Grievance Handling Research Articles

A human resources and legal risk management framework for labour disputes in the petroleum industry

The petroleum industry is vital to many economies but is often plagued by labor disputes that can disrupt operations and affect profitability. This paper proposes a comprehensive Human Resources and Legal Risk Management Framework specifically tailored for managing labor disputes in the petroleum sector. The framework integrates human resource management practices with legal compliance measures to minimize risks associated with employee relations and disputes. The framework emphasizes proactive measures, including effective communication, employee engagement, and training programs designed to foster a collaborative workplace culture. By implementing conflict resolution strategies and grievance handling procedures, organizations can address issues before they escalate into disputes. Additionally, the framework underscores the importance of adhering to labor laws and regulations to mitigate legal risks. Key components of the framework include risk assessment tools that identify potential areas of conflict, alongside mechanisms for monitoring labor relations. By leveraging data analytics, organizations can better understand employee sentiment and predict possible disputes, allowing for timely interventions. Furthermore, the framework advocates for establishing a clear legal compliance structure, ensuring that all practices align with local and international labor laws. The integration of human resources and legal considerations not only enhances organizational resilience but also fosters a positive workplace environment. It is crucial for organizations in the petroleum industry to recognize the interdependence of HR practices and legal obligations, as failure to address labor disputes effectively can lead to significant financial losses and reputational damage. In conclusion, this framework offers a structured approach to managing labor disputes, promoting organizational sustainability in the petroleum sector. By aligning human resource strategies with legal risk management, companies can create a harmonious work environment that ultimately contributes to their long-term success.

Air India pee gate case – need for comprehensive SOPs in customer management

Learning outcomes This case study allows students to appreciate the value of standard operating procedures in customer management. This case study emphasises the role of employees in delivering superior customer experience. This case study explores many facets of customer experience, reputation, social class membership and standard operating procedures (SOPs). Students will be able to apply theories of customer experience, behavioural psychology and service dimensions relevant to the airline industry. After completing this case study, students will be able to do the following:1. Evaluate the value of SOPs in Customer ManagementThis case study refers to the need for adhering to SOPs to deal with complex situations. Students will be able to evaluate whether compliance to SOPs could have helped Air India avoid the crisis or was it possible that a culture of absolute commitment to customer wellbeing could have prevented the crisis.2. Apply the theory of defensive attribution in customer grievance handling. Discuss if reducing customer effort in getting their problem solved can result in superior customer service.The victim had attributed the blame for not insisting on filing a complaint to the crew. Air India crew had defended their actions or lack of it by stating that they had followed the rule book. Students will be able to appreciate the need for a swift redressal mechanism to protect the self-image and self-esteem of the person/group involved. They will also understand that customer service interactions designed to solve customer problems swiftly and easily can be a very simple dictum to guide all employees in their decision-making while handling a customer complaint. 3. Evaluate the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer experience and examine the value of net promoter score (NPS) to study customer satisfaction. Air India Airlines was catering to varied customer groups such as the Indian diaspora, large student population pursuing education abroad, first-time flyers and the rising middle class with travel aspirations. Customer expectations vary across segments and change over their lifetime. Airline staff must trace customer corridors and deliver on customer expectation across the touch points that matter to them to ensure meaningful and relevant service delivery. Students will have an opportunity to evaluate the NPS in measuring customer satisfaction and debate whether it is a sufficient metric to guide the organisation on delivering and monitoring customer experience. 4. Examine why reputation risk management and not crisis management should be the focus of Air India in delivering superior customer service because nearly 70%–80% of market value for a company comes from its intangible assets such as brand equity and reputation. Students will discuss crisis management i.e. handling the threat to reputation after it has occurred and reputation risk management i.e. proactively managing potential threats to its reputation by taking timely actions to avoid or mitigate it. There are three factors (reputation reality gap, changing beliefs and expectation and weak internal coordination) that determine reputational risks. Students can evaluate this model to determine if Air India should address these three factors to manage its reputation proactively. Case overview/synopsis This case study is set around an incident that happened on 26 November 2022, on Air India flight bound for Delhi from New York when an inebriated 34-year-old man had peed on a 72-year-old woman. The perpetrator of the crime had walked free, and the victim was left dissatisfied with how the cabin crew had handled her ordeal. Air India Airlines was launched in 1932 by industrialist JRD Tata and nationalised in 1953. In 2021, Tata Group acquired the 90-year-old Air India from the Government of India for $2.4bn (INR 18,000 crore) and appointed Campbell Wilson as chief executive officer and managing director. The incident brought to the fore the customer management issues that Wilson had to address. First on the list of Air India’s turnaround plan was delivering “exceptional customer experience”. How was it going to achieve it because the Indian aviation ecosystem lacked infrastructure such as airports, airspace, competition and customer preference-based services? There was also shortage of pilots, engineers, technicians, air-traffic controllers and technocrats to occupy positions within security agencies and regulatory bodies. With Air India’s acquisition, the Tata Group had to find innovative solutions to deal with decades of internal neglect, non-performance and labour union problems. This case study is relevant to address real issues of customer experience, consumer psychology, reputation risk management and standard operating procedures in service management. Complexity academic level This case is suitable for both undergraduate and postgraduate level students of business management. It can also be used for training service personnel of aviation industry. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing

