Introduction to Human Resource Management

Chapter 14 : Grievance Handling

Concept of Grievance, Causes of Grievance, Need for a Grievance Redressal Procedure, Effective Grievance Redressal, Steps in a Grievance Redressal Procedure, Grievance Redressal Procedure in Unionized Organizations, Legislative Aspects of the Grievance Redressal Procedure in India, Conflict Resolution

Chapter Summary

A grievance is a sign of an employee’s discontentment with his job or his relationship with his colleagues. Grievances generally arise out of the day-to-day working relations in an organization. An employee or a trade union protests against an act or policy of the management that they consider as violating employee’s rights.

One of the effective ways of minimizing and eliminating the source of an employee’s grievance is by having an ‘open door policy’. An ‘open door policy’ facilitates upward communication in the organization where employees can walk into a superiors’ cabin at any time and express their grievances. The National Commission on Labor suggested a Model Grievance Procedure, which lays down the sequence of steps to be taken whenever a grievance is expressed.

Conflict occurs when two or more people or parties perceive an incompatibility in their goals or expectations. There are seven methods for achieving reconciliation of conflict. These methods are win-lose, withdrawal and retreat from argument, smoothing and playing down the difference, arbitration, mediation, compromise and problem solving. Of all these methods ‘problem-solving’ method is most likely to bring about a win-win situation.

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