Meaning of Discipline and Grievance | Grievance Handling Procedures

Maintenance of harmonious human relations in an organization depends upon the promotion and maintenance of discipline. No organization can run properly without discipline. Discipline means orderliness in any field of activities. It implies the absence of irregularity, confusion, disorder and chaos in human behavior and activities.

In an industrial organization, discipline means the situation in which all the workers and employees follow the rules, regulations and procedure of the organization. A disciplined work force can meet the challenges of the organizations and contribute to the organizational objectives in a better way. Discipline can pave the way for co-operation among the task force and result in good human relations.

According to the Richard D. Calthoon, “Discipline may be considered as force that prompts individuals or groups to observe the rules, regulations and procedures which are deemed to be necessary for the effective functioning of an organization.”

Hence, in conclusion, it can be said that discipline is a process of training the employee so that he can develop self control and can become more effective in his work.

Nature/ Characteristics/ Features of Discipline

1. Discipline does not merely mean a strict and technical observance of rigid, inflexible rules and regulations.
2. Discipline simply means working cooperatively, and behaving in an orderly and normal way, as any responsible person would expect an employee to do.
3. Discipline requires punishment or chastisement.
4. Discipline is the training that correct, moulds, strengths or perfects.
5. Discipline means orderliness: - the opposite of confusion and chaos.
6. Discipline is the control gained by enforcing obedience.

Discipline is essential for the smooth running in an organization and for the maintenance of industrial peace, which is very foundation of industrial democracy.

Grievance

A grievance is the feeling of dissatisfaction among the employees, working in the organization. Grievance, whether real or imaginary, valid or invalid, genuine or false, is a complaint affecting one or more workers within the organization. Dissatisfaction or discontent expressed by employees brought to the notice of management, it becomes grievance. Grievance is defined as:

According to Dale S. Beach, “Grievance is any dissatisfaction or feeling of injustice in connection with one’s employment situation that is brought to the attention of management.”

Causes of Grievance
The main causes of grievance may be classified under four following categories

1. Grievances resulting from management policy:
1. Leave
2. Transfer
3. Promotion demotion and discharges
4. Hostility toward a labor union
5. Wage payment and job rates
6. Lack of career planning and employee development plan
7. Over time
8. Seniority
2. Grievances resulting from working conditions:
1. Changes in schedules or procedures
2. Bad physical conditions of workplace
3. Non-availability of proper tools, machines and equipment for doing the job.
4. Poor relationship with supervisor
5. Light production standards.
6. Changes in schedules or procedures
7. Improper matching of the worker with the job.
3. Grievances resulting from personal maladjustment:
1. Excessive self esteem
2. Impractical attitude to life etc.
3. Over ambition
4. Grievances resulting from alleged violation:
1. Central or state laws
2. Company rules
3. Management’s responsibility
4. Past practices
5. The collective bargaining agreement

Grievance Handling Procedures

A grievance handling procedure is a series of steps arranged in a hierarchy of increasing complexity and involvement. Every organization has need for a consuming process of conciliation to facilitate settlement of controversies and to assure an employee with a grievance that his case will be given a fair hearing. The number of step in grievance procedures varies with the size of the organization. A small organization only have two or three steps while a large organization may be having eight to ten step of grievance handling procedure. In general while handling grievance, the following steps are followed.

Step – I Defining and describing the nature of grievance as clearly as possible

– defining or describing grievance implies that it has been expressed.

Step – II Collect all facts that help to explain how, when, where, why and to whom the grievance occurred

– After defining the grievance, the next step is to gather all pertinent facts concerned with the case. The person handling the grievance must know the alleged grievance was first experienced, whether it has been repeated or not, how and where it took place and the circumstances under which it transpired the employee should be fully convinced that management are perfectly sincere in seeing that justice are done.

Step – III Establishing tentative solution of the grievance

– After getting the clear picture of the grievance, the next step involves the establishment of tentative solution.

Step – IV Collect additional information to check the validity of tentative solution

– On the basis of the tentative solutions, facts are gathered. The executives establish a tentative solution and then observing critically whether his hypothesis is right or wrong. If the thinkers are wrong, he sets up another tentative solution and proceeds this until he finds the right answer.

Step – V Applying the solution

– For applying the solution, the executive may hold conference with aggrieved employee and questions other employees. Having reached a final decision it should be applied without delay.

Step – VI Follow up

– The executive should not conclude that grievance has been until a check is made to determine whether the employee attitude has been favorably changed. Checking can be done through causal observation while the employees are working, decision taken favorably or unfavorably. The other method includes to ask from the other employees about the aggrieved employee’s reaction.

