Discipline and
grievance procedures
By
DSK
contents
Definition
Disciplinary procedure
Grievance handling procedure
Meaning and types of grievance
12/17/2009 OB by DSK 3
Grievance
‘Any discontent or dissatisfaction, whether
expressed or not, whether expressed or not,
whether valid or not, arising out of anything
connected with the company which an employee
thinks, believes or even feels to be unfair, unjust or
in equitable’
Forms of grievances
Factual
Imaginary
Disguised
Employee Grievances
causes
Economic
Work environment
Supervision
Work group
miscellaneous
effects
On production
Low quality of production
Low quantity of production and productivity
Increase in the wastage of material, spoilage/breakage of
machinery
Increase in the cost of production per unit
On the employees
Increase the rate of absenteeism and turnover
Reduces the level of commitment, sincerity and punctuality
Increase the incident of accidents
Reduces the level of employee morale
Contd..
On the managers
Strains the superior-subordinate relations
Increases the degree of supervision, control and follow
up
Increases in discipline cases
Increase in unrest and thereby machinery to maintain
industrial peace.
Model grievance procedure
Appeal
Grievance against
Worker Foreman Supervisor HOD Manager
committee within a
week
Grievance Management in Indian
Industry
There are three legislations dealing with grievances of
employees working in industries.
The industrial Employment (standing orders) Act,
1946, requires that every establishment employing
100 or more workers should frame standing orders.
The Factories Act 1948, provides for the appointment
of the welfare officer in every factory ordinarily
employing 500 or more workers.
Industrial disputes relating to discharge, dismissal or
retrenchment can be taken up for relief under the
Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, amended in 1965.
Contd..
In India, a model grievance procedure was
adopted by the Indian Labor Conference in its 16 th
session held in 1958.
At present, Indian Industries are adopting either
the model grievance procedure or procedures
formulated by themselves with modifications in the
Model Grievance Procedure.
In other words, the grievance procedures are
mostly voluntary in nature.
Guidelines for Handling
Grievances
Treat each case as important and get the grievance in writing
Talk to the employee directly. Encourage him to speak the
truth. Give him a patient hearing.
Discuss in a private place
Handle each case within a time frame
Examine company procedures in each case
Get all related facts
Gather information
Control your emotions
Maintain proper records
Be proactive
Discipline
Discipline means orderly and systematic behavior.
Organizations in order to achieve operational
efficiency frame certain codes of behavior,
contracts and statues, norms for their employees
to ensure productivity and organizational efficiency
Discipline Management Process
Misconduct Observation Establishing Positive
Follow
Identification Communicatio
by an and early
intervention
of problem
clear
expectations
n & feedback
reinforcement &
encouragement
up and
employee
support
Disciplinary Systems
There are many systems available for disciplining
employees.
Disciplines are typically classified as positive and
negative disciplines
when an individual spontaneously abides with the
organizational norms, it is known as positive or
constructive discipline.
It is achieved through education, development and
training on an on-going basis.
Negative discipline
But, when an employee is compelled to behave in
a desired way under threat or fear of punishment, it
is termed as negative or punitive discipline.
Negative discipline is enforced by punishment
Progressive discipline
Another system called progressive discipline is
very popular in the organizational context.
It requires the employee to constantly progress
through each step before proceeding to the next.
This is very limiting
Frequently the facts and circumstances warrant a
different type of discipline.
Corrective discipline
A better system provides managers and
supervisors with flexibility and can be referred to
as a “corrective discipline” system.
Corrective discipline is ideally suited to solve
continual performance problems, rather than
isolated ones.
Such a system allows the manager or supervisor
to select the type of discipline based upon the facts
and circumstances of the particular situation.
Contd..
However, this flexibility does not relieve the
manager or supervisor of the responsibility to
ensure that similarly situated employees are
treated similarly.
It is then the responsibility of the human resources
department to review discipline for consistency.
Contd..
There are four general types of disciplinary actions
available when employees fail to meet expected
levels of performance or conduct.
Verbal counseling
Written warning
Suspension
Termination
Verbal counseling
It is about verbally telling a person to behave in a
certain manner.
Specific verbal counseling sessions might be
organized for the employees to sort out discipline
related problems
Written warning
About not to repeat the similar behavior in future.
Written warning should include the following
The date of warning
The employee’s name
The name of the supervisor/manager issuing the warning
The statement depicting the details of misconduct
The date of misconduct
The signature line of the manager/supervisor
The signature line of the employee
The signature line of the witness, if the employee refuse to sign
A formal action plan depending upon the nature and severity of
the offense
suspension
This may range from one day to two weeks or
more, depending upon the circumstances, and is
almost always unpaid.
If the same behavior is repeated in future, there
may be suspensions of larger duration as a rule
termination
Before terminating an employee, a manager
should review the personnel file and all relevant
documents in order to terminate if the termination
is appropriate – and defensible in a subsequent
lawsuit – given the facts and circumstances.
He should also ensure that similarly situated
employees have been treated similarly in the past.
Some behaviors warrants automatic dismissal.
Other forms of discipline
In addition to the steps outlined above, it is
worthwhile to explore other forms of discipline,
such as demotion, transfer, and reduced raises or
bonuses.
Many employees can be very satisfactorily
managed by economic concerns, such as bonuses
and raises.
Conclusion
Managers must use judgment, empathy,
consistency, and fairness when administering
employee discipline.
All disciplinary actions should be documented in a
factual, nonjudgmental way.
