Manager and HR Roles in Workplace Grievance Handling Process

This report analyzes a workplace grievance scenario involving harassment, outlining the roles and responsibilities of both the manager and the human resources department in effectively addressing and resolving the issue. It details the steps a manager should take, including conducting meetings, gathering information, and drafting responses, while also emphasizing the HR department's duty to ensure fair process and accountability. The report provides advice on handling the grievance, including the purpose of meetings, investigation techniques, and a sample response letter, ultimately concluding that proper acknowledgement and recommended actions can minimize employee grievances. Desklib offers similar solved assignments and resources for students.

Running head: LABOR RELATIONS
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Student’s name
University Name
Author note

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Introduction
The purpose of this report is to provide advice to the manager on their role and
responsibilities and on the roles and responsibilities of the human resource department in
grievance handling in the workplace. It provides details on the type of workplace grievance
received by the manager. The procedure of grievance handling has been discussed. The steps
provide advice on the meeting with the griever and the union representative; it provides
information on the investigation and gathering of information and preparation of grievance
response. Lastly, it concludes on effective handling of the situation in the workplace.
Discussion
1. Description of the situation that resulted in filling the grievance and identification of the
type of grievance occurred
 During a meeting in one of the organization a situation took place where there had been
arguments regarding a project. In the meeting that took place among, there were among
employees who had witnessed the situation where two of the coworkers named Mr. Roger and
Ms Henderson ended up in a fight. The fight that took place in the meeting was regarding a
project that the team had been working on. It was reported by Ms Henderson that she had been
verbally abused and harassed as she tried to share her point of view regarding the project. It was
seen that Mr. Roger had been in his bad temper that particular day. Ms. Henderson had reported
that she had been humiliated and had been indicated that her views had no value. It is also said
that Mr. Roger had personal grievance with Ms Henderson. She reports that his behavior had
demeaned and embarrassed her to great extent. The situation had occurred in the conference

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room inside the office premises. The report immediately investigated the situation upon hearing
the situation.
 The type of grievance received by the manager is harassment grievance. The actual situation of
the workplace, tries to determine whether the conduct of the accused person that has taken place
is actually harassing conduct (Cascio, 2015). The way to determine the situation is to utilize a
reasonable person’s standards and the other staff who had witnessed the situation where the
griever had been harassed. If the reasonable persons or the witnessing consider the situation and
find the conduct of the accused hostile or abusive, the accusations would be considered true and
it would be probably harassment. A conduct of harassment must be objectively viewed as
establishing and creating a hostile work environment. The subjective perception of the harassed
person would be considered significant. If the employees of the organization perceive that the
work environment is hostile because of the harassment conduct, it would be considered
unlawful.
2. Role and responsibilities of manager and human resource advisor in handling the
grievances specifically.
 Role of manager and responsibilities
 It is the responsibility of the manger to view the grievances raised constructively. The
grievance raised in the workplace must be taken as an opportunity by the manger to
resolve the arising problem tactfully (Hebdon & Noh, 2013). The manager needs to
undertake the problem and take initiative to investigate and gather knowledge about
disgruntle occurred in the workplace. It is required by the manager to view the employee
grievance positively; this would help to facilitate a satisfactory resolution in the
workplace.

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 A formal meeting must be held with the employee. The two parties must be present in the
meeting. The meeting must be held in private. The witnesses of the situation need to be
required in the meeting as they must help to provide relevant information regarding the
grievance. The details of the meeting and the grievance must be confidential. A formal
meeting is highly appropriate to discuss the employee grievance and focus on specific
investigation questions. The presence of witness and relevant information is required to
consider the validity of the given complaint or employee grievance.
 Further investigation is required to be conducted by the manager and can be resolved
during a formal meeting. The employee concerned with the grievance must be dealt with
fairness and respect. This will help the manager to decide further steps regarding the
grievance.
 Role and responsibility of human resource department in handling grievance
 It is the responsibility of the human resource to deal with the issue and be able to resolve
the issue effectively. It is the role of the human resource to ensure that the griever get a
fair hearing and efficient outcome. The human resource must initiate a written procedure
and address the issue and must generate steps of the process of grievance handling.
Firstly, it is the responsibility of the human resource to involve in a formal or informal
discussion with the parties concerned in the organization (Wood, Saundry & Latreille,
2014).
 It is the duty and role of human resource to investigate the grievance. They are required
to take time to investigate the complaint and find out the validity of the complaint. A
formal meeting must be held where the concerned parties and the witnesses can provide
evidence to support the case.

