It is unrealistic to expect that your employees will never have any complaints about their jobs or workplace conditions.
It is realistic, however, for your company to have policies and procedures in place to handle employee grievances in a timely and professional manner, which can go a long way to bolstering your employee retention and workplace culture.
“Employee complaints are inevitable even in the most work-friendly companies,” says the Edward Lowe Foundation. “Some complaints are quickly and easily resolved, while others take more time, energy and patience.”
What exactly is an employee grievance vs. a complaint?
Indeed.com defines a grievance as “a formal employee complaint that is filed when an employee or group of employees is negatively affected by violations of workplace policies or contract terms.”
Grievances, according to Indeed, can relate to any of the following aspects:
Examples of specific grievances could be:
While a complaint is typically delivered informally and verbally, a grievance can be seen as an escalation of a complaint that is delivered formally, usually in writing.
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) says it is good business practice for employers to state all their policies and procedures in an employee handbook.
“Every aspect of the employment relationship should be addressed,” says the TWC.
Your employee handbook should spell out employer expectations, such as attendance, job requirements, drug policy, etc. as well as employee expectations, such as compensation, benefits, equal employment opportunity, right to privacy, and grievance procedures.
How you handle employee grievances can affect your company’s bottom line.
“A prompt response that leads to quick resolution of a complaint or grievance will boost employee morale and productivity and can forestall costly legal action,” says the Edward Lowe Foundation.
What happens if employee grievances are not addressed?
“If not resolved on time, it can lower employee morale, create inefficiency, and increase absenteeism. In short, your ability to handle grievances of employees can directly impact overall productivity at work,” says Vantage Circle.
Vantage Circle says that HR should be equipped to understand and handle employee grievances, which can run from minor issues to major problems, all of which need to be taken seriously.
“Employee grievance can be defined as the discontentment caused by the gap between what your employees expect and what they fail to get. It may or may not be justified but needs to be tackled very carefully,” says Vantage Circle.
Vantage Circle says some of the leading causes of employee grievances are:
o Promotion
o Demotion
o Transfer
o Discharge
o Leaves
o Overtime
It is important for your employee grievance plan to be in writing in your employee handbook.
Steps that you can use in an employee grievance plan:
We help companies deal with these issues every day. We have processes and frameworks already established. Connect with us if we can help you and your small business with any human resources related issue.