Find out the definition of employee grievances, examples and formula for solving it.
The workplace may not always be rosy, and employees may have complaints, problems, and concerns that they may want to raise with their employer. These are called grievances. The employees may feel there is an injustice and they may be dissatisfied and discontent at work. These may arise if employees feel that their rights have been violated.
Unresolved grievances tend to reduce employees’ efficiency, productivity, and lower morale as well as make employees lose interest in their work and feel frustrated. That is why grievances should be addressed the soonest to prevent the negative impact that they have on employees and productivity.
Example causes of grievances
Some of the causes of grievances include:
- Misapplication, violation or misinterpretation of the company policy and procedure or to the collectively bargained agreement.
- Violation of health and safety regulations such as having unsafe working conditions.
- Violation of contract terms.
- Violation of laws related to work.
- Harassment
- Discrimination
Formula for dealing with grievances
Every employer should ensure that a grievance procedure is in place to make it easy to solve such issues if they arise. The procedure shows how the grievance may be resolved, which is common in collective bargaining agreements, where the procedures on how to file and resolve grievances are stipulated.
The procedure keeps the work environment friendly since it provides a medium under which employees can express their dissatisfaction and discontentment thereby creating a good work environment.
The formula for resolving grievances is:
Act fast. Any grievance should be identified and resolved fast considering the negative impact it can have on employees. The management should have the necessary skills to identify and deal with it. This will reduce the harmful effects that it can have on employees and their performance.
Acknowledge its existence. Admitting that the grievance exists is the first step to resolving it. This shows that the management is committed to addressing the grievance without showing bias and impartiality. This helps to set a work environment that is conducive and tends to reduce grievances.
Obtain facts. The management should collect enough facts to explain the nature of grievances. These should be kept in record for later use when a solution is being sought.
Find out the cause. Knowing what caused the grievance can help to find remedies to prevent other occurrences.
Decision making. The management should evaluate various ways of managing the grievance. Each option should be analyzed and the appropriate decision taken.
Implementation. The decision made should be implemented by the manager. This should be accompanied by the follow-up to make sure that the grievance has been completely and adequately resolved.