge clearly= A grievance refers to any form of discontent or dissatisfaction with any aspect of the organisation. 1he dissatisfaction must arise out of employment and not due to personal or family problems. 1he discontent can arise out of real or imaginary reasons. When the employee feels that injustice has been done to him, he has a grievance. 1he reasons for such a feeling may be valid or invalid, legitimate or irrational, justifiable or ridiculous. 1he discontent may be voiced or unvoiced. >ut it must find expression in some form. ?owever, discontent per se is not a grievance. &nitially, the employee may complain orally or in writing. &f this is not looked into promptly, the employee feels a sense of lack of justice. 6ow the discontent grows and takes the shape of a grievance. >roadly speaking, thus, a grievance is traceable to perceived non@fulfillment of oneAs expectations from the organisation. An employee may feel that there has been an infringement of his rights. #rievances exist in the minds of individuals. #rievances may be concerning employment, working conditions, change of service conditions, biased approach, non@application of principle of natural justice, work loads and work norms.

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!#$ES % GREIVANCE A grievance may take any one of the following forms= 2a3 factual, 2b3 imaginary, 2c3 disguised. actual A factual grievance arises when legitimate needs of employees remain unfulfilled, e.g., wage hike has been agreed but not implemented citing various reasons. Ima&inar' When an employeeAs dissatisfaction is not because of any valid reason but because of a wrong perception, wrong attitude or wrong information he has. )uch a situation may create an imaginary grievance. 1hough management is not at fault in such instances, still it has to clear the BfogA immediately. Dis&uise( An employee may have dissatisfaction for reasons that are unknown to himself. &f he$ she is under pressure from family, friends, relatives, neighbours, he$she may reach the work spot with a heavy heart. &f a new recruit gets a new table and almirah, this may become an eyesore to other employees who have not been treated likewise previously. CA"SES for Grievance #rievances may occur for a number of reasons= Economic) Wage fixation, overtime, bonus, wage revision, etc. Employees may feel that they are paid less when compared to others. *or+ environment) ,oor physical conditions of workplace, tight production norms, defective tools and e uipment, poor uality of materials, unfair rules, lack of recognition, etc. Supervision 8elates to the attitude of the supervisor towards the employee such as perceived notions of bias, regional C ethnic feelings, recognition, ?arassment etc. ,*or+ Group

Employee is unable to adjust with his colleagues, suffers from feelings of neglect, victimi*ation and becomes an object of ridicule and humiliation etc.

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.- /iscellaneous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ &ssues relating to certain violations in respect of promotions )afety methods 1ransfer +isciplinary Action Work 7ife >alance C Work 7oad. #ranting leaves 5ver stay after the expiry of leaves /edical facilities etc.

ot0er causes of &rievances 2i3 &dentification and analysis of grievances, nature nod causes. 2ii3 ?elps at formulating and implementing the policies and programmes. 2iii3 &t is problem solving, dispute@settling mechanism. 2iv3 )trengthen good corporate relationship. 2v3 &t detects the flaws in working conditions and helps to take corrective measures. NEED %R GRIEVANCE $R%CED"RE 1he following are some of the distinct advantages of having a grievances handling procedure= "@ 1he management can know the employeesA feelings and opinions about the companyAs policies and practices. &t can feel the BpulseA of the employees. %@ With the existence of a grievance handling procedure, the employee gets a chance to ventilate his feelings. ?e can let off steam through an official channel. 4ertain problems of workers cannot be solved by first line supervisors, for these supervisors lack the expertise that the top management has, by virtue of their professional knowledge and experience. '@ &t keeps a check on the supervisorAs attitude and behaviour towards their subordinates. 1hey are compelled to listen to subordinates patiently and sympathetically. (@ 1he morale of the employees will be high with the existence of proper grievance handling procedure. Employees can get their grievances redressed in a just manner. vi3 >uild good morale, maintains code of discipline. 2vii3 >rings uniformity in handling grievances. 2viii3 &t develops faith of employees.

