HR MANAGEMENT IN A NUTSHELL
GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL MECHANISM – 7 ATTRIBUTES
SEVEN ATTRIBUTES OF A GOOD GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL SYSTEM
By
VIKRAM KARVE
A good grievance
redressal mechanism is a sine qua non
of a well-designed and functional Human Resource (HR) Management System.
In order to be
successful, a grievance redressal system must possess five attributes:
1. SIMPLICITY
It must be a
procedurally simple mechanism which is easy to use by every employee across the
board.
It is best to
have a simple form or an online drop down menu where an employee can
effortlessly submit a grievance or complaint.
As one of my
bosses used to say: “Don’t ask people to pour their hearts out and write
long-winded sob-stories and essays – just give them a form to fill.”
Yes, a
well-designed form can encapsulate the problem more objectively and avoid
communications mismatches.
2. ACCESSIBILITY
All employees
must have easy access to the mechanism and it should be quick and simple to
lodge a grievance.
In earlier
days, before the IT Boom and prior to the advent of Internet, there used to be
cards or forms which could be filled up and put in easily accessible drop boxes
which were located all over the workplace, canteens and shop-floors.
Nowadays, it
can be an online system must be easily accessible 24/7 to all employees from
their workplace and their homes as well.
If an employee
has a grievance she (or he) must know where and how to submit it and the
procedure must be fast and easy.
3. EFFECTIVENESS
The grievance
redressal mechanism must be effective.
The system
must work (and be seen to work) and there must be proper monitoring, follow-up
and feedback to the employees and all concerned about the status and processing
of the complaint.
The grievance
redressal procedure must ensure that it is made unambiguously and clearly evident
to all employees that there is an honest and transparent effort to resolve all
grievances in a fair and just manner.
4. EFFICIENCY
The redressal
of grievances and resolution of complaints must be done promptly and speedily in
an efficient manner within stipulated time frames so that employees develop
faith in the system.
Remember –
justice delayed is justice denied.
5. RESPONSIVENESS
The grievance
redressal mechanism must be user-friendly and sensitive to the special needs of
the employees.
It must be gender
sensitized, culturally consonant and in harmony with the prevailing
environment.
Most
importantly, it must be modern and technologically savvy and in sync with
contemporary times.
Whatever the
nature of the grievance or complaint, it must not be trivialized.
Grievances must be treated with utmost empathy and this fact must be evident to all the employees.
There must constant two-way communication between the senior management and the complainant and an impression must
be made on employees that all grievances are taken seriously, treated sympathetically and handled with
genuine earnestness with the objective of resolving them amicably, speedily and
to the entire satisfaction of all concerned.
6. NON-VINDICTIVE
An employee
must be able to submit a complaint or grievance for redressal without fear of
retribution from higher management or reprisal from those who is complaining
against.
Checks and
balances must be put in place in order to ensure that there is absolutely no
victimization or harassment of the employee who is submitting a grievance or
making a complaint or is a whistleblower.
The system
must be absolutely non-punitive and there must not be the slightest perception or
even a shred of doubt in the mind of the employees that they will be “punished”
for making a complaint.
7. FAIR AND JUST
The grievance
redressal mechanism must function without fear or favour.
There must be
total transparency in the procedure and justice must be done and justice must also
seen to be done in a free and fair manner.
While the points given above are in the context of Human Resource Management Systems, I feel that they are equally applicable to Grievance Handling Systems pertaining to Customer Relationship Management, Consumer Affairs, Client Service Organizations and the Service Industry.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT BHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
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Email: vikramkarve@sify.com
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2 comments:
Really effective post for human resource.
Really impressive human resource planning
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