Citizen Charter as Governance Reform Initiative for Quality Services

The Citizen Charter (CC) is implemented to enhance the capabilities of local government in delivering services to people. It represents the official commitment to providing quality services to the public, and all service recipients need to have clear and concise information about the services and goods being provided. At the heart of the discussion on governance reform and the CC lies the question of whether public institutions foster the creation, dissemination, and processing of knowledge on the CC, which could ultimately lead to improved service delivery quality. Thus, this study examines the role of institutional factors such as procedural transparency and clarity, timely service delivery, and grievance handling systems in municipal service delivery post-implementation of the CC. The philosophical underpinning of this study adopts a pragmatic approach, utilizing a sequential explanatory mixed method. The findings reveal that there is increasing procedural transparency, and timely service delivery is gradually improving. However, the grievance handling system within the municipality still appears to be weak. It is evident from the study that the implementation of the Citizen Charter as a governance reform practice must address issues of reliability, responsiveness, and accuracy (RRA) to ensure quality service delivery (QSD) at the local level.

Understanding Employee Grievances

The perceptions of employees towards grievance handling, the grievances present among employees, the grievance handling practices, and the main causes of employee grievances in the hotel industry of Nepal. The research employed a cross-sectional time horizon and descriptive research methodology, collecting data through questionnaires. Demographic information revealed that a majority of respondents were young adults below the age of 25. Employee grievances primarily revolved around unmanageable work pressure, lack of facilities, recognition, and teamwork, indicating areas for improvement in organizational practices. Improper management was identified as a significant factor leading to a bad reputation, reduced morale and performance, and higher turnover rates. Management practices that satisfy employees include protecting personal information, responding to inquiries and complaints, and training staff effectively. The study emphasizes the importance of effective grievance communication for good management. The findings suggest the necessity of transparent grievance handling procedures, investment in employee training and development, and promotion of a supportive work environment to address grievances effectively and enhance organizational outcomes in the hotel industry of Nepal.

Human resource management practices and employee retention in the Indian textile industry

PurposeThis study is the maiden attempt to understand the effect of specific human resource practices (HRPs) on employee retention (ER) with the mediation of job satisfaction (JS) and moderation of work experience (WE) and job hopping (JH) in the context of the textile industry.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a quantitative methodology and applied quota sampling to gather data from employees (n = 365) of leading textile companies in India. The conceptual model and hypotheses were tested with the help of Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe findings of a path analysis revealed that compensation and performance appraisal (CPA) have the highest impact on JS followed by employee work participation (EWP). On the other hand, EWP had the highest impact on ER followed by grievance handling (GRH). The study revealed that JS significantly mediates between HRPs like CPA and ER. During Multi-group analysis (MGA) it was found that the importance of EWP and health and safety (HAS) was more in employee groups with higher WE, but it was the opposite in the case of CPA. In the case of JH behavior, the study observed that EWP leads to JS in loyal employees. Similarly, JS led to ER, and the effect was more pronounced for loyal employees.Originality/valueIn the context of the Indian textile industry, this work is the first attempt to comprehend how HRPs affect ER. Secondly, it confirmed that JS is not a guaranteed mediator between HRPs and ER, it could act as an insignificant, partial or full mediator. Additionally, this study establishes the moderating effects of WE and JH in the model through multigroup analysis.