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2ix3 8educes personality conflicts. 2x3 &t acts as a pressure valve. 2xi3 ,rovides judicial protection to the employees. 2xii3 ,rovides avenues to present the problems. Enables the parties to resolve differences in peaceful, orderly and expeditious manner. Enables the parties to investigate and discuss the problem 2i3 5pen@door policy 2ii3 )tep ladder type 2iii3 #rievance handling 2 ?8 /anager3 GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL S#S!E/ ". Existence of sound channel. %. 1he procedure should be simple, definite and '. &t should be clearly defined. (. ?elpful attitude of management. -. 0act@oriented system. .. 8espect for decisions. <. Ade uate publicity. ;. ,eriodic 8eview. prompt.

1ASIC ELE/EN! % GRIEVANCE $R%CED"RE ". 8eceive and define the nature of dissatisfaction. 2a3 /anner and attitude when complaint is received 2b3 Assessment must be made that the complaint is presented fairly. 2c3 )tatement and issues must not be pre@judged. 2d3 ,roper time and attention is given. S!E$S IN HANDLING GRIEVANCES As already discussed, there are valid reasons to have the grievances processed through a machinery or a procedure. 2) %34ectives of a Grievance Han(lin& $roce(ure Dackson 2%EEE3 lays down the objectives of a grievance handling procedure as follows= 1o enable the employee to air his$her grievance.

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1o clarify the nature of the grievance. 1o investigate the reasons for dissatisfaction. 1o obtain, where possible, a speedy resolution to the problem. 1o take appropriate actions and ensure that promises are kept. 1o inform the employee of his or her right to take the grievance to the next stageof the procedure, in the event of an unsuccessful resolution.

5) !0e 1enefits of a Grievance Han(lin& $roce(ure According to Dackson 2%EEE3, further benefits that will accrue to both the employer and employees are as follows= &t encourages employees to raise concerns without fear of reprisal. &t provides a fair and speedy means of dealing with complaints. &t prevents minor disagreements developing into more serious disputes. &t saves employers time and money as solutions are found for workplace problems. &t helps to build an organisational climate based on openness and trust.

$rocessin& of Grievance 1he details of a grievance procedure$machinery may vary from organisation to organisation. ?ere, a four phase model 20igure "3 is suggested. 1he first and the last stages have universal relevance, irrespective of the differences in the procedures at the intermediate stages. 1he four stages of the machinery are briefly discussed here= !0e level at 60ic0 &rievance occurs = 1he best opportunity to redress a grievance is to resolve it at the level at which it occurs. A workerAs grievance should be resolved by his immediate boss, the first line supervisor. 1he higher the document rises through the hierarchy, the more difficult it is to resolve. >ypassing the supervisor would erode his authority. When the process moves to a higher stage, the aggrieved employee and the supervisor concerned may shift their focus to save face by proving the other wrong. 1he substantive aspect of any of the grievances may thus be relegated and dysfunctional aspects come to the fore thus making it more difficult to settle the issue. &n a unioni*ed concern, the first stage of the procedure usually involves three people= the aggrieved employee, his immediate boss and the union representative in the shop$ department. &t is possible to involve the union in laying down the framework of the grievance procedure and thereafter restrain union involvement in the actual process, at least in the first two stages. 1he choice depends on the top management attitude and orientation towards the dynamics of union@management relations.

