MANAGING GRIEVANCES & DISPUTES

HRM 3119

TITLE

: BEST PROCEDURE IN HANDLING

GRIEVANCES ISSUE

STUDENT FULL NAME

: NUR ASYIQIN BINTI ZULKIFLI

ID NUMBER

: DOSHM14011030

BATCH NO

: 28

SEMESTER NO

:5

DATE OF SUBMISSION

STUDENTS SIGNATURE:
LECTURERS NAME

: SIR ABDUL RAHIM DESA

TABLE OF CONTENT

NO

ITEMS

PAGE

[PROCEDURE IN HANDLING GRIEVANCES AND DISPUTES] 2

INTRODUCTION

OBJECTIVES

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Course Note

3.2 Group Discussion
3.3 Internet
4

DISCUSSION

6-8

4.1 Best Procedure in Handling Grievances

Issue (Informal Procedure)
4.2 Reasons Informal Procedure the best
Procedure in Handling Grievances Issue
5

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

10

ANNEXES

10

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Grievances is a clear statement, oral or written, by an employee, or employees, of a
work related concern or complaint, including interpretation and application of any personnel
policies, allocation of work, job design, performance management, job evaluation outcome,

[PROCEDURE IN HANDLING GRIEVANCES AND DISPUTES] 3

flexible workplace practices, workplace communication, interpersonal conflict and OSH
issue. Employees want the problems or concerns (grievances) to be addressed, and if
possible, resolved. It is clearly in the managers interest to resolve the problem or concern
before it develops into major difficulties for all concerned.
Grievances occur at all levels and both management and employees may invoke the
grievance policy and procedure. The grievance procedure allows the manager to deal with
grievances fairly, consistently and speedily. It outlines the procedure to be followed when an
employee raises a grievance. This guidance helps managers understand how to handle the
grievance at the various stages of the grievance procedure. Failure to encourage a grievance
or respond appropriately to a grievance will result in discontent among employees because
they feel management are not interested in and do not value their views. This may lead to
poor motivation and low productivity.
Grievances and dispute resolution procedure have two resolution procedures that are
informal procedure and formal procedure. At first stage, the employees that have been in
grievances and dispute need to settle it in informal procedure and if the issue still not
resolved, then the employees need to use the formal procedure, which is the second stage.

2.0 OBJECTIVES
The purposes of this report are:
1. To identify what is grievances issue
3

2. To determine what are the factors that might be the cause of the
grievances issue occurred in the workplace
3. To identify what are the types of procedures to use when handling a
grievances issue
4. To identify the best procedure in handling grievances issue
5. To define the reasons why the chosen procedure is the best procedure in
handling grievances issue

3.0 METHODOLOGY
There are three methods are used for researching the information related with
procedures in handling grievances and disputes, the following methods used are as shown
below:

[PROCEDURE IN HANDLING GRIEVANCES AND DISPUTES] 5

3.1 COURSE NOTE
Course note that have been used as a reference is Managing Grievances and Disputes
(HRM 3119). This course note has been chosen as one of this reports methodology because
this course notes is related with the main topic of this report, which is about the procedures in
handling grievances and disputes. Not just because of that, Consist Colleges Chief
Executive, Head of OSH Studies and lecturer also have approved this course note. This
course note using by students that is in semester five. Slide 57- 69 have been using as a
references in the course note.
3.2 DISCUSSION
I used this method and make a discussion within my group members. Discussion is
actually a conversation about a certain topic and the topic that my group members and I
discussed was about on the best procedure in handling grievances and disputes. We did the
discussion session on 12th April 2016 and at 3.00 pm until 4.30 pm. I used this type of method
is because most of my team members have some knowledge on the procedures and because
by making group discussion session, more information can be gained. The team members that
involved in this group discussion were Ying Suphansa A/P Chamrong, Nur Syifaa Binti
Nasri and Tonny Tullener Anak Man.
3.3 INTERNET
Internet is a vast computer network linking smaller computer networks worldwide.
The Internet includes commercial, educational, governmental, and other networks, all of
which use the same set of communications protocols. I only used certain websites that can be
trusted because some websites is not facts and the owner of the websites might create the
content easily without refer to substance facts. I used this method on 09th April 2016.

4.0 DISCUSSION
4.1 INFORMAL PROCEDURE

The best procedure in handling grievances issue is informal procedure. Informal

procedure is an approach that will taken seriously and every effort made to resolve them.
There are a few steps in informal procedure. First step is if the employees can, try to sort it
out directly with the person involved which means the person whom the employees have
issues with. The employees need to tell that person involved about that person unacceptable
behavior or offensive. The way that the employees need to raise the issue with that person is
by using verbal communications that involve face-to-face approach. That approach is the best
approach because both parties can see clearly what each other trying to say and face
expression made by both parties. The purpose of tells directly because to give the other party
a chance to stop or to change what the other party is doing.
Second step is seeking assistance. This will be use when there is in any two of these
reason, which are, do not want to see each other personally or the first step is not work out
the way that it should be. In this stage, both parties need to seek assistance from both parties
supervisor, or if this is not appropriate, employees need to talk to a contact officer, any other
supervisor or manager, a senior staff member in Human Resources, or a Union
Representative. Those assistants may offer their assistance or that of another trained person to
attempt to obtain an acceptable resolution for all parties.
The last stage in the informal procedure is mediation. Mediation is an intervention in
a dispute in order to resolve it. This stage will be use when the complaint is not resolved at
the second stage. The assistance of an independent and accredited mediator can be used to
assist the parties to reach a satisfactory solution. Parties involved in the process will be
allowed reasonable time, at work, to prepare and participate in the process. The mediators
will meet with each party separately to outline the process and ascertain the details of the
issue/s to be resolved. The mediators will facilitate a process that will enable the parties to
identify, discuss and prioritize the key issues and to enter into a negotiation process with each
other about options for resolution and how both parties can move forward. This should be
resolve within two weeks. Where mediation has been unable to resolve the matters, any party
to this process may choose to proceed through the formal procedures.