Telecom industry grievance redressal system: a study of ombudsman approach in selected countries

PurposeThis study aims to explore the telecom regulations and telecom reforms of different countries in the context of consumer complaints and grievance handling. The telecom dispute resolution mechanisms of countries such as Australia, the USA, the UK and India are studied. This qualitative research is carried out for the three major telecom markets: Australia, the USA and India.Design/methodology/approachHere, research is conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the telecom policies of the major telecom markets, their ombudsman policies and consumer grievance redressal mechanisms are studied. In the second stage, the qualitative analysis of the three telecom markets, Australia, the USA and India, is conducted through in-depth interviews, the questionnaire method for telecom customers and secondary research.FindingsTelecom customer satisfaction is significantly higher in countries with the telecom ombudsman as a system of telecom governance redressal. This study dedicates significant importance to the distinctiveness of the grievance resolution systems in different countries and suggests recommendations for improving the mechanisms. The recommendations given in the research study emerge as the output of interviewing telecom experts, academicians and researchers and court judges.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has partial limitations as primary research was carried out only in selected countries with limited participants.Practical implicationsThis study is useful for policymakers, regulators and think tanks in the telecommunications sector.Social implicationsThe resolution of individual customer grievances is significant to the telecom industry and all participants. A well-oiled grievance redressal system enhances the trust among the service users and aids in the industry’s growth. Further practical assessment of redressal offered by different telecom operators can be used for benchmarking, and it can create an onus on telecom operators for timely and adequate redressal of consumer complaints. In certain countries with a well-developed alternate dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism, the service offerings of telecom operators and the quality of services are deemed to be better than those without such an ADR. The research aims to bring in the positives of ADR systems from specific telecom markets and suggest the effectiveness of such ADR for countries such as India, which has over 1.17billion active subscribers. This research aims to aid responsive communication with telecom consumers in the overall telecom industry, which can bolster telecom consumers’ confidence and help the industry grow sustainably. Discussing perspectives on telecom dispute resolution in various conferences and discussing use-cases of innovative dispute settlements can act as stimuli in this space. As ADR procedures are conducted in the shadow of the law, a dispute resolution framework must have a buy-in from the government, telecom experts, the judiciary and private telecom stakeholders. This can only help achieve a framework that can reap the benefits of various ADR/ODR processes facilitating better access to justice, including cost-effectiveness, swiftness, a broader reach for dispute resolution and improved efficiency of dispute resolution.Originality/valuePrevious studies have focused on the study of telecom reforms and mechanisms in a particular country and there was a limited comparison with other countries’ mechanisms. Also, there has been minimal research in this area in recent years. This paper contributes to analyzing the effectiveness of the telecom ombudsman framework in Australia, the USA, the UK and India. It also studies the reforms and consumer grievance-handling mechanisms in a few other countries. It also gives well-researched recommendations for improving the consumer grievance resolution system.

Framing your concerns right: an analysis of air passengers' complaints during two time periods

PurposeConsumers are increasingly choosing social media over other channels and mechanisms for grievance redressal. However, not all social media grievances elicit a response from businesses. Hence, in this research the authors aim to explore the effect of the complainant's social characteristics and the complaint's social and content characteristics on the likelihood of receiving a response to a grievance from the business on social media.Design/methodology/approachThe authors build a conceptual model and then empirically test it to explore the effect of the complainant's characteristics and the complaint's characteristics on the likelihood of response from a business on social media. The authors use data of consumer grievances received by an Indian airline operator on Twitter during two time periods – the first corresponding to lockdown during Covid-19 pandemic, and the second corresponding to the resumption of business as usual following these lockdowns. The authors use logistic regression and the hazard rate model to model the likelihood of response and the response delay, respectively, for social media customer grievances.FindingsComplainants with high social influence are not more likely to get a response for their grievances on social media. While tagging other individuals and business accounts in a social media complaint has negative effect on the likelihood of business response in both the time periods, the effect of tagging regulatory bodies on the likelihood of response was negative only in the Covid-19 lockdown period. The readability and valence of a complaint were found to positively affect the likelihood of response to a social media grievance. However, the effect of valence was significant only in lockdown period.Originality/valueThis research offers insights on what elicits responses from a service provider to consumers' grievances on social media platforms. The extant literature is a plenty on how firms should be engaging consumers on online media and how online communities should be built, but scanty on grievance redressal on social media. This research is, therefore, likely to be useful to service providers who are inclined to improve their grievance handling mechanisms, as well as, to regulatory authorities and ombudsmen.

