FREE online courses on Employee Grievances and Discipline - Introduction
Every employee has certain expectations, which he thinks must
be fulfilled by the organization he is working for. When the organization fails
to do this, he develops a feeling of discontent or dissatisfaction. When an
employee feels that something is unfair in the organization, he is said to have
a grievance. According to Julius, 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 inequitable.”
If we analyze this definition, some noticeable features
emerge clearly:
(a)
A grievance refers to any form of discontent or dissatisfaction
with any aspect of the organization.
(b)
The dissatisfaction must arise out of employment and not due to
personal or family problems.
(c)
The discontent can arise out of real or imaginary reasons. When
the employee feels that injustice has been done to him, he has a grievance. The
reasons for such a feeling may be valid or invalid, legitimate or irrational,
justifiable or ridiculous.
(d)
The discontent may be voiced or unvoiced. But it must find
expression in some form. However, discontent per se is not a grievance.
Initially, the employee may complain orally or in writing. If this is not looked
into promptly, the employee feels a sense of lack of justice. Now the discontent
grows and takes the shape of a grievance.
(e)
Broadly speaking, thus, a grievance is traceable to perceived
non-fulfillment of one's expectations from the organization.
A grievance may take any one of the following forms: (a)
factual, (b) imaginary, (c) disguised.
(a)
Factual: A factual grievance arises
when legitimate needs of employees remain unfulfilled, e.g., wage hike has been
agreed but not implemented citing various reasons.
(b)
Imaginary: When an employee's
dissatisfaction is not because of any valid reason but because of a wrong
perception, wrong attitude or wrong information he has. Such a situation may
create an imaginary grievance. Though management is not at fault in such
instances, still it has to clear the ‘fog' immediately.
(c)
Disguised: An employee may have
dissatisfaction for reasons that are unknown to himself. If he/she is under
pressure from family, friends, relatives, neighbors, he/she may reach the work
spot with a heavy heart. If a new recruit gets a new table and cupboard this may
become an eyesore to other employees who have not been treated likewise
previously.
Grievances may occur for a number of reasons:
(a)
Economic: Wage fixation, overtime,
bonus, wage revision, etc. Employees may feel that they are paid less when
compared to others.
(b)
Work environment: Poor physical
conditions of workplace, tight production norms, defective tools and equipment,
poor quality of materials, unfair rules, lack of recognition, etc.
(c)
Supervision: Relates to the attitudes
of the supervisor towards the employee such as perceived notions of bias,
favoritism, nepotism, caste affiliations, regional feelings, etc.
(d)
Work group: Employee is unable to
adjust with his colleagues; suffers from feelings of neglect, victimization and
becomes an object of ridicule and humiliation, etc.
(e)
Miscellaneous: These include issues
relating to certain violations in respect of promotions, safety methods,
transfer, disciplinary rules, fines, granting leave, medical facilities, etc.
The following are some of the distinct advantages of having a
grievances handling procedure:
(a)
The management can know the employees' feelings and opinions
about the company's policies and practices. It can feel the ‘pulse' of the
employees.
(b)
With the existence of a grievance handling procedure, the
employee gets a chance to ventilate his feelings. He can blow off his ‘steam'
through an official channel. Certain 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.
(c)
It keeps a check on the supervisor's attitude and behavior
towards their subordinates. They are compelled to listen to subordinates
patiently and sympathetically.
(d)
The 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.
Grievances can be uncovered in a number of ways. Gossip and
grapevine offer vital clues about employee grievances. Gripe boxes, open door
policies periodic interviews, exit surveys could also be undertaken to uncover
the mystery surrounding grievances. These methods are discussed below:
(a)
Observation: A manager/supervisor can
usually track the behaviors of people working under him. If a particular
employee is not getting along with people, spoiling materials due to
carelessness or recklessness, showing indifference to commands, reporting late
for work or is remaining absent – the signals are fairly obvious. Since the
supervisor is close to the scene of action, he can always find out such unusual
behaviors and report promptly.
(b)
Grievance procedure: A systematic
grievance procedure is the best means to highlight employee dissatisfaction at
various levels. Management, to this end, must encourage employees to use it
whenever they have anything to say. In the absence of such a procedure,
grievances pile up and burst up in violent forms at a future date. By that time
things might have taken an ugly shape altogether, impairing cordial relations
between labor and management. If management fails to induce employees to express
their grievances, unions will take over and emerge as powerful bargaining
representatives.
(c)
Gripe boxes: A gripe box may be kept
at prominent locations in the factory for lodging anonymous complaints
pertaining to any aspect relating to work. Since the complainant need not reveal
his identity, he can express his feelings of injustice or discontent frankly and
without any fear of victimization.
(d)
Open door policy: This is a kind of
walk-in-meeting with the manager when the employee can express his feelings
openly about any work-related grievance. The manager can crosscheck the details
of the complaint through various means at his disposal.
(e)
Exit interview: Employees usually
leave their current jobs due to dissatisfaction or better prospects outside. If
the manager tries sincerely through an exit interview, he might be able to find
out the real reasons why ‘X' is leaving the organization. To elicit valuable
information, the manager must encourage the employee to give a correct picture
so as to rectify the mistakes promptly. If the employee is not providing
fearless answers, he may be given a questionnaire to fill up and post the same
after getting all his dues cleared from the organization where he is currently
employed.
(f)
Opinion surveys: Surveys may be
conducted periodically to elicit the opinions of employees about the
organization and its policies.
It is better to use as many channels as possible, if the
intention is to uncover the truth behind the curtain.
