Grievance is a feeling of unfair treatment at work. It can be resulted from dissatisfaction of work. In this regard, sources or causes of grievance can be anything that results dissatisfaction or involving wages, working hours, or conditions of employment are the basis of grievance. The causes or sources of grievance are classified into three categories as follows:
1. Management Policies
The policies and procedures adopted by management give rise to grievance. The autocratic or bureaucratic style of management, for instance, is hardly liked by educated masses. But they favor rather a participative style of management. Similarly, management practices also lead to employee grievance at work as the want to exploit employees through reduction in pays and other benefits. Grievances resulting from management policies are:
- Wages rates or scale of pay
- Overtime
- Leave
- Transfer improper matching of the worker with the job
- Seniority, promotion and discharge
- Lack of career planning and employee development
- Lack of regard for collective agreement
- Hostility towards a labor union
- Autocratic leadership style of supervisors.
2. Working Conditions
Working conditions are relative to the work environment of the organization. If the working environment of company is good, employees will get less place for grievance. Grievance resulting from working conditions are:
- Unrealistic environment
- Non-availability of proper tools, machines and equipment for doing the jobs
- Tight production standards
- Bad physical conditions of workplace
- Poor relationship with the supervisor
- Negative approach to discipline
3. Personal Factors
Personal factors are related to the personality traits of individuals. Sometimes, these personality traits also cause the emergence of grievances at work. Some important personality traits that result into grievance are:
- Over ambition
- Narrow attitudes
- Excessive self esteem
- Gambling and fault finding attitude
- Mental tension