Employee grievance

handling
Contents
• Introduction
• Forms of grievances
• Types of grievances
Introduction
Employee grievance handling is a crucial aspect of
human resource management in organizations. It refers
to the process of addressing and resolving concerns,
complaints, or dissatisfaction raised by employees
about their work, working conditions, colleagues,
superiors, or any other aspects related to their
employment. Effective grievance handling is essential
for maintaining a positive work environment,
enhancing employee morale, and preventing potential
conflicts or legal issues
Forms of Grievances
Forms of Employee Grievances

• Individual Grievances: These are complaints raised by individual

employees regarding their own concerns, such as discrimination,
harassment, unfair treatment, or disputes with coworkers or
supervisors.
• Collective Grievances: Collective grievances are concerns or
complaints raised by a group of employees, often related to labor
issues, working conditions, wages, benefits, or company policies
affecting a specific group.
• Policy Grievances: Policy grievances revolve around disputes or
concerns regarding company policies, procedures, or their
interpretation. These grievances may affect multiple employees or
the entire workforce.
Forms of Employee Grievances

• Interpersonal Grievances: These grievances arise from

conflicts or issues between employees, such as personality
clashes, disputes, or misunderstandings that negatively impact
the work environment.
• Systemic Grievances: Systemic grievances are broader
concerns that affect the entire organization and may involve
issues like a toxic work culture, systemic discrimination, or unfair
employment practices.
Types of Employee Grievances

• Individual Grievances: These are concerns raised by individual

employees about issues that affect them personally. These may
include complaints about salary, benefits, workload, job
assignments, performance evaluations, harassment,
discrimination, or workplace safety.
• Collective Grievances: Collective grievances are concerns raised
by a group of employees or by a labor union on behalf of its
members. These grievances often pertain to broader issues such
as wages, working conditions, organizational policies, or disputes
over the interpretation of labor contracts.
• Interpersonal Grievances: Interpersonal grievances involve
conflicts or disputes between employees, including conflicts with
colleagues, supervisors, or subordinates. These grievances may
relate to personality clashes, communication breakdowns, or
Types of Employee Grievances

• Policy Grievances: Policy grievances arise when employees believe

that an organization's policies, rules, or procedures are unfair, unjust,
or inadequately applied. These can encompass issues like
inconsistent enforcement of policies, favoritism, or violations of
employment contracts.
• Discrimination and Harassment Grievances: These grievances
involve complaints about unfair treatment, discrimination, or
harassment based on factors such as race, gender, age, religion,
sexual orientation, or disability. Organizations must take such
grievances seriously to ensure a respectful and inclusive workplace.
• Health and Safety Grievances: Employees may raise concerns
about unsafe working conditions, inadequate safety measures, or
health-related issues. These grievances are critical to address
promptly to protect employees' well-being.
Types of Employee Grievances

• Organizational Change Grievances: When an organization

undergoes major changes, such as restructuring, downsizing, or
mergers, employees may have grievances related to job security,
role changes, or the impact on their work-life balance.
• Pay and Benefits Grievances: Issues related to compensation,
bonuses, benefits, or related matters can lead to grievances.
Employees may raise concerns about wage disparities, pay
discrepancies, or changes in benefit packages.
• Workload and Work-Life Balance Grievances: Employees may
complain about excessive workloads, unrealistic expectations, or
insufficient work-life balance. These grievances can impact
employee well-being and productivity.
By:- Arpan Gupta
Empathy and Active Listening
Essential Qualities for Handling Grievances
• Handling grievances effectively requires a range of skills and
qualities. One of the most important is empathy, which
involves putting yourself in the shoes of the person making
the complaint. This helps you to understand their perspective,
and to respond in a way that is sensitive and respectful.
• Active listening is also key. This means giving the person your
full attention, and demonstrating that you are hearing and
understanding what they are saying. It involves asking
questions, clarifying points, and reflecting back what you have
heard to ensure that you have got it right.
Impartiality and Fairness
One of the most important qualities for handling grievances effectively is impartiality
and fairness. HR professionals must be able to remain neutral and objective when
dealing with employee complaints,regardless of their personal opinions or relationships
with the parties involved.

