Slide 25 1 Ascribing Meaning to Grievance Discipline

Slide 25. 1 Ascribing Meaning to Grievance & Discipline • Awkward words nowadays • Technical terms to describe the breakdown of mutual confidence • Used when the working relationship goes wrong • Deals with dissatisfaction Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 2 Milgram Experiments • 18 different experiments to investigate obedience to authority • Highlighted significance of obedience & power to everyday lives • Subjects showed astonishing compliance with authority • Predilection to obey instructions from authority figures Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 3 Factors For Obedience to Authority 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Family Institutional setting Rewards Perception of authority Entry into the authority system Overarching ideology Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 4 HR role (1 of 2) • Facilitate and administer grievance and disciplinary issues • Devise and negotiate the procedural framework or organisational justice • Involved in interviews and problem solving discussions Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 5 HR role (2 of 2) • Maintain viability of the whole process • Monitor and make sure grievances are not overlooked • Oversee disciplinary machinery Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 6 Types of Discipline • Regulation of human activity to produce a controlled performance • Managerial discipline • Team discipline • Self discipline Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 7 Value of Discipline • Negative – producing punishment or prevention • Valuable quality for individuals Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 8 Three Forms of Discipline Figure 25. 1 Three forms of discipline Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 9 Dissatisfaction, Complaints & Grievance • Dissatisfaction – anything that disturbs an employee, whether or nor the unrest is expressed in words • Complaint – a spoken or written dissatisfaction brought to the attention of the supervisor • Grievance – a complaint that has been formally presented to a management representative Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 10 Types of Complaints • Factual and can be easily tested • Based on partly subjective reactions • Involving the hopes and fears of employees Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 11 The Framework of Organisational Justice Figure 25. 2 The framework of organisational justice Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 12 Organisational Culture • Affects behaviour of people • Develops norms that are hard to alter • Provide a pattern of conformity • Affects the freedom and candour which people discuss dissatisfaction Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 13 Rules • Every workplace has rules • Rules need to be clear and readily understood • Number of rules should be sufficient to cover all obvious and usual disciplinary matters • Helpful if rules are jointly determined • Easy access to rules Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 14 Types of Rules 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Negligence Unreliability Insubordination Interfering with rights of others Theft Safety offences Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 15 Ensuring Rules Are Kept 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Provision of information Induction Placement or relocation Training Review Penalties Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 16 Types of Penalties • • • Rebuke Caution Warnings Disciplinary transfer Demotion Suspension Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 17 Features of a Grievance Procedure 1. Fairness 2. Representation 3. Procedural steps 4. Promptness Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 18 Outline Grievance Procedure Figure 25. 3 Outline grievance procedure Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 19 Disciplinary Procedure • Similar to grievance • Depends on fairness, promptness, representation • Additional features – authorisation of penalties, investigation, information and explanation Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 20 Outline Disciplinary Procedure (1 of 2) Figure 25. 4 Outline disciplinary procedure Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 21 Outline Disciplinary Procedure (2 of 2) Figure 25. 4 Outline disciplinary procedure Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 22 Are Processes Equitable? • To command support must be equitable, just and fair • Fairness linked to interests that all workers have in common • Process of formalising procedures that once existed in custom and practice • Degree of similarity to judicial process Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 23 Summary (1 of 2) • General predilection of people to obey commands from those holding higher rank • Exercise of discipline limited by the procedural structures for grievance & discipline • Grievance and discipline are HR areas which other people do not want to take over • Discipline can be understood as being managerial, team or self discipline Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 24 Summary (2 of 2) • Dissatisfaction, complaint and grievance form a hierarchy • Grievance and discipline processes require a framework of organisational justice • The grievance and disciplinary process frameworks is key to being equitable Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 25 Focus on Skills V: Grievance & 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 the cause of the dissatisfaction – or a dissatisfied employee and a manager representing the employing organisation Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 26 Present Day Views on Discipline • Connected with the idea of punishment • Can make a problem solving approach difficult Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 27 The Latin Derivation • Discere – to learn • Discipulus – a learner In a disciplinary interview the manager is attempting to modify the working behaviour of a subordinate, not necessarily via punishment Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 28 Idea of Grievance • Can have problems of definition and ethos • A convenient technical classification dissatisfaction – complaint – grievance • Dictionary definition – a real or imaginary wrong causing resentment Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 29 The Nature of Grievance & Disciplinary Interviews • • Provide information Explain work requirements Can deliver rebukes Use a problem solving approach Involve sympathy Requires use of perception Requires empathy Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 30 Methods • Analytical • Constructive Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 31 Process (1 of 4) Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 32 Process (2 of 4) Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 33 Process (3 of 4) Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 34 Process (4 of 4) Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 35 Procedural Position • Important to understand the procedural position • Ensure the impending interview is appropriate • Critical in disciplinary 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? Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 36 Information That Should be Sought • • Subject of grievance/disciplinary Aspects of working performance – disciplinary Factual collaboration General information – working arrangements, relationships, etc. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 37 Suitable Place for the Interview • Formality of location can impact on assessment of situation • Informal versus formal Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 38 Grievance Interview Steps • • • Understand the nature of the grievance Explain the management position Focus on the problem Discuss possibilities Decide action Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 39 The Grievance Interview in Sequential Terms Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 40 Disciplinary Interview Steps • Explain the management position • Understand employee’s position – focus on the problem • If this does not produce satisfactory result – progress to more steps – persuasion, showing disapproval, invoking penalties Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 41 Disciplinary Interview - Moves to Disengagement 1. View accepted and parties seek a solution 2. Persuasion 3. Disapproval 4. Penalties Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005

Slide 25. 42 Summary • Grievance and discipline interviews are central to the process of sorting things out • Are one means whereby people at work achieve self discipline and autonomy • Different steps involved depending on whether it is a grievance or a disciplinary interview Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6 e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005