MEANING OF GRIEVANCE: International Labor Organization (ILO): A compliant of one or more workers with respect to wages and allowances,

condi tions of work and interpretation of service stipulation, covering such areas as overtime, leave, transfer, promotions, seniority, job assignment and termination of service National Commission of Labor: Complaints affecting one or more individual workers in respect of their wage payments, overtime, leave, transfer, promotion, seniority, work assignment and d ischarge would constitute grievance Nature of Grievance Grievances are symptoms of conflicts in the enterprise. Just like smoke could me an fire, similarly grievances could lead to serious problem if it is not address ed immediately! So they should be handled very promptly and efficiently. While dealing with grievances of subordinates, it is necessary to keep in mind t he following points: A grievance may or may not be real. Grievance may arise out of not one cause but multifarious causes. Every individual does not give expression to his grievances. Why Grievance Arise?

CAUSE OF GRIEVANCES Grievances usually arise when employees fail to get satisfaction fro m the job. These may be small complaints but may grow into bigger issues if they are neglected or ignored. Some grievances arise from real and legitimate causes while others may be imaginary or trivial. Siston (2006:34) mentions the followi ng as causes of grievances: (i) Application and interpretation of the collective agreemen t. (ii) Absence of clear-cut company policy (iii) Poor supervisory abilities. (iv) Poor channels of communication. (v) Personal problems (vi) Union inspired grievances (vii) Improper selection and replacements. (viii) Lack of training Trade Union officials. (ix) Discrimination and favoritisms (x) A test of union struggle against management

Forms of Grievances: A grievance may take any of the following forms: Factual: When an employee is dissatisfied with his job, for genuine or factual r easons like a breach of terms of employment or any other reasons that are clearl y attributed to the management, he is said to have a factual grievance. Thus, fa ctual grievances arise when the legitimate needs are unfulfilled. The problem th at he has is real and not virtual Imaginary: When an employees grievance or dissatisfaction is not because of any f actual or valid reason but because of wrong perception, wrong attitude or wrong information he has. Such a grievance is called an imaginary grievance. Though it is not the fault of management, the responsibility of dealing with it still res ts with the management. So the problem is not real. It is in the mind or just a feeling towards someone or something. So be careful your grievances could be ver y much imaginary! Disguised: An employee may have dissatisfaction for reasons that are unknown to himself. This may be because of pressures and frustrations that an employee is f eeling from other sources like his personal life. I am sure you will agree that if you have fought at home and come to the institute, you cannot concentrate in the class. Similarly if you have had a bad day in the institute, that will refle ct in the mood at home. We are all humans and are sensitive to the environment t hat we operate in!

Identifying Grievances Exit interview: Employees usually quit organizations due to dissatisfaction or b etter prospects elsewhere. Exit interviews, if conducted carefully, can provide important information about employees grievances. This can help the management to gather feedback and to genuinely incorporate feedback. The management should ca refully act upon the information drawn from such employees .It should be careful that the discontentment is reduced so that no more employees quit the organizat ion because of similar reasons. Gripe Boxes: These are boxes in which the employees can drop their anonymous com plaints. They are different from the suggestion boxes in which employees drop th eir named suggestion with an intention to receive rewards It is normally said th at if you want to progress in life, you should be close to critics. These gripe boxes can perform the role of critics for the organization. The management shoul d carefully act upon the information thus gathered. Now I dont want to sound repe titive by saying that the internal customers of an organization should be satisf ied if the external customers are to be kept happy. Opinion Survey: The management can be proactive by conducting group meetings, pe riodical interviews with employees, collective bargaining sessions etc. through which one can get information about employees dissatisfaction before it turns int o a grievance. Open-door Policy. Some organization extends a general invitation to their employ ees to informally drop in the managers room any time and talk over their grievanc es. This can be very effective because it ca n nip the evil in the bud. That is it can take care of the problem before it gets out of hand. In fact the manageme nt should hold formal and informal get together with the employees. The manageme nt should also remember that the employees might just need a patient hearing at

times. They need blow off the steam as we hear it more commonly.

Grievances Classification (1) Grievances resulting from working conditions Improper matching of the worker with the job. Changes in schedules or procedures. Non-availability of proper tools, machines and equipment for doing the job. Unreasonably high production standards. Poor working conditions. Bad employer employee relationship, etc. (2) Grievances resulting from management policy Wage payment and job rates. Leave. Overtime. Seniority and Promotional. Transfer. Disciplinary action. Lack of employee development plan. Lack of role clarity. (3) Grievances resulting from personal maladjustment Over ambition. Excessive self-esteem or what we better know as ego. Impractical attitude to life etc. Effects of Grievances: Frustration Alienation De-motivation Slackness Low Productivity Increase in Wastage & Costs Absenteeism In discipline Labor unrest