Enablers of quality of work life of employees in garment industry: an integrated hybrid approach of Pareto, SEM and ISM

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine the enablers of the quality of work life (QWL) of employees working in the Garment industries. Design/methodology/approach The study was carried out in a fivefold step. In the first step, the enablers of QWL were identified through an exhaustive literature survey, in the second step identified vital few components through Pareto analysis. Then the third step was followed by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to further, to identify the precise components and validate the same using confirmatory factor analysis in fourth step. The final step included interpretive structural modeling and Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification analysis to model the validated components and determine the interrelationships and linkages. Findings Predominant QWL enablers of employees working in the garment industries are training and development, satisfaction in job, compensation and rewards, relation and co-operation, grievance handling, work environment, job nature, job security and facilities. Research limitations/implications In this study, the interpretive structural model is designed based on the opinion of the experts who are working in the garment industry considering the responses from employees in garment sectors. The framework can be extended further to the other sectors. Practical implications In future, the researchers in QWL may develop a model to quantify the level of employees’ QWL who are working in different sectors. Enablers of QWL are essential, and based on this further statistical analysis can be carried out. This study will provide limelight to the researchers in choosing the valid and reliable set of enablers for the empirical studies. Organizations can get benefit by implementing the outcome of this research for the enhancement of the QWL of employees. Originality/value The study was carried out in 133 garment industries where 851 workers constituted the final valid responses that were considered for analysis. The outcomes from the study help administrators, policy and decision-takers in taking decisions to enhance QWL.

Grievance Handling Procedure in an Indian Sugar Industry: Outcome and Sustainability

Grievance Handling Procedure in an Indian Sugar Industry: Outcome and Sustainability

Status of Autonomy in Engineering and Polytechnic Colleges of India

Abstract : The status of autonomy in engineering and polytechnic colleges of India is described on parameters such as autonomy enjoyed and used by institutions, students placement, filling up of admission seats, percolation of autonomy, implementation of quality assurance mechanism, use of substantial reflection, frequency of academic audit, corrective and preventive measures taken, performance standards, recommendation of quality assurance cell, problem-solving and grievance handling mechanism, buffer to deal with financial uncertainties, status on academic areas, co-curricular areas, extra-curricular areas, research, continuing education programme, managerial autonomy, administrative autonomy, admission of students, financial autonomy, satisfaction of faculty members and students. The study is based on views expressed by 752 respondents in Google form. It is a descriptive qualitative and quantitative research study in which purposive sampling was used. Sample represents engineering and polytechnic colleges of India. Keywords : Autonomy, types of autonomy, accountability

Examining Grievance Handling Procedures and Employee Satisfaction: A Study of Procedural Justice in Indian Organizations

Examining Grievance Handling Procedures and Employee Satisfaction: A Study of Procedural Justice in Indian Organizations

Effects of Collective Bargaining on Industrial Disputes Management

Industrial conflict appears to be a major problem hindering development in developing countries in general. It has been established that industrial disputes cause economic losses to organizations and poor relationship among employees and employers. Although conflict in an organization is inevitable, it should be understood that disputes between employees and employers must be reduced through mutually agreed mechanisms to a reasonable level that enable creativity and performance of employees and the organization at large. This paper focuses on reviewing the effect of collective bargaining on industrial disputes management. The existing literature on collective bargaining, joint consultation, grievance handling, and industrial dispute management was also examined. The study objectives further establish how collective bargaining, joint consultation, and grievance handling mechanism influence dispute management in an organization. Pluralism theory and human relations theory was used as a guide for this study. It was concluded that collective bargaining agreement, joint consultation, and grievance handling are key tenets of industrial dispute management. All parties are recommended to respect the rights of each party in negotiation and the agreement reached should be documented and cited as the point of reference in resolving disputes. The management should strive to allow a give and take position while resolving conflicts, provide grievance handling process that is timely, fair, involve both parties, and ensure that grievance capturing mechanism is readily available to all parties. Joint consultation committees, union, and management should also coexist to resolve any dispute which arises. In mutual coexistence environment, the organization is able to tap into the stock of ideas, which are available within the organisation.

