Discipline and Grievance

Management
 Discipline..??
• Discipli e is the orderly conduct of affairs by the
members of an organization, who adhere
harmoniously in forwarding towards the end which
the group has in view, and willingly recognize that

• Discipline in an industry may be defined as willing

cooperation and observance of the rules and
regulations of the organization by the management
and the workers.
 Purpose of Disciplinary Action
• To provide a fair, clear and useful tool for
correcting and improving performance
problems as well as to provide a process to
assist management in handling instances of
unacceptable personal conduct.
 Aspects of Discipline
1. Positive Aspect: Employees believe in and support
discipline and adhere to the rules and desired
standards of behavior.

2. Negative Aspects: Sometimes employees do not

believe in discipline and consider it as an unnecessary
approach.
 Principles of Industrial Discipline
• The Goals and objectives of industrial discipline should
be clearly stated, the goals must be clear and
unambiguous.

• Specific and clear rules and regulations should be laid

down in the consultation with the workers.

• The code of conduct or the rules and regulations should

be communicated to all in the organization and must be
understood, in the same term, by those who enforce the
rules and to those who have to obey them.
 Code of Discipline
In India, the problem of industrial discipline was debated by the
Indian Labor Conference held in 1957. A code of discipline
drafted by the sub-committee was duly rectified by the central
organization of workers and employers at the 16th session of the
Indian Labor Conference in March 1958. The code is based upon
following principles:

• There should be no strike or lockout without notice.

• No unilateral action should b taken in connection with any
industrial matter.
• No deliberate damage should be caused to a plant or property.
 Contents of the code of discipline
I Management and Union Agree:
i) no unilateral action should be taken in connection
with any industrial matter

ii) the existing machinery for the settlement of disputes

should be utilized with the utmost expedition

ii) they will educate the management personnel and the

workers regarding their obligations to each other.
 II Management Agrees:
i) not to increase work load unless agreed upon or settled
otherwise
ii) to take prompt action for:
a) settlement of grievances
b) implementation of settlements, awards, decisions and orders

iii) to display in conspicuous places in the understanding the

provisions of this code in the local language(s).

iv) to recognize the union in accordance with the criteria evolved

at the 16th sessions of the Indian Labor Conference held in march
1968.
 III Unions Agrees:
i) not to engage in any form of physical duress
ii) not to permit demonstrations which are not peaceful
and not to permit rowdyism in demonstration
iii) to express disapproval and to the union action
against office-bearers and members of the union for
indulging in action against the spirit of this code.
 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.

• 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) a grievance may or may not be real
b) grievance may arise out of not one cause but
multifarious causes.
c) every individual does not give expression to his
grievances.
 Forms of Grievances :
A grievance may take any of the following forms:

1. 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.

2. 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

3. 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.
 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 e ployees’ grievances.

• Gripe Boxes: These are boxes in which the employees can drop their
anonymous complaints. These gripe boxes can perform the role of critics
for the organisation. The management should carefully act upon the
information thus gathered.

• 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 e ployees’
dissatisfaction before it turns into a grievance.

• Open-door Policy: Some organisation extend a general invitation to their

employees to informally drop in the a ager’s room any time and talk
over their grievances.
 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.
(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: :
• Employee leads show:

De-
Frustration Motivation
Headache

Low
Poor attention Slackness
Productivity

Labour
Absenteeism Conflicts
Unrest
Step-ladder Grievance Procedure
 ESSENTIALS OF A GRIEVANCE
PROCEDURE :
A grievance procedure should incorporate the following features:
1. Conformity with existing legislation: The procedure should be designed in
conformity with the existing statutory provisions. Where practicable, the
procedure can make use of such machinery as the law might have already
provided for.

2. Acceptability: Everybody must accept the grievance procedure. In order to

be generally acceptable, it must ensure the following: A sense of fair-play and
justice to the worker, Reasonable exercise of authority to the manager, and
Adequate participation of the union.

3. Simplicity: The following points should be noted in this regard: The

procedure should be simple enough to be understood. The steps should be as
few as possible.