Report: Waitrose's Management of Disciplinary and Grievance Issues

This report provides an overview of Waitrose's procedures for managing employee disciplinary issues and grievances. It begins by outlining the informal and formal disciplinary actions, including investigations and disciplinary hearings. The report then details the grievance management process, emphasizing the importance of prompt handling and resolution at the appropriate level. Furthermore, the report explores how effective grievance management contributes to improvements in employee performance, increased loyalty, and overall organizational productivity. The analysis covers key aspects such as informing employees of allegations, conducting investigations, and deciding on outcomes. The conclusion highlights the significance of these practices within Waitrose, emphasizing their role in maintaining a positive work environment and improving organizational performance. The report references books and journals such as Bose and Dey (2018), Al-Haidar (2018), Harris (2019), Wood, Saundry and Latreille (2017), and Singh and Singh (2018) to support its findings.

Waitrose

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Managing grievances and disciplinary issues..................................................................................3
Disciplinary issues.......................................................................................................................3
Managing Grievances-.................................................................................................................4
Improvement in employee performance......................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
A disciplinary procedure is used by an employer to address an employee's conduct or
performance. A grievance procedure is used to deal with a problem or complaint that an
employee raises. Waitrose & Partners is a brand of British supermarkets, selling groceries as part
of Britain's largest employee-owned retailer, the John Lewis Partnership. Its head offices are
located in Bracknell and Victoria, England. This report includes issues on the topic of managing
the disciplinary and grievances problems in the company and how it helps the company to
improve its performance (Singh and Singh, 2018).
Managing grievances and disciplinary issues.
Disciplinary issues
Informal disciplinary action-
Sometimes when company has an issue with its employee which creates increased amount of
difficulties the first option they choose is to do it in informal way. When a mistake is committed
by the employee for the first time then even pointing them their mistake out works. Waitrose
makes their employees understand that they need to improve and this does not be of concern
again. After that if the company feels that employee is still not working under the guidelines then
they look out for different ways (Wood, Saundry and Latreille, 2017).
Investigation-
When Waitrose has a confirm information about that employee who is not maintaining
the discipline at the workplace then the company conducts an official investigation to find out
what is wrong. Investigation has its own nature and it is solely based on the action that the
employee has been accused of. Sometimes it takes time to figure out and sometimes it does not.
Even some other employees are investigated to know the process and it is considered as a part of
the process.
Inform the employee of allegations-

If the company finds out any potential action which is against the guideline then the
employee would be called for hearing by the company after making him aware of his actions. It
is necessary for Waitrose to highlight all the details such as date, time and place of the action.
The details are sent to the employee through invitation as accusing them at the time of hearing is
not considered reasonable. This states that company gives a chance to the accused employee to
work and explain his side of the story. The employee is given enough time by the company to
prepare for it.
Holding a disciplinary hearing-
Waitrose conducts the hearing so that employee has a chance to prove himself. Waitrose
allows him to have a colleague at his side as a companion. Enough time is given to the employee
to present his statement. Company can use the evidence of misconduct but it is necessary for
them to let the employee know of it before the hearing. This is done so that employee has a fair
chance to prove himself against the things that he is being accused of (Harris, 2019).
Decide on the outcome and disciplinary sanction-
After the employee has made his statement Waitrose takes some time and makes a
decision without delaying that the accusations are substantiated or they may take a disciplinary
action against them. If there is a case of applying of sanction then it must be appropriate because
in these type of procedures company usually present different scenarios of misconduct and
separate them under a division of cases which are considered serious to an extent. Generally
these are classified as serious misconduct, unsatisfactory misconduct or gross misconduct.
Before considering all these options and steps Waitrose give fair amount of warnings to their
employees and even then if they do not take it seriously then they draft the letter for hearing.
Managing Grievances-
Grievances regarding employees are considered as problems among humans. Company
handles these issues with care (Al-Haidar, 2018).
Handled promptly-
Any employee who is aggrieved feels a sense of injustice until his issue is resolved by the
company. They feel that if it is being delayed then there are more chances that it will be denied.

It is necessary for the company to keep in mind that in order to handle grievances one must not
emphasized. When these issues concern more than one employees then it becomes trivial and
turns into collective issues which needs to be resolved in order to avoid losses of the company
and bitterness among employees.
Needs to be settled at the level on which they occur-
Company needs to work on solving the feeling of injustice among employees and they
need to do it at the level of interaction. If there is a situation where a employee has an grievance
which is with his supervisor so it needs to be addressed at his level not the supervisors working
above his level so that his feeling of dissatisfaction among the supervisor can be over because he
will get the feeling that he has been able to resolve it. This also keeps the loyalties among
employees intact. This is why it is necessary for the company to address the grievance at the
level on which they occur.
Record so they do not recur-
Waitrose records the grievances so that they does not occur again and again. If it occurs
on the same issue repeatedly then it will consume time unnecessarily and focus will change to
the policies and procedures of Waitrose. Company needs to work on preventing it form occurring
it again and again in order to reduce the level of irritation among employees by changing its
policies and procedures and making it more effective (Bose and Dey, 2018).
Improvement in employee performance
In addition to that’s, grievance managements have the integrate impact on the organization
performance of firm which is considered to be harmonious in order to develop their workplace
level of relationship. This is also helpful in the bolstering up the loyalty of employees as well as
improvement in the organization level of productivity and performance. On the other hand,
ineffective level of employee grievance managements in the organization leads to have the
negative impact and outcomes which can be extended as the reduced productivity, absenteeism
problem, disobeying of orders, indiscipline behavior and reduced quality of work.

