This document discusses grievances in the workplace. It defines a grievance as any dissatisfaction felt by a worker, whether expressed or not, regarding anything related to their employment. Common causes of grievances include poor working conditions, issues with management policies like wages or promotions, violations of agreements or rules, and personal maladjustments. The document outlines several methods for identifying grievances like exit interviews and suggestion boxes. It provides guidance for properly handling grievances through a structured grievance procedure and notes the benefits this brings, such as preventing escalation of issues and building trust between workers and management.
2. Meaning
According to Michael J. Jucius -The
term grievance means any discontent or
dissatisfaction whether expressed or not
and whether valid or not, arising out of
anything connected with the company that
an worker thinks, believes or even feels is
unfair unjust or inequitable.
3. Causes of Grievances
Grievances resulting from working Condition:
• Improper matching of the worker with the job
• Changes in schedules or procedures
• Non-availability of proper tools, machines and equipment for
doing the job.
• Tight production schedule
• Bad physical conditions of work place
• Failure to maintain proper discipline (Excessive discipline or
lack of it both are equally harmful)
• Poor relationship with the supervisor
4. Causes of Grievances
Grievance resulting from management Policy:
• Wages payment
• Leave
• Overtime
• Earn Leave Payment
• Bonus/Incentive
• Seniority
• Transfer
• Promotion, demotion and discharges
• Lack of career planning and employee development plan
5. Causes of Grievances
Grievance resulting from alleged violation of:
• The collective bargaining agreement
• Government laws
• Past practice
• Company rules
• Management’s Responsibility
6. Causes of Grievances
Grievance resulting from personal Maladjustment
• Over-ambition
• Excessive Self-esteem
• Impractical attitude to life
7. How to know about
grievances
Exit interviews: Worker usually quit factory due to dissatisfaction or
better job. Exit interview if conducted carefully can provided important
information about worker Grievances.
Gripe Boxes: These are boxes in which the worker can drop their
Grievance
Opinion Surveys: Group meeting periodical interviews with worker,
collective bargaining sessions are some other means through which one can
get information about employees dissatisfaction before it turn in to a
Grievance.
Open door policy: Workers to informally drop in the manager’s room any
time and talk over their Grievances. This policy is good only in small
company.
8. Points to be remembered when
Handling a Grievance
Every grievance must be considered important.
A grievance should not be postponed.
All grievances should be put in writing.
All relevant facts about a grievance should be gathered by the
management and their proper records maintained.
Management should make a list of all solutions and letter evaluate
them one by one.
Follow-up must be done by the management to determine whether
action taken by it has favorably change the employee’s attitude or
not.
10. Grievance Procedure
• It is shown in the diagram the frontline supervisor & welfare committee
member accorded the first opportunity to handle grievances. this step is very
necessary to preserve the authority of the supervisor over his workers. But
all grievances cannot be handled by the supervisor because many of them
involve issues or policies which are beyond the limits of his authority. Hence
provision is made for a second step in handling grievance. the second step may
be the compliance/ weal fear officer & Line chef
• When second step Fail to handle grievance then third step PM&FM will handle
the grievance
• When Third step PM & FM fail to handle grievance then grievance will handle
by fourth step Grievance Committee in Factory.
• When fourth step Grievance Committee will fail to handle grievance then
grievance will handle by the Top management MD & Director.
11. Benefits of a Grievance procedure
It brings grievances into the open so that management can learn about
them and try corrective action
The management catches and solves a grievance before it becomes
It provides workers a formalized means of emotional release for
there dissatisfactions. even if a worker doe not use the grievance
system for his own emotional release in a particular situation, he feels
better because he/she knows the system is there to use if he wants
to do so. It builds within him a sense of emotional security.
It helps in establishing and maintaining a work culture or way of life
When a manager knows that his actions are subject to challenge and
review in a grievance system he becomes more careful in taking his
decisions.