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 It is the responsibility of the human resource department to ensure the accountability of
grievance handling. Or resolving conflict in the workplace. It is the role of the human
resource to gather information and find out the root of the problem. They must deal with
the issue can find ways to mitigate the problem. They need to recognize the various
circumstances and different approaches to resolve the grievance. It human resource must
take initiate encouragement and initiate open communication and resolve the issue. It is
their role to act decisively which would impact on the concerned employee.
3. Advice to manager on the steps needed to respond to the grievance
 Purpose of meeting in grievance handling
 The purpose of a formal meeting is to efficiently address the issues and the
complaints of the griever. Taking initiative to conduct meeting with the concerned
parties along with the other coworkers who had witnessed the situation will help
to mitigate the problem.
 During the meeting it is advised that the human resource representative or the
manager to explore the issue. The concerned employees grievance must be
analyzed and properly explain the remedy or resolution (Cascio, 2015).
 They are advised to seek and gain full understanding of the situation and the
explanations and backup given by the witnesses. They must be given opportunity
to present their views of the situation. Steps must be taken by manager to conduct
meeting timely, so that the grievance of the employees is timely addressed and not
delayed.
 The investigation and gathering of information

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 It is advised that the manager must efficiently communicate with the two
concerned party along with the other staff members who had witnessed the
situation who were present on that particular meeting. During the investigation the
manager needs to ask relevant questions who committed the alleged behavior?
Where and when the situation did take place? Whether the situation is ongoing?
What exactly happened in the situation? Whether the behavior was intentional,
who were present during the happening of this situation?
 The grievance must be handled timely and the investigation must be made
thoroughly and they must gather relevant information about the happenings of the
situation. The communication must be done efficiently and dealt with appropriate
politeness; this would enhance the investigation process and efficiently deal with
the issue.
Draft letter of response to the manager
March 27, 2019
To manager
Street address
City, province, postal code

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Dear sir/ madam,
This is a response and advice to the grievance filled by Ms. Henderson mentioning that
she was harassed by Mr. Roger on that particular meeting. This is to advice you, on the matter of
this grievance that the situation needs to be handled by proper investigation. It would require
some time to investigate the complaint. The members concerned in grievance handling needs to
be noticed and provide them opportunity to provide their views and explain their positions. It is
advised to arrange a grievance hearing process. They are needed to be informed so that they can
make their own preparations. The next action to be done is to hold a formal meeting, which is
very important as this will help to address the concerned issue of the employees efficiently and
smoothly. The key representatives of the formal meeting must include the union representative,
the concerned parties and the other staff who had witnessed all the three occasions. Further, on
investigating the issue, decisions can be made and actions to be taken are identified. They can
seek advice from the human resource department and outline the appeal to be made if the
grievance is to be taken further.
Best regards
Human Resource Advisor
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above analysis it can be concluded that the mentioned situation can
be mitigated through proper acknowledgement and following the mentioned recommendations
the organization will be able to minimize the grievance of the employee. The assignment has
mentioned the type of grievance faced, what are the grievances faced and the witness of the
given situation. It has identified the type of workplace grievance that is received by the manager.

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it has determined the roles and responsibilities of the manager and the HR in eliminating
employee grievance. Further, it has provided advice to the manager to conduct formal meeting
and has drafted letter of response to the manager.

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References
Cascio, W. F. (2015). Managing human resources. McGraw-Hill.
Colvin, A. (2014). Grievance procedures in union firms. In The oxford handbook of conflict
management in organizations(p. 168). Oxford University Press.
Hebdon, R., & Noh, S. C. (2013). A theory of workplace conflict development: From grievances
to strikes. In New forms and expressions of conflict at work (pp. 26-47). Palgrave
Macmillan, London.
Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2017). Human resource
management: Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Education.
Wood, S., Saundry, R., & Latreille, P. (2014). Analysis of the nature, extent and impact of
grievance and disciplinary procedures and workplace mediation using WERS2011. Acas
Research Papers, 10, 14.

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