SOME RELATED LINKS:

• Organizational Behavior and its Emerging Trends

• Participative Management in Public Administration

• Behavioral Approach in Management and Administration

• Means for Effective Motivation

• Problems and Prospects for Management of Public Services

• Public Accountability in Public Administration

• Result Oriented Administration / Result Oriented Management

Concept and Factors Contributed for the Development of HRM

Concept of HRM

Human resource management is concerned with people dimension in organization. It focuses on management of human energy and capabilities to improve productivity. People possessing physical strength and energy alone are not human resource. People become human resource only when they contribute their competencies. Competencies are the combination of knowledge, skill, attitude, experience etc. As we know management is the art of getting things done through other people. Managers perform the function of planning, organizing, staffing, coordinating, directing etc. The staffing function is concerned with human resource management.

According to Decenzo and Robbins, “Human resource management is a process consisting of four functions acquisition, development, motivation and maintenance.”

According to Paul G. Hastings, “Human resource management is that aspect of management having as its goal the effective utilization of the labour resources of an organization.”
Similarly, Oliver Sheldon defines, “Human resource management is a part of the management process, which is primarily concerned with human constituents of an organization.”

Hence, in conclusion human resource management is very crucial for the success of any organization. Human beings are a resource to an organization but it is the living resource which cannot be equated with the other resources which are unanimated. Human resources add to the value while other resources add to the cost. All the firms buy the same material and machines but it is the people in the organization who built it and makes differences in the ultimate product. The human being never reaches an ultimate value throughout his lifetime at work which other resources reach to an ultimate value it starts producing. Thus, the management of human resource is very complicated and challenging task for those who are interested with the successful running of an organization and this implies considerable knowledge by various aspects of human resource management. The human resource management function or personnel function should be lightening rod attracting the tension and human conflict, which are inevitable in an organization and community.

Factors contributed for the Development of HRM

The phrase “human resource management” is not new. It was used as long as 40 years ago, but at that time, it was interchangeable with personnel management. The development of HRM has gone through different stages. Many factors have contributed for the development of human resource management. They are follows:

1. Industrial revolution stage: Industrial revolution brought the three major developments.

• The development of machinery
• The linkage of human power to machine
• The establishment of factories.

Due to the industrial revolution, people specialized in their job. Workers organized themselves into trade unions to achieve better conditions of employment. Labour laws were enacted to protect the interest of worker. Collective bargaining between labour and management was used to settle industrial disputes. Robert Owen reduced working hours and built house and schools for workers. After industrial revolution, problems related to human resources led towards taking care of employees. It can be considered as the first stage of human resources development.

2. Scientific management movement stages: This stage aimed at improving worker efficiency through proper selection, training and compensation. F. W. Taylor suggested the following tips:

• Individuals who are selected for the jobs should be physically and mentally to the demand of jobs.
• Employees should not be called upon to work at the time that would be detrimental to their health.
• Education and development of the workers, properly trained and developed workers produced best.
• Incentive system to “earn more be performing more” properly paid workers.
• Specialization through division of work to achieve efficiency.

3. Industrial psychology: An employee having positive attitude can faster industrial efficiency. Efficiency can be increased by testing intelligence test of the employee. Thus to increase the efficiency, human psychology should be studied through different test and should developed a good interest, and positive attitude on the work in them.

4. The human relation movement stage: This stage focuses people element in personnel management. Hawthorne studies serve as the beginning of human relation movement. It advocates the following personnel management aspects.

• Participative management and teamwork
• Importance of social setting and group dynamics in employee productivity.
• Need for improved communication among managers and employees.

5. The period of labour legislation: To control, direct and motivate the labour, there should be strong need of some kinds of legislation. The civil right act was passed in 1964. Discrimination law, pension laws, health and safety laws, federal regulatory agencies. And their interpretive guidelines and cowed ruling affected virtually every aspect of employment.

6. Organizational development movement stage: The organization development (OD) movement of the 1960s and 1970s was closely associated with the concept of behavioral science. The OD approach concentrates on overall organizational effectiveness, especially with regard to process how people behave in situation where they are constantly interacting with one another. Team development and management of change were often important features of an OD programme. Particular attention was paid to the analysis of group processes and OD consultants evolved methods of analyzing organization behavior, especially within and between group and of solving conflict problems.

In particular, Schein (1969) developed methodologies for process consulting. This involves helping clients to generate information, which they can understand about their projects and problems, and creating conditions for them to won the solutions to their problems by gaining internal commitment to their choice.