How to Create an Employee Grievance Policy

By: Jennifer Leahy
October 27th, 2011

It would be wonderful if your employees worked happily side-by-side and your business was a productive, harmonious place with zero discontent. However, the likelihood of such a scenario isn’t too great when the human margin for error is taken into account.

An employee grievance policy is a step-by-step method in which people who feel they have been wronged can alert management about the problem or issue. A fast and effective solution benefits all involved. Your employees are happy and productive and management has avoided what can be a lengthy and expensive process of resolution.

“Most problems are solved once there is clear communication. When people sit down and talk about the situation and what might be the solution you typically find that there has been terrible miscommunication,” says Randall Barker, a Utah-based certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) with more than 20 years experience.

In a sample employee grievance policy, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) suggests that employers establish a written plan outlining how employees should go about informing management of a potentially detrimental situation. Such a policy should be clearly delineated in the employee handbook and easily accessible to all employees.

“Everybody should have a copy of the policy guide. Otherwise how will people know?” says Barker.

First, employees should be told to alert their immediate supervisor to the problem and/or issue.

If the employee feels that alerting their supervisor is not an appropriate course of action, they should proceed directly to the human resources department. In absence of a dedicated HR department, someone at an executive level should be designated to oversee such claims. If a company outsources its HR, it should be readily apparent to employees how to contact an HR representative.

When the grievance involves a member of the human resources department, the employee should be given an alternative option to present their case via a written summary to an uninvolved party or parties.

Barker recommends companies create a grievance committee, if at all possible. Such a committee is charged with investigating claims and ensuring that all parties are represented in the outcome. By including employees at all levels as members of the committee you demonstrate your company’s commitment to a fair work environment and show employees that harassment by upper management will not be tolerated.

Barker offers that a written policy can provide additional safeguards against violations.

“If there’s not a policy in place, it’s easy for managers to dismiss [a claim],” he says.

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