MANAGEMENT OF GRIEVANCES

DISSATISFACTION , COMPLAINT &

GRIEVANCES
Dissatisfaction :Anything that disturbs an employee ,
whether or not the unrest is expressed in words.

Complaint : A spoken or written dissatisfaction brought

to the attention of the supervisor or the Shop Steward
( In – Charge ).

Grievance : A complaint that has been formally

presented to a Management Representitive or to
a Union Official

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Some Definitions of Grievances
1.A grievance is a formal dispute
between an employee & management
on the conditions of employment.
2.Grievances are complaints that have
been formally registered in
accordance with the grievance
procedure.
3.A grievance is any dissatisfaction or
feeling of injustice in connection with
one’s employment situation that is
brought to the attention of the
management.
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 Features of
Grievances
1.Discontent or Dissatisfaction.
2.Dissatisfaction must arise out of
employment & not due to personal
reasons.
3.The discontentment can arise out of
real or imaginary reasons.
4.The discontent may be voiced or
unvoiced but it must expression in some
form.
5.Broadly speaking a grievance is
noticeable & traceable to real or
perceived non-fulfillment of one’s
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 EFFECT OF GRIEVANCES
1.On Production : Low quality of production ,
Low productivity , Increase in wastage , Increase
in cost of production
2.On Employees : Increased absenteeism ,
Reduction in level of commitment , Increase in
accidents , Reduced level of employee morale.
3.On Managers : Strained superior –
subordinate relations , Need for increased
supervision/control & follow up Increase in
unrest ,thereby machinery to maintain industrial
peace. GNA Business School /James
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 BENEFITS OF GRIEVANCE HANDLING
PROCEDURES
1.It encourages employees to raise
concerns without fear of reprisal.
2.It provides a fair & speedy means of
dealing of grievances.
3.It prevents minor disagreements
developing into more serious disputes.
4.It saves employer’s time & money
as solutions are found for workplace
problems.
5.It helps build in organisational climate
based on openness and trust.
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 OBJECTIVES OF GRIEVANCE HANDLING
PROCEDURES
1. To enable employee to air his/her
grievance.
2. To clarify the nature of grievance.
3. To investigate the reasons of
dissatisfaction.
4.To obtain where possible a speedy
resolution to the porblem.
5.To take appropriate actions & ensure
that the promises are kept.
6.To inform the employee his /her right to
voice the grievance & take it to next
stage of the procedure.
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 GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL PROCEDURE

1. Timely Action:
The first and foremost requisite in grievance handling is to settle
them immediately as and when they arise. Or say, grievances
need to be nipped in the bud. Sooner the grievance is settled,
lesser will be its effects on employees’ performance. This requires
the first line supervisors be trained in recognizing and handling a
grievance properly and promptly.

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2. Accepting the Grievance:
The supervisor should try to recognize and accept the employee
grievance as and when it is expressed. It must be noted that
acceptance does not necessarily mean agreeing with the
grievance, it simply shows the willingness of the supervisor to
look into the complaint objectively and dispassionately to deal
with the grievance. Evidences suggest that more the supervisor
shows his or her concern for the employees, lesser is the number
of grievances raised by the employees.

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3. Identifying the Problem:
The grievance expressed by the employee maybe at times simply
emotionally, over-toned, imaginary or vague. The supervisor,
therefore, needs to identify or diagnose the problem stated by the
employee.
4. Collecting the Facts:
Once the problem is identified as a real problem, the supervisor
should, then, collect all the relevant facts and proofs relating to
the grievance. The facts so collected need to be separated from
the opinions and feelings to avoid distortions of the facts. It is
useful to maintain the facts for future uses as and when these are
required.

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5. Analysing the cause of the Grievance:
Having collected all the facts and figures relating to the grievance,
the next step involved in the grievance procedure is to establish
and analyse the cause that led to grievance. The analysis of the
cause will involve studying various aspects of the grievance such
as the employees past history, frequency of the occurrence,
management practices, union practices, etc.. Identification of the
cause of the grievance helps the management take corrective
measures to settle the grievance and also to prevent its
recurrence.

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6. Taking Decision:
In order to take the best decision to handle the grievance,
alternative courses of actions are worked out. These are, then,
evaluated in view of their consequences on the aggrieved
employee, the union and the management. Finally, a decision is
taken which is best suited to the given situation in the
organisation. Such decision should serve as a precedent both
within the department and the organisation.

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7. Implementing the Decision:
The decision, whatsoever taken, must be immediately
communicated to the employee and also implemented by the
competent authority. The decision, thus, implemented should also
be reviewed to know whether the grievance has been
satisfactorily resolved or not.

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 Employee welfare
Employee welfare means anything done for the comfort and
(intellectual or social) improvement of the employees, over
and above the wages paid.
In simple words, it means “the efforts to make life worth
living for workmen.” It includes various services, facilities
and amenities provided to employees for their betterment.
These facilities may be provided voluntarily by progressive
entrepreneurs, or statutory provisions may compel them to
provide these amenities; or these may be undertaken by the
government or trade unions, if they have the required funds.

