What Is A Grievance Interview?

A grievance is typically a formal complaint placed by an employee based on experiencing injustice or harsh work conditions. That’s why a grievance interview usually represents a formal way of getting negative feedback from an employee.

Dealing with an employee’s grievance at work is essential in employee management and can have legal consequences or affect the business’s finances if not tackled well. Also if you are in a position to manage such situations or want to apply for a job that requires such knowledge, it is always a good idea to learn about grievance handling interview questions and answers. 

What Is A Grievance Interview?

A grievance interview is an official opportunity given to employees to communicate and provide the management with their disputes about the company’s policies, workers, or any work problems. This interview is usually a part of a grievance procedure that is put in place after an employee files a formal complaint about the company. A grievance interview is mostly conducted by Human Resource professionals who act as a third party between the affected employees and other parties accused of causing the grievance at work.

Let’s face it, a grievance can reduce productivity and employee morale.

Types Of Grievances

The factors causing the grievance at work could differ from company to company. Knowing the common types of grievances can help reduce continuous complaints from employees. There are subdivided into the following:

1. Working conditions: if employees feel their work environment isn’t healthy or safe they can file a complaint about the working conditions. This could be due to:

• • Safety issues when working
  • Inadequate tools to carry out their jobs
  • Uncomfortable or unhygienic work environment 
  • Excessive workload
  • Unrealistic expectations from workers

2. Administrative And Staff Policy: Policies that may be put in place or perceived to limit employees’ success could cause a grievance at work. This could include:

• • Unequal growth opportunities 
  • Transfer from job role
  • General poor communication on important issues around the workplace 
  • Unmatched skills required to do a job

3. Compensation: The most common workplace grievances are related to employee compensation and pay. This could include:

• • Unpaid wage or salary 
  • Decreased pay due to discrimination 
  • Withholding employee benefits
  • Inaccurate distribution of incentive 

Basic Part Of A Grievance Procedure System

Here are essential key points any good grievance procedure should have:

1. Action Driven: The company’s management should address the grievance once the issue arises. They should be on standby to take action whenever necessary. This means training supervisors while new professionals tackling such issues should be asked grievance handling interview questions.

2. Record The Complaint: After an employee files any grievance it should be recorded and assured to be attended to.

3. Recognize The Problem: The supervisor should listen to the employee’s complaint and acknowledge the issue. This way you can find a way to identify what the issue might be and let the employee know the next step the management plans on taking.

4. Gather Details: This can be done by scheduling a separate interview with whoever is involved so they can speak freely. It is important to collect enough information to make a solid decision.

5. Examine The Cause: Human resource records should be reviewed and studied to see if there is a connection with the particular complaint. Assessing and reviewing other documents and evidence will help decide what kind of action to take.

6. Decision Making: The finding and records will point to a decision. There might be a need to hold a meeting and share investigation reports with involved parties and permit questions to be asked.

7. Finalizing The Decision: The decision taken should be communicated to involved parties and put in place by the authority.

Grievance Interview Sample Questions To The Grievant:

• • What happened? and be as specific as possible.
  • Where did this happen?
  • Do you have anyone that witnessed this incident or behavior? Who? What did they do or say in response?

Grievance Interview Sample Questions To The Witness:

• • What did you witness during the incident?
  • Did you report this incident to anyone?
  • Did anyone else see this happen? Who? What did they do or say?

Grievance Interview Sample Questions To The Accused:

• • What happened? Clearly state and provide as much information as possible
  • What circumstances lead to this incident?
  • What connection do you have with the complaint?

A grievance interview should be simple and easy to understand. Though the way of conducting this interview differs by company, the aim should be to help gather information and help employees communicate their feelings as a way of tackling problems in the workplace.

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