session 7 - employee relations & discipline interviews

8/7/2019 session 7 - employee relations & discipline interviews

1/36

SESSION7:EMPLOYEE RELATIONS,

GRIEVANCE AND DISCIPLINE

Lecturer: Shelly-Ann Daniel. MSc., GRP, WLCPPROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & COMPUTER SCIENCE


2/36

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

All jobs have the potential to be alienating, making the jobholder indifferent or hostile both to the job and to themanagement, who are seen as responsible for obliging theemployee to continue doing the job.

Employee relations is largely concerned with preventing oralleviating that type of alienation. Because the issues are oftencollective, concerning a number of people in a similar situation,

many procedures incorporate the recognition of trade unionsand ways of making that recognition productive for bothparties.


3/36

MANAGEMENT STYLE

Table 20.2 Categories of management styles in employee relationsSource : J. Purcell and K. Sisson (1983) Strategies and practice in the management of industrial relations, in G.S. Bain (ed.), Industrial

Relations in Britain . Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 112 18


4/36

MEANING OF GRIEVANCE AND DISCIPLINE

Describe breakdown of mutual confidence between theemployer and employee

Mutual expectations form the basis of the workingrelationship

When the working relationship goes wrong:

Employee dissatisfaction = grievanceEmployer dissatisfaction = disciplinary

Intended to avoid sanction of dismissal, but to provide

the grounds for that if necessary


5/36

HR ROLE

Facilitate and administer grievance and disciplinary issues

Devise and negotiate the procedural framework or

organisational justice

Involved in interviews and problem-solving discussionsMaintain viability of the whole process

Monitor and make sure grievances are not overlooked

Oversee disciplinary machinery


6/36

FORMS OF DISCIPLINE

Figure 25.1 Three forms of discipline


7/36

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY GRIEVANCE

Dissatisfaction anything that disturbs an employee,whether or not the unrest is expressed in words

Complaint a spoken or written dissatisfaction broughtto the attention of the supervisor

Grievance a complaint that has been formallypresented to a management representative


8/36

TYPES OF COMPLAINTS

Factual and can be easily tested

Based on partly subjective reactions

Involving the hopes and fears of employees


9/36

THE FRAMEWORK OF ORGANISATIONAL JUSTICE

Figure 25.2 The framework of organisational justice


10/36

ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE

Affects behaviour of people

Develops norms that are hard to alter

Provides a pattern of conformity

Affects the freedom and candour with which people

discuss dissatisfaction


11/36

RULES

Every workplace has rulesRules need to be clear and readily understoodNumber of rules should be sufficient to cover all

obvious and usual disciplinary mattersHelpful if rules are jointly determinedEasy access to rules


12/36

TYPES OF RULES

1. Negligence

2. Unreliability

3. Insubordination

4. Interfering with rightsof others

5. Theft

6. Safety offences

1. Provision of information

2. Induction

3. Placement or relocation

4. Training5. Review

6. Penalties

ENSURING RULES AREKEPT


13/36

TYPES OF PENALTIES

Rebuke

Caution

Warnings

Disciplinary transfer

Demotion

Suspension


14/36

FEATURES OF A GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

1. Fairness

2. Representation

3. Procedural steps

4. Promptness


15/36

OUTLINE GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

Figure 25.3 Outline grievance procedure


16/36

DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE

Procedures similar to grievance

Depends on fairness, promptness and representation

Additional features authorisation of penalties,investigation, information and explanation


17/36

OUTLINE DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE

Figure 25.4 Outline disciplinary procedure


18/36

OUTLINE DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE

Figure 25.4 Outline disciplinary procedure (Continued)


19/36

GRIEVANCE AND DISCIPLINARY INTERVIEWS

Least popular of all management activities

Required when things go wrong in the working relationship

Involves at some point a meeting between

a dissatisfied manager and an employee who is seen as thecause of the dissatisfaction (or)

a dissatisfied employee and a manager representing theemploying organisation


20/36

PRESENT-DAY VIEWS ON DISCIPLINE

Connected with the idea of punishment

Can make a problem-solving approach difficult


21/36

THE LATIN DERIVATION

Discere to learn

Discipulus a learner

In a disciplinary interview, the manager is attempting tomodify the working behaviour of a subordinate, notnecessarily via punishment


22/36

IDEA OF GRIEVANCE

Can have problems of definition and ethos

A convenient technical classification is dissatisfaction

complaint grievance

Dictionary definition a real or imaginary wrong causingresentment


23/36

AIM OF THE INTERVIEW

Achieve an adjustment in attitude

Changed attitude being confirmed by subsequent

experience

Conflict in interest between the parties is resolved


24/36

METHODS

Analytical

Constructive


25/36

PROCESS (1 OF 4)

Figure 5.1 (Focus on Skills) The grievance and disciplinary interviews


26/36

PROCESS (2 OF 4)

Figure 5.1 (Focus on Skills) The grievance and disciplinary interviews (Continued)


27/36

PROCESS (3 OF 4)



28/36

PROCESS (4 OF 4)



29/36

PROCEDURAL POSITION

Important to understand the procedural position Ensure the impending interview is appropriate Critical in disciplinary matters as penalties may already

have been set up by warnings, etc. Who needs to attend? What facts need to be determined? What advice may be required? Where will interview take place?


30/36

INFORMATION THAT SHOULD BE SOUGHT

Subject of grievance/disciplinary Aspects of working performance disciplinary Factual collaboration

General information working arrangements,relationships, etc.


31/36

SUITABLE PLACE FOR THE INTERVIEW

Formality of location can have an impact on assessment ofsituation

Informal versus formal


32/36

GRIEVANCE INTERVIEW STEPS

Understand the nature of the grievanceExplain the management positionFocus on the problem

Discuss possibilitiesDecide action


33/36

THE GRIEVANCE INTERVIEW IN SEQUENTIALTERMS


34/36

DISCIPLINARY INTERVIEW STEPS

Explain the management position

Understand employees position focus on the problem

If this does not produce satisfactory result progress tomore steps persuasion, showing disapproval or invokingpenalties


35/36

DISCIPLINARY INTERVIEW MOVES TODISENGAGEMENT

1. View accepted and parties seek a solution

2. Persuasion

3. Disapproval

4. Penalties

Ultimate penalty: disengagement


36/36

SUMMARY

Grievance and discipline interviews are central to theprocess of sorting out problems

One means whereby people at work achieve self-discipline and autonomy

Different steps involved depending on whether it is agrievance or a disciplinary interview

session 7 - employee relations & discipline interviews

Documents

Transcript of session 7 - employee relations & discipline interviews