4.2

REASONS

WHY

INFORMAL

PROCEDURE

PROCEDURE IN HANDLING GRIEVANCES ISSUE

IS

THE

BEST

[PROCEDURE IN HANDLING GRIEVANCES AND DISPUTES] 7

Informal procedure is the best procedure because there are so many reasons to admit it
as the best procedure compared to formal procedure. Firstly is because it saves employers
(CEO) time and money. This is because in informal procedure will involves Supervisor and
not employer (CEO). In formal procedure need more time and will involves more money
during the process. While in informal procedure will only take within two weeks but in
formal procedure there will have a lot of stages to solve the grievances issue which means,
formal procedure need more time to solve it. Formal procedure will have the monitoring and
evaluation stage, which in this stage there will be one more job task. This will harassing other
important task that needs to be done.
Second reason why informal procedure is the best procedure in handling grievances
issue is because the people who are in the grievances issue will still maintain their good
relations with the employer (CEO) and indirectly maintaining good reputation of both
parties. This is one of the reason if both parties use the informal procedure and why it said to
be like that because in the informal procedure, there will have no further intervention by the
employer (CEO). There will only have supervisor, manager, or a senior staff member in
Human Resources further interventions. Employer is the party that we need to maintain a
good relationships and indirectly maintaining the good reputation because employer is the
party that gives employees salary and employer have an authority to use any other methods
to solve the grievances issue between two parties. This does not mean that employees cannot
raise the grievance issue but employees need to try hard as possible to not involve the power
of the employer itself.
Third reason is it prevents minor disagreements developing into more serious
issue if compared to formal procedure, which this stage got into more serious resolution
because both parties still unsatisfied with the first stages result. By taking informal
procedure, it will be taken seriously and every effort made to resolve the issue. That means
informal procedure is not a procedure that will be use playfully and do not has intention to
resolve it. So, the mediator needs to use their power or capabilities to resolve the minor
disagreements before it goes to more serious issue that will not be settle and need to proceed
to the formal procedure. Which in formal procedure, sometimes both parties become more
unsatisfied with each other and the situation will become more complicated. Therefore,
informal procedure is the best way in handling grievances issue before it get more harder to
solve it.

Next reason is informal procedure will allows parties to create their own problem
resolution which stated in step one in informal procedure. Both parties need to sort the issue
out directly with the person involved and this will allow them to choose which method that
they feel comfort to us in order to resolve the grievances issue. There are so many ways to
resolve it such as, by verbal or non-verbal communication. Both methods can be use to solve
the grievances issue and there will have no power from any supervisor or any another
superiors to solve it.
Last but not least, in informal procedure there is no monitoring in the process of the
procedure but in the formal procedure has the monitoring process. Therefore, if there is
monitoring evaluation during performing employees work, they will feel uncomfortable
throughout the working hours after the disputes issues have been resolved. So, informal
procedure is still the best procedure in handling grievances issues if compared with formal
procedure.
It has been proved that informal procedure is the best procedure in handling
grievances and disputes rather than formal procedure. Formal procedure will involve so many
top parties and it will create more serious conflict between both parties later.

5.0 CONCLUSION

[PROCEDURE IN HANDLING GRIEVANCES AND DISPUTES] 9

Awaken to the previous pages, there are a few reasons that informal procedure is the
best procedure in handling grievances and disputes rather than formal procedure. Formal
procedure is not a bad procedure to use for handling but there are some pros and cons. It is
preferable to settle any grievances and disputes in informal procedure level because at this
level, it will only involve superiors and not the top management. Based on the researchers, a
lot of cases that used formal procedure and some of those cases lead to the next level that
create more serious issue. If possible, the purpose of management is to settle the conflict
within the company and try to not bring the issue out of the company because it will involve
the external parties. So, the objectives of this report are achieved which to identify the best
procedure in handling grievances and disputes and what are the reasons why the chosen
procedure said to be the best procedure.

6.0 REFERENCES
9

INTERNET
1. Objectives-and-benefits-of-grievance-handling-procedure, Main Retrieved April 09th,
2016 from http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com
2. Grievance, Main Retrieved April 09th, 2016 from https://www.brookes.ac.uk
3. Index.aspx?articleid=3728,
Main
Retrieved
April
09th,
2016
http://www.acas.org.uk
4. FAIR.htm, Main Retrieved April 09th, 2016 from http://www.unh.edu

7.0 ANNEXES
ANNEX 1: DISSCUSION GROUPS FIGURE

10

from