Effect of Grievance Handling Procedures on Employees’ Performance in the Nigerian Export Promotion Council

The study assessed the effect of grievance handling procedures on the employee performance in the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), adopting the survey research design. The population of the study consists of 920 staff of the NEPC. The study used Taro Yamanes formula to determine the sample size of 279 staff members and also used a sample random sampling method to select respondents. The method of data collection used in the study was a questionnaire that was administered to the respondents. The statistical tool used is regression analysis. The results of the analysis indicate that the grievance handling procedure proxies such as the complaint unit and open-door policy have a positive and significant effect on the employees performance, while collective bargaining has a negative and insignificant effect on employees performance. This implies that the Nigerian Export Promotion Council should continue to effectively use grievance handling procedures such as the complaint unit and open door policy to settle dissatisfaction in the organisation. They should re-strategise towards the abatement of the use of collective bargaining to ensure that employees cases are settled to ensure effective employee performance in the organisation.

Hearing employee voice and handling grievance: Views from frontline hotel and travel agency employees

This study aims to explore the association between employees’ voice and grievance handling, and how this relationship influences job satisfaction as a condition for decreasing leave intention. A representative sample of frontline hotel and travel agency employees in Egypt is surveyed and, in total, 662 observations were analysed by structural equation modeling. It is determined that employee voice influences the grievance handling styles adopted. In turn, it is also found that job satisfaction boosts and mediates the relationship between grievance handling and leave intention. Importantly, obliging and compromising are key grievance handling styles for enhancing job satisfaction. In contrast, a dominating approach and avoidance were found to reduce job satisfaction. Furthermore, the results show significant disparities between travel agencies and hotels in the correlations examined. Overall, the findings cohere with extant views that the higher the job satisfaction the lower employees’ leave intention.

Effect of Collective Bargaining on Industrial Disputes Management Egesa Simon Ukokhe

The industrial conflict appears to be a major problem hindering development in developing countries in general. It has been established that industrial disputes cause economic losses to organizations and poor relationships among employees and employers. Although conflict in an organization is inevitable, it should be understood that disputes between employees and employers must be reduced through mutually agreed mechanisms to a reasonable level that enables the creativity and performance of employees and the organization at large. This independent study paper seeks to review the effect of collective bargaining on industrial dispute management. The study will be guided by pluralism theory, Unitarian theory, systems theory, and human relations theory. The study concluded that collective bargaining agreement, joint consultation, and grievance handling are key tenets of industrial dispute management. The management and employee must embrace dispute management in totality to enhance industrial harmony, foster organizational performance, and enhance employee trust in management. It is recommended that all parties should respect the rights of each party in negotiation and that the agreement reached is documented and cited as the point of reference in resolving disputes. The study also recommends that management should strive to allow a give and take position while resolving conflicts, provide a grievance handling process that is timely and fair, involve both parties, and ensure that grievance capturing mechanism is readily available to all parties. The study further recommends that joint consultation committees, unions, and management should coexist to resolve any dispute which arises. In mutual coexistence environment, the organization is able to tap into the stock of ideas, which are available within the organization.

경찰공무원 직장협의회의 활성화 방안

As the 「Enforcement Decree of the Public Officials Workers’ Council Act」 was amended, the police, firefighting, and driver work councils were launched on June 11, 2020. Previously, the relevant law did not allow solidarity between the police officers works council. As a result, there were restrictions on activities beyond voluntary solidarity, but the National Assembly passed the amendment to the Direct Public Officials Act in April this year, enabling solidarity nationwide from October of this year. Therefore, it is urgently necessary to establish a national works council. With the full-fledged launch of the Police Officer Workers' Council, it is expected that the rights and interests of police officers will be improved by improving the working environment, work efficiency, and grievance handling, as well as improving the work productivity of each level of agency. In addition, improvement of the organizational culture of police officers is emphasized, such as improvement of unreasonable working environment, job satisfaction, improvement of welfare level, and eradication of powerlessness. The development of the police officer works council can help improve the relationship with the local community by contributing to the improvement of the quality of life of police officers as well as the police organization. The police officer works council is in the early stages of implementation, and prior research on this is lacking. Through this study, implications for the police officer works council were provided and the direction in which the police officer works council could be established and continuously developed was considered.

Quality of work life of employees working in the Indian garment industry

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify the level of quality of work life (QWL) of employees working in the Garment industries using a validated scale.Design/methodology/approachSurvey methods were used for this study. A questionnaire was designed to collect the data and information, and it is validated through exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis.FindingsThe majority of employees are not satisfied with the present status of QWL in garment units. Followings are the predominant components, which influence the QWL of employees compensation and rewards; job security; grievance handling; work environment; training and development; job nature; satisfaction in job; facilities and relation and cooperation.Originality/valueThe study was conducted in 133 garment industries where sample responses were obtained from 851 workers working in Indian Garment industries. In the competitive business environment, retaining a talented workforce is one of the big challenges to the organization. An unsatisfied employee is the first enemy of the organization, it is the prime task of the employers to keep the workforce at a satisfying level, otherwise, it will lead to employee turnover, performance and productivity. This paper helps to identify and quantify the components of the quality of work-life of employees if employers address these components job satisfaction level of employees will increase; therefore, our results will help the HR managers and policymakers to take appropriate decisions to enhance QWL.

