GRIEVANCES
Grievances is a feeling of discontenment or distatisfaction among workers regarding anything concerned with the company. Grievance may be felt by any party (employer and employee) against the other party.
Definition:-
According to Richard P. Calhoon, “ a grievance is anything that an employee thinks or feels is wrong, generally accompanied by an activity disturbing feeling.” According to Dale.S.Beach,” Grievance is any dissatisfaction or feeling of injustice in connection.
Sources of Grievances:-
The causes of grievances may be grouped under three heads-
(1) Grievances resulting from Managerial Polices:-
a) Wage rates or scale of Pay.
b) Overtime
c) Leave
d) Transfer- improper matching of worker with the job
e) Seniority, Promotion and discharges.
f) Lack of career planning and employee development plan
g) Lack of role clarity.
h) Lack of regards for collective agreement.
i) Hostility towards a labour union.
j) Autocratic leadership style of supervisors.
(ii) Grievances resulting from Working conditions:-
(a) Unrealistic.
(b) Non-availability of proper tools, machines and equipments for doing the job.
(c) Tight Production standards.
(d) Bad working conditions.
(e) Poor relationship with the supervisor.
(f) Negative approach to discipline.
(iii) Grievances resulting from Personal factors.
(a) Narrow attitude
(b) Over-ambition
(c) Egoistic personality
(d) Non Cooperative fellow workers
(e) Personal Problems outside factory.
Handling of Grievances:-
Grievances are symptoms of conflicts in enterprise. So they should be handled very promptly and efficiently. Coping with grievances forms an important part of manager’s job. The manner in which he deals with grievances determines his efficiency in dealing with subordinates. A manager is successful if he is able to build a team of satisfied workers by removing their grievances. While dealing with grievances of subordinates, it is necessary to keep in mind the following points:
(1) A grievances may or may not be real.
(2) Grievances may arise out of not one cause but multifarious causes.
(3) Every individual does not give expression to his grievances.
For the purpose of handling grievances efficiently, it is necessary to find & analyse the grievances of the subordinates. If a grievances is found to be real or genuine, the corrective action should be taken immediately. But if grievances arises due to imagination or distributed frame of mind of workers, then it is necessary to explain & clear up the matter. Before dealing with the grievances, their causes. He may realise the existence of grievances because of high labour turnover, high rate of absentecism & poor quality of work.
While dealing with grievances, a manager cannot depend upon any readymade Solutions. Every case has to be dealt with on its merits. The following guidelines may be followed to deal effectively with the grievances:-
(1) The complainant should be given a patient hearing. He should be allowed to express himself completely.
(2) Attempts should be made to get at the root of the problem.
(3) The management must show its anxiety to remove the grievances of the workers.
(4) If the grievances are real & their causes are known, attempts should be made to remove the causes.
(5) If grievances are imaginery, attempts should be made to cousel the workers.
Grievance Procedure:-
These include:-
(i) Open door policy.
(ii) Step-ladder procedure.
(I) Open Door Policy:-
under this procedure, the employees are free to meet the top executive of the organisation & get their grievances redressed. Such a policy may work well in small organisation and may not be suitable for big organisation because top executives will be too busy in other matters Moreover, top management is not too familiar with working conditions of operative employees. It may be difficult for it to attend to employee grievances because of lack of sufficient information. Lastly, it is also said that this policy is suitable for executives to walk through & not operative employees. The employees may even hesitate to go to top executives with their grievances.