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Employee Grievance Policy Overview

A Four Stage Approach

​By Mansour Baker, SHRM-CP

Posted  20 January 2020

​It is the right of all employees to voice their complaints or express any grievance that may have and approach the organization to address such grievances. 

Grievance Policy Provisions

• ​Most employee problems and grievances should be solved in a sensible manner through constructive dialogue and compromise. However, it is the employee’s privilege to resort to a grievance policy to raise their concerns. Whereby an employee may present his/her grievance to management and readily obtain a hearing with the responsible representatives.

• ​Prompt, fair, and sympathetic consideration will be given to each grievance.

• ​It is understood that the use of the grievance procedures will not in any way reflect unfavorably upon the reputation or employment status of the grieving employee.

• ​The company will not - in any way - discriminate against age, gender, religion, race, or origin whether while recruiting the employee or through the employee’s tenure.

• If a grievance is not handled within the time limits established in the aforementioned steps, the employee may raise his/her grievance to the highest level (HR or Grievance Committee in this case) directly without having to wait upon decisions from lower supervisory / managerial levels.

The Employee

Any employee is entitled to file a grievance under the company’s grievance policy if he/she believes that a decision or action taken against him/her or the treatment afforded to him/her has been in violation of the applicable labor regulations, his/her employment contract, or the HR policies of the company.

The Manager

​Managers will review complaints and grievances submitted to them, collect pertinent information, and start the process as expeditiously as possible within the established time limits. If the complaint is on a manager, the review will be made by the Head of HR.

​Each manager receives complaints and grievances from those employees working in his/her department only. The manager has the right to discuss the grievance with the employee’s immediate supervisor.

The HR Function

​The Head of HR shall be available to both the relevant manager and the employee to provide advice, interpretation of the policy, and counselling as may be requested.

How to initiate the employee grievance? 

An employee may present an official complaint or grievance through the established channels for consideration and review. He/she should submit his/her grievance in writing to his/her line manager.

​1st Stage

1. An employee may at any time present a grievance to his/her line manager seeking consideration under the company’s grievance policy. The line manager will review the grievance, discuss it with the employee concerned, and endeavor to affect a satisfactory solution.
2. The line manager will prepare a written report of his/her findings and the outcome of the discussions with the employee within (3) working days from the date of submitting the grievance.
3. If the grievance is against the immediate line manager, the grievance will be submitted directly to the next level of supervision or to the director directly.

2nd Stage

1. If a satisfactory solution is not reached within this period, the employee's line manager shall refer the matter to the next level of supervision or to the director directly.
2. The next level of supervision or the director will hear the employee's grievance, review its circumstances, and furnish a reply to the employee within a period of (3) working days from the date the grievance was referred to him/her.

3rd Stage

1. If the decision under the second stage is not acceptable to the employee, the second level supervisor will refer the matter to the third level of supervision (if applicable), otherwise it is referred to the Head of HR.
2. The third level of supervision shall review the case, consult with the Head of HR, meet with the employee, and render a decision within a period of (3) working days from the date the grievance was referred to this level.

4th Stage

1. If the employee does not accept the decision of the third level of supervision, he/she may request referral of the grievance to the HR Committee (or the Grievance Committee if there is one at the company). The Committee will give its recommendation within (4) working days from the date of receipt. 
2. The committee will issue the final company decision within (2) working days of receiving the recommendation.
3. The director or line manager will inform the employee of the company’s final decision within (1) working day of receiving that decision.

Exhibit 1

The four stages in the employee grievance cycle

Pay for Time Spent in Grievance

​Time spent by an employee attending scheduled grievance hearings will be in full pay. When not actually in conference with representatives of the company, the employee is expected to continue to perform his/her duties.

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