Grievance

According to Michael Jucius, “ A grievance can be any discontent or

dissatisfaction, whether expressed or not, whether valid or not, and
arising out of anything connected with the company that an
employee thinks, believes, or even feels as unfair, unjust, or
inequitable.”
A grievance means any discontentment or dissatisfaction in an
employee arising out of anything related to the enterprise where he is
working. It may not be expressed and even may not be valid.
It arises when an employee feels that something has happened or is
going to happen which is unfair, unjust or inequitable. Thus, a
grievance represents a situation in which an employee feels that
something unfavorable to him has happened or is going to happen.
In an industrial enterprise, an employee may have grievance because
of long hours of work, non-fulfillment of terms of service by the
management, unfair treatment in promotion, poor working facilities,
etc.
Nature of Grievance
Grievances are symptoms of conflicts in the enterprise. Just like
smoke could mean fire, similarly grievances could lead to serious
problem if it is not addressed immediately! So they should be
handled very promptly and efficiently.
While dealing with grievances of subordinates, it is necessary to
keep in mind the following points:

 A grievance may or may not be real.

 Grievance may arise out of not one cause but multifarious

causes.

 Every individual does not give expression to his grievances.

 Forms of Grievances
A grievance may take any of the following forms:
 Factual: When an employee is dissatisfied with his job, for genuine or factual reasons
like a breach of terms of employment or any other reasons that are clearly attributed
to the management, he is said to have a factual grievance. Thus, factual grievances
arise when the legitimate needs are unfulfilled. The problem that he has is real and
not virtual
 Imaginary: When an employee’s grievance or dissatisfaction is not because of any
factual or valid reason but because of wrong perception, wrong attitude or wrong
information he has. Such a grievance is called an imaginary grievance. Though it is
not the fault of management, the responsibility of dealing with it still rests with the
management. So the problem is not real. It is in the mind or just a feeling towards
someone or something.
 Disguised: An employee may have dissatisfaction for reasons that are unknown to
himself. This may be because of pressures and frustrations that an employee is
feeling from other sources like his personal life. I am sure you will agree that if you
have fought at home and come to the institute, you cannot concentrate in the class.
Similarly if you have had a bad day in the institute, that will reflect in the mood at
home. We are all humans and are sensitive to the environment that we operate in!
 Identifying Grievances
 Exit interview: Employees usually quit organizations due to dissatisfaction or better
prospects elsewhere. Exit interviews, if conducted carefully, can provide important
information about employees’ grievances. This can help the management to gather
feedback and to genuinely incorporate feedback. The management should carefully act
upon the information drawn from such employees .It should be careful that the
discontentment is reduced so that no more employees quit the organization because of
similar reasons.
 Gripe Boxes: These are boxes in which the employees can drop their anonymous
complaints. They are different from the suggestion boxes in which employees drop their
named suggestion with an intention to receive rewards It is normally said that if you want
to progress in life, you should be close to critics. These gripe boxes can perform the role
of critics for the organisation. The management should carefully act upon the information
thus gathered. the internal customers of an organisation should be satisfied if the external
customers are to be kept happy.
 Opinion Survey: The management can be proactive by conducting group meetings,
periodical interviews with employees, collective bargaining sessions etc. through which
one can get information about employees’ dissatisfaction before it turns into a grievance.
 Open-door Policy. Some organisation extend a general invitation to their employees to
informally drop in the manager’s room any time and talk over their grievances. This can be
very effective because it ca n nip the evil in the bud. That is it can take care of the problem
before it gets out of hand. In fact the management should hold formal and informal get
together with the employees. The management should also remember that the
employees might just need a patient hearing at times. They need blow off the steam as
we hear it more commonly.
Grievances Classification
(1) Grievances resulting from working conditions
 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.
 Unreasonably high production standards.
 Poor working conditions.
 Bad employer – employee relationship, etc.
(2) Grievances resulting from management policy
 Wage payment and job rates.
 Leave.
 Overtime.
 Seniority and Promotional.
 Transfer.
 Disciplinary action.
 Lack of employee development plan.
 Lack of role clarity.
Grievances Classification
 (3) Grievances resulting from personal
maladjustment

 (i) Over – ambition.

 (ii) Excessive self-esteem or what we better know as ego.

 (iii) Impractical attitude to life etc.

Effects of Grievances:
 Frustration

 Alienation or unfriendliness

 De-motivation

 Slackness

 Low Productivity

 Increase in Wastage & Costs

 Absenteeism

 In discipline

 Labour unrest
 Establishing a Grievance Procedure
 A grievance should be dealt with in the first instance at the lowest level: that is, an
employee should raise his grievance with his immediate superior. It may be simple to
settle it on the spot and that will be the end of it. Even if it cannot be settled at that
level, the man’s superior will know what is happening. This is necessary not only to
maintain his authority, but also to prevent him from being aggrieved, as he will certainly
be, if he is by-passed and hears of the complaint from his own superior.
 It must be made clear to the employee what line of appeal is available. If he cannot get
satisfaction from his immediate superior, he should know the next higher authority to
which he can go.
 Since delay causes frustration and tempers may rise and rumors spread around the
work, it is essential that grievances should be dealt with speedily. As it is said that a
stitch in time saves nine, similarly the problems of the employees should be taken care
of by the management least it should become a major for the management.
 The grievance procedure should be set up with the participation of the employees and
it should be applicable to all in the organisation. The policies and rules regarding
grievances should be laid down after taking inputs from the employees and it should
be uniformly applicable to all in the organisation. It should be agreed that there would
be no recourse to the official machinery of conciliation unless the procedure has been
carried out and there is still dissatisfaction, and moreover, there must be no direct
action on either side, which might prejudice the case or raise tempers while the
grievance is being investigated.