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Employee welfare
Employee welfare should be understood as
such service, facilities and amenities which
may be established in or in the vicinity of
undertakings to enable the persons
employed in them to perform their work in
healthy and peaceful surroundings and to
avail of facilities which improve their health
and bring high morale

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 Basic features of employee welfare
i) Labour welfare includes various facilities, services and
amenities provided to workers for improving their health,
efficiency, economic betterment and social status.
(ii) Welfare measures are in addition to regular wages and
other economic benefits available to workers due to legal
provisions and collective bargaining.
(iii) Labour welfare measures are flexible and ever-changing.
New welfare measures are added to the existing ones from
time to time.
(iv) Welfare measures may be introduced by the employers,
government, employees or by any social or charitable
agency.

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 Objectives of employee Welfare
(i) To enhance the level of morale of employees.
(ii) To create a loyal, contented workforce in organization.
(iii) To develop a better image of the company in the minds
of the employees.
(iv) To enable the workers to live comfortably and happily.
(v) To develop efficiency of the workers.
vi) To reduce influence of trade unions over the workers.
(vii) To expose philanthropic and benevolent activities of the
company.
(viii) To make the workers know that the company takes care
of them.

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 Employee Health and Safety

Employee Health is the state of well-being. It not only

includes physical well-being, but also mental and
emotional well-being.
It is the responsibility of every employer to provide
healthy work environment to his employees. If he is
careful about their health, cost of disability payments,
replace­ment of employees who are injured or killed
could be avoided.
Through employee safety and health programs the
company can enhance the emotional and physical well-
being of the employees
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 Industrial health is needed
to:
(a) Improve productivity of employees and the quality of
their work. Healthy employees are more productive and
give quality perfor­mance.
(b) Protect workers against any health hazard arising out
of work conditions.
(c) Preserve physical and mental health of all
employees.
d) Reduce absenteeism, turnover, injuries and accidents.
(e) To improve the confidence of employees in their
work environ­ment. Industrial health improves the
morale of employees.
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 Employee Health and Safety
– Need and Benefits
(a) Controls number of accidents.
(b) Minimizes personal injuries.
(c) Checks the loss of life.
(d) Prevents production loss.
(e) Minimizes damages to property.
(f) Minimizes wage losses to workers.
(g) Ensures proper utilization of resources for
production.
(h) Maintains morale of the workers.
(i) Saves costs.
(j) Fulfils legal requirements.
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 Social security
Social security means the efforts related to
protect and support the sufferers against
the impacts of different types of unwanted
activities due to that the life of persons is
under risk. These are called social risks and
include retirement, sickness, disability, old
age, survivor, death of earning members,
maternity, unemployment, etc. .

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Characteristics of Social Security Program
(1) Social Security Schemes are providing social assistance and
social insurance to employees who have to face challenges of
life without regular earning due to some contingencies in their
life.
(2) These Schemes are implemented by enactments of law of
the country.
(3) They generally are relief providers to employees who are
exposed to the risks of economic and social security.
4) These Schemes have a broad perspective. They not only
provide immediate relief to the employees who have suffered
on account of contingencies, but also provide psychological
security to others who may face the same problems in times
to come. GNA Business School /James
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Characteristics of Social Security Program
(a) Social Security is the main instrument of bringing about
social and economic justice and equality in the society.
(b) Social Security is aimed at protecting employees in the
event of contingencies. This support makes the employees feel
psychologi­cally secured. This enhances their ability to work.
(c) Money spent on social security is the best investment
which yields good harvest.
(d) In a welfare state, social security is an important part of
public policy. In countries where social security is not given
adequate consideration in public policy, the government
remains unsuc­cessful in maintaining equality and justice.

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Employee Discipline
Discipline is the regulation and modulation of human
activities to produce a controlled performance. The
real purpose of discipline is quite simple. It is to
encourage employees to confirm to established
standards of job performance and to behave sensibly
and safely at work. Discipline is essential to all
organized group action.

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Employee Discipline
Discipline is employee learning that promotes self-
control, dedication, and orderly conduct. In relation to
employees ,discipline is generally used in a restricted
sense to mean punishment. Consequently, the written
procedures used to punish employees for job
deficiencies are called disciplinary procedures.

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Employee Discipline
From the above definitions, you can find the following elements:
1 The objective is orderly behaviour .
2 Orderly behaviour is a group desire.
3 Orderly behaviour assists the attainment of organisational
goals.
4 When members behave appropriately as per rules, there is
no need for disciplinary action.
5 Punishment serves two purposes: first, to directly punish an
individual for an offence and secondly, to set an example for
others not to violate the rules and regulations.

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Employee Disciplinary PROCEDURE
Step 1 Get an initial understanding
Step 2 Investigate thoroughly
Step 3 Invite the employee to a disciplinary
meeting
Step 4 Conduct the disciplinary meeting
Step 5 Decide on action to take
Step 6 Confirm the outcome in writing
Step 7 Right to appeal

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