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)upervisory role needs to be strengthened, with appropriate training in problem@solving skills, grievance handling and counseling so that he can do much in reducing the number of grievances that get passed to higher stages in the machinery. Fnrealistic policies and expectations and lack of commitment for e uity and fair play can cause problems in handling grievances at the lower level. &nade uate delegation of authority may also inhabit a supervisorAs effectiveness in handling grievances at this level. Interme(iate Sta&e : &f the dispute is not redressed at the supervisorAs level, it will usually be referred to the head of the concerned department. &t is important that line management assume prime responsibility for the settlement of a grievance. Any direct involvement by personnel department may upset balance in line@staff relations. At the intermediate level, grievance can be settled with or without union involvement. Excessive reliance on supervisor at this stage can jeopardi*e the interests of the employee and affect the credibility of the procedure. %r&anisation Level: &f a grievance is not settled at the intermediate level also, it will be referred to the top management. Fsually, a person of a level not less than #eneral /anager designated for the purpose will directly handle the issue. >y now, the grievance may ac uire some political importance and the top leadership of the union may also step in formally, if the procedure provides for it and informally, if the procedure prohibits it. At this level it is very difficult to reconcile the divergent interests. !0ir( $art' /e(iation= &f the grievance has not been settled bi@laterally within the organisation, it goes to a third party for mediation. &t could be conciliation, arbitration or adjudication or the matter may even be referred to a labour court. At this stage, the parties concerned lose control over the way the grievance is settled. &n case of mediation 2conciliation or arbitration3 the mediator has no authority to decide, but incase of labour court or an adjudicator, the decision will be binding on the parties, subject to statutory provisions for appeal to higher courts. Steps in Grievance Han(lin& $roce(ure At any stage of the grievance machinery, the dispute must be handled by some members of the management. &n grievance redressal, responsibility lies largely with the management. And, as already discussed, grievances should be settled promptly at the first stage itself. 1he following steps will provide a measure of guidance to them anger dealing with grievances.

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Ac+no6le(&e Dissatisfaction= /anagerial$supervisory attitude to grievances is important. 1hey should focus attention on grievances, not turn away from them. &gnorance is not bliss, it is the bane of industrial conflict. 4ondescending attitude on the part of supervisors and managers would aggravate the problem. Define t0e $ro3lem= &nstead of trying to deal with a vague feeling of discontent, the problem should be defined properly. )ometime the wrong complaint is given. >y effective listening, one can make sure that a true complaint is voiced. Get t0e acts= 0acts should be separated from fiction. 1hough grievances result in hurt feelings, the effort should be to get the facts behind the feelings. 1here is need for a proper record of each grievance. Anal'7e an( Deci(e= +ecisions on each of the grievances will have a precedent effect. While no time should be lost in dealing with them, it is no excuse to be slip@shod about it. #rievance settlements provide opportunities for managements to correct themselves, and thereby come closer to the employees. ?orse@trading in grievance redressal due to union pressures may temporarily bring union leadership closer to the management, but it will surely alienate the workforce away from the management. ollo6 up: +ecisions taken must be followed up earnestly. 1hey should be promptly communicated to the employee concerned. &f a decision is favorable to the employee, his immediate boss should have the privilege of communicating the same. )ome of the common pitfalls that managements commit in grievance handling relate to 2a3 stopping the search for facts too soonG 2b3 expressing a management opinion before gathering full factsG 2c3 failing to maintain proper recordsG 2d3 arbitrary exercise of executive discretionG and 2e3 settling wrong grievances. 8e' eatures of a Goo( Grievance Han(lin& $roce(ure 1orrington C ?all refer to four key features of a grievance handling procedure, which are discussed below. a3 0airness= 0airness is needed not only to be just but also to keep the procedure viable, if employees develop the belief that the procedure is only a sham, then its value will be

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lost, and other means sought to deal with the grievances. 1his also involves following the principles of natural justice, as in the case of a disciplinary procedure. b3 0acilities for representation= 8epresentation, e.g., by a shop steward, can be of help to the individual employee who lacks the confidence or experience to take on the management single@handedly. ?owever, there is also the risk that the presence of there preventative produces a defensive management attitude, affected by a number of other issues on which the manager and shop steward may be at loggerheads. c3 ,rocedural steps= )teps should be limited to three. 1here is no value in having more just because there are more levels in the management hierarchy. 1his will only lengthen the time taken to deal with matter and will soon bring the procedure into disrepute. d3 ,romptness= ,romptness is needed to avoid the bitterness and frustration that can come from delay. When an employee Bgoes into procedure,A it is like pulling the communication cord in the train. 1he action is not taken lightly and it is in anticipation of a swift resolution. 0urthermore, the manager whose decision is being uestioned will have a difficult time until the matter is settled

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