• Avoiding Bias
To maintain impartiality, HR professionals must be aware of their
own biases and take steps to avoid letting them influence their
decisions. This may involve seeking input from others, reviewing all
available evidence, and considering the perspectives of all parties
involved.
• Consistency and Transparency
In addition to being impartial, HR professionals must also be fair in
their handling of grievances. This means treating all employees
equally and consistently, and being transparent about the process
and outcome of any investigations or disciplinary actions.
• Effective Communication
HR professionals must have strong communication skills to
effectively handle grievances. They should be able to clearly
and concisely explain company policies and legal requirements
to employees. They should also be able to listen actively and
empathetically to employees' concerns and questions.
• Written Communication
HR professionals should also have strong written communication
skills. They should be able to write clear and concise emails,
memos, and reports. They should also be able to document
grievances and investigations accurately and objectively.
• Identifying the Root Cause of Conflict
Effective conflict resolution begins with identifying the root cause of
the problem. HR professionals must be able to listen carefully to both
parties involved and ask the right questions to get to the heart of the
matter. They must also be able to remain impartial and not take sides,
even if they have a personal relationship with one or both parties.
• Collaborative Problem-Solving
HR professionals must be skilled in collaborative problem-solving
techniques to help the parties involved reach a mutually beneficial
solution. This involves brainstorming ideas, evaluating options, and
negotiating a compromise that works for everyone. It's important that
the HR professional remains objective throughout the process and
helps the parties focus on the issues at hand rather than personal
feelings or emotions.
• Effective Communication
HR professionals must have strong communication skills to
effectively manage conflict. This includes being able to clearly
articulate the issues at hand, actively listen to both parties, and
provide constructive feedback. They must also be able to remain
calm and composed in high-stress situations and de-escalate
tensions when necessary.

An HR professional handling grievances must have a thorough

understanding of company policies and legal requirements. This
includes knowledge of federal and state employment laws, as well
as company-specific policies and procedures.
• Legal Compliance
HR professionals must ensure that all grievances are handled in
compliance with applicable laws and regulations. This includes
ensuring that employees are not subjected to discrimination or
retaliation for filing a grievance, and that all investigations are
conducted in a fair and impartial manner.

• Company Policies and Procedures

HR professionals must also have a strong understanding of
company policies and procedures, including the grievance
process. They should be able to explain these policies to
employees, and ensure that all grievances are handled in
accordance with established procedures.
Case study on Employee
grievance handling (HR)
By :- Arpan Gupta
Case Study – Car Hire
• Grievance Management

The Client
• One of the largest privately owned companies in the
North West.
• They offer extensive fleets of cars, vans, trucks and
minibuses for personal and business, short and long term
hire.

The Brief
• The client was referred to us partway through a
complicated employee bullying and harassment grievance
The Solution
• Solutions for HR assessed the actions to date and
determined that there had been an insufficient
investigation into the complaints about the Company to
draw a fair and reasonable conclusion.

• It was also clear that best practice procedures had not

been followed as the client had delivered a decision
without a thorough and documented investigation and
formal grievance hearing.

• Solutions for HR advised the client to take a step back and

complete a thorough investigation into the allegations in
anticipation of the employee’s inevitable grievance
• Solutions for HR handled the grievance investigations to
ensure confidentiality, sensitivity and to eliminate any bias.

• On receipt of the employee grievance appeal, we facilitated

an appeal hearing and worked with the client to determine
an appropriate decision.

• We went on to work with the employer to deliver the

outcome and to develop an employee relations strategy for
the future.
• The Result
• Solutions for HR’s involvement in the secondary part of
the proceedings ensured that the final decision upon
appeal was determined fairly, considering a substantial
number of third party witness statements and a great deal
of other business information.

• Our role also ensured objectivity and confidentiality, which

is paramount in sensitive situations such as this and we
were able to mediate between the parties to resolve the
situation productively.