As per the Waitrose company, the development of effective employee grievance has the increase
in the level of harmonium relation in terms of management and labor relationship by enhancing
the pure level of increase in the productivity. The company have the believe that there laid down
of the grievance managements can have the procedure which will be used by the managers to
have effective level of management of there occurrence of descriptive grievance in order to have
te ensuring of harmony with improvement in morale and organizational
performance .Organizations should ensure that those in charge of employee's grievance
management are well trained to enable them handle grievance and conflict issues very well, and
should also educate their employees about grievance procedure arrangement available in their
organization, and the need to follow laid down grievance procedure when presenting their
grievances. As per the perspective of company, it is important for the Waitrose to highlight all
the details such as date, time and place of the action. The details are sent to the employee through
invitation as accusing them at the time of hearing is not considered reasonable.
The employee of the human resource in the company are considered to be important ingredient
for the survival of an organization which can be ensured as safe and effective to have the
handling of the grievance which is biased in more fir and justified manners to maintain the
harmonious managements. The employee performance is effectuating the nature of the grievance
along with management deal directly with respective workers to have the influence of the
descriptive work performances in order of the improvement in the morel, increase in
commitment. In addition to that’s their organizational citizenship behavior develops, all of which
are vital for improved organizational performance.
Waitrose makes their employees understand that they need to improve and this does not be of
concern again. After that if the company feels that employee is still not working under the
guidelines then they look out for different ways. Any employee who is aggrieved feels a sense of
injustice until his issue is resolved by the company. This is why it is necessary for the company
to address the grievance at the level on which they occur. Company needs to work on preventing
it from occurring it again and again in order to reduce the level of irritation among employees by
changing its policies and procedures and making it more effective. In addition to that’s Waitrose
company have the effective level of their employee grievance managements which have the clear
inducing of the positive people face with the introduction goof level of managements of conflict

strategies which will be helpful in prompting out there conflict resolutions for the sake of
increasing employee performance . this is having their outcome of such actions to be resulted in
good level of communication skill, time management and good corporation to have the increase
in corporate level of productivity in perfect manner.
Hence the management will be found of the obligation and responsibility to have the resolution
of there conflict in more appropriate manners will help the manager to have the proper level of
indemnification of the question level of practices and the descriptive areas of contents to have
avoidance of the faulty practices. The company top management will be able to that’s there in
fixing the appropriate level of strategies in terms of he practices, procedures, and administrative
policies that can cause the employee’s complaints to be considered, and it serves as a tool for
management to maintain an open and harmonious relationship with the employees within the
workplace.
As the part of recommendation, the grievance is needed to be handle in quicker mannered as
they have been reposted to avoid more level of negative consequences of the unresolved level of
grievance in the company in perfect manner. On the other hand, secondly most important manner
have the manifesting the grievance in there obligation of the performance appraisal in the terms
of reward and incentives to sooner salary and general working conizations of the employee at
the respective workplace . In addition to that’s Waitrose company should be able to ensure
employee to have in charge of the employee who are considered o be well trained to more way
of requirement of there human relations and the knowledge of country labor and industrial laws
in terms of increasing the capacity in grievance management and conflict handling.
CONCLUSION
From the above file, it can be concluded that Waitrose & Partners is a brand of British
supermarkets confirm information about that employee who is not maintaining the discipline at
the workplace then the company conducts an official investigation to find out what is wrong.
Managing Grievances have issues concern more than one employee then it becomes trivial and
turns into collective issues which needs to be resolved in order to avoid losses of the company
and bitterness among employees. As per the perspective of company, it is important for the
Waitrose to highlight all the details such as date, time and place of the action. The details are sent

to the employee through invitation as accusing them at the time of hearing is not considered
reasonable.

REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Bose, I. and Dey, S., 2018. Disciplinary and dismissal issues and procedures in the european
work environment: A brief review. Training & Development Journal, 9(2), pp.69-74.
Al-Haidar, F., 2018. Administrative disciplinary and grievance procedures for public employees
in Kuwait and UK. International Journal of Law and Management.
Harris, D., 2019. Appeals from a grievance decision and fairness. BDJ In Practice, 32(7), pp.27-
27.
Wood, S., Saundry, R. and Latreille, P., 2017. The management of discipline and grievances in
British workplaces: the evidence from 2011 WERS. Industrial Relations Journal, 48(1), pp.2-21.
Singh, L.B. and Singh, A., 2018. Workplace discipline for an employee’s resilience at Indian
bank. Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies.
Obiekwe, O. and Eke, N.U., 2019. Impact of Employee Grievance Management on
Organizational Performance. International Journal of Economics and Business Management,
5(1), pp.1-10.
Kaur, G., 2019. Grievance redressal and its effect on labour-management relationship in textile
industry of Ludhiana. Indian Journal of Positive Psychology, 10(3), pp.201-205.
McAndrew, I., 2016. Discipline and grievance. In Encyclopedia of Human Resource
Management. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Pinto, C., 2016. Managing Employee Grievance in the Hotel Industry in India (Doctoral
dissertation, Dublin Business School).
Wilkinson, A and et.al.,2019. The Changing Field of Human Resource Management. The SAGE
Handbook of Human Resource Management.