Citizen Charter in Ethiopia: The Case of Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa City Administration

As one instrument to improve service delivery in the public sector, citizens’ charter was introduced by “New Public Management theoreticians”. In Ethiopia citizens’ charter was implemented as one component of the civil service reform program BPR. The introduction of this charter was aiming to improve the government service delivery and to increase the satisfaction of citizens. Owing to this, the study investigates the role of citizens’ charter in enhancing citizens’ satisfaction and citizens’ participation in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa selected government organizations. A structured questionnaire was designed and was randomly distributed to 800 respondents 400 from each city and four sectors was selected purposively based on the load of service they offer . The study employed both descriptive and inferential statistics. And it was found out that the overall satisfaction of citizens due to the introduction of citizens’ charter was low. Similarly service actually citizens got was low as compared to their expectations and even the status of service delivery before and after the implementation of the citizens charter was not changed and even in some case it was worse. Thus, we conclude from this analysis that introducing the citizen’s charter did not brought about any improvement in service delivery and enhancing citizens satisfaction. This was because: the design and implementation of the citizens charter was not participatory, the standards set in the charter were not clear, limited awareness of both the implementers and the citizens at large and the grievance handling mechanism was very weak. Keywords: Citizens’ charter, citizens’ satisfaction, perception, expectation DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/12-2-01 Publication date: April 30 th 2022

Setting up a patient complaint system in the national primary healthcare network in Lebanon (2016-2020): Lessons for Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Over the past decade there has been a renewed global commitment towards building people-centred healthcare systems and enhancing the capture of patient complaints. Literature from Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) on patient complaints is sparse. In 2016, the Primary Healthcare (PHC) Department at the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon, developed a full grievance (complaint or inquiry) redress system. This paper aims to describe the development of the national grievance handling system and analyse 5years' worth of grievance data (2016-2020). The study entailed a retrospective analysis of grievances relating to the care of patients treated in 237 Primary Health Centres in the national PHC network in Lebanon, lodged through the central grievance uptakes channels between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2020. Between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2020, the PHC Department at the ministry of health received 562 grievances from a total of 389 unique beneficiaries Management issues made up an overwhelming 70% of all grievances, followed by relationships (20%) and clinical issues (6%). Findings indicate the need to enhance the healthcare administration, monitoring and workflow at the PHC centres and to promote the utilisation of grievance systems. The study outlines lessons learned for building grievance systems in LMICs.

Workers’ Satisfaction with Grievance-Handling Procedure: A Study on the Selected Garment Factories in Bangladesh

Abstract Employees are the most important asset in the organization. There should always be a good relationship between employer and employee. If employees are happy in the organization, then the organization can move towards success. Satisfaction towards grievance handling procedure is important in this regard since one of the most important consequences of mishandling of grievances is labor unrest. An employee’s grievance can be over the wage and salary, working hours, condition of work premises, employment conditions, etc. Keeping the views in mind, this study was conducted to examine the level of satisfaction towards different dimensions of grievance handling procedure and its influence on overall satisfaction among workers in some selected factories in the Readymade Garments (RMG) sector in Bangladesh. Data was collected using the Grievance Handling Procedure Questionnaire. A total of 284 garment workers from different garment factories located in Dhaka, Gazipur, and Narayanganj took part in the survey. Measures of central tendency, dispersion, and association have been used as part of descriptive statistics while multiple linear regression analysis has been used to identify significant predictors of turnover intention. The results indicated that four dimensions of grievance handling procedure, i.e., a decision given, time taken for solving grievance, follow up mechanism, and attitude of supervisors significantly predict workers’ overall satisfaction. However, structural features of the grievance procedure were found statistically insignificant. Finally, it was concluded that if managers and supervisors are well trained and workers’ grievances are handled effectively, they will be encouraged, assured, and will have positive feelings towards their organization and this would increase their overall satisfaction and, thereby, productivity.