In their working life, employees do get dissatisfied with various aspects of working may be with the attitude of the manager, policy of the company, working conditions, or behaviour of colleagues. Employers try to ignore or suppress grievances. But they cannot be suppressed for long. Grievance acts as rust which corrodes the very fabric of organisation. An aggrieved employee is a potent source of indiscipline and bad-working.
What is a Grievance?
A grievance refers to a formal complaint based on feelings of dissatisfaction or perceptions of unfair treatment pertaining to an employee’s work or workplace; for example, when a company policy or code of ethics on anti-discrimination has been violated. This is different from a general complaint, which covers a wider range of topics, such as the cleanliness of the pantry area or a lack of employee support schemes.
The root of a grievance may be real or imaginary. For instance, grievances based on real or actual occurrence and events may include receiving inaccurate information and data, or unhappiness over a wage cut. The root of a grievance may also be imaginary, for example, a supervisor may feel the need to closely monitor an employee with poor work performance. However, if the supervisor fails to communicate his intention, the employee may interpret the supervisor’s behaviour as being intrusive and overbearing. On the other hand, other colleagues may believe that the supervisor is exercising favoritism and being unfair. Such grievances are based on false perceptions and assumptions.
The ILO defines a grievance as a complaint of one or more workers with respect to wages and allowances, conditions of work and interpretation of service conditions covering such area as overtime, leave, transfer, promotion, seniority, job assignment and termination of service.
Types of Grievances
In the workplace, there can be General Grievances and Individual Grievances:
- Group or General Grievance affects a group of employees. Possible examples include a wage cut or a retrenchment exercise that could involve several employees or the entire workforce.
- Individual Grievance affects one employee and requires a one-to-one approach. Possible examples of Individual Grievances include an employee who feels discriminated against in a promotion exercise or a case of sexual harassment.
