Assignment on human resource management

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

ASSIGNMENT ON HUMAN RESOURCE

MANAGEMENT

BY RAHUL GUPTAQ.1 Mention and briefly explain different sources of recruitment?

Recruitment:

Recruitment refers to the process of screening, and selecting qualified people for a job at an organization or firm, or for a vacancy in a volunteer-based some components of the recruitment process, mid- and large-size organizations and companies often retain professional recruiters or outsource some of the process to recruitment agencies. External recruitment is the process of attracting and selecting employees from outside the organization. The recruitment industry has four main types of agencies: employment agencies, recruitment websites and job search engines, "headhunters" for executive and professional recruitment, and in-house recruitment. The stages in recruitment include sourcing candidates by advertising or other methods, and screening and selecting potential candidates using tests or interviews.

Headhunters:

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A "headhunter" is industry term for a third-party recruiter who seeks out candidates, often when normal recruitment efforts have failed. Headhunters are generally considered more aggressive than in-house recruiters or may have preexisting industry experience and contacts. They may use advanced sales techniques, such as initially posing as clients to gather employee contacts, as well as visiting candidate offices. They may also purchase expensive lists of names and job titles, but more often will generate their own lists. They may prepare a candidate for the interview, help negotiate the salary, and conduct closure to the search. They are frequently members in good standing of industry trade groups and associations. Headhunters will often attend trade shows and other meetings nationally or even internationally that may be attended by potential candidates and hiring managers. Headhunters are typically small operations that make high margins on candidate placements (sometimes more than 30% of the candidate’s annual compensation).

In-House Recruitment:

Larger employers tend to undertake their own in-house recruitment, using their human resources department, front-line hiring managers and recruitment personnel who handle targeted functions and populations. In addition to coordinating with the agencies mentioned above, in-house recruiters may advertise job vacancies on their own websites, coordinate internal employee referrals, work with external associations, trade groups and/or focus on campus graduate recruitment. While job postings are common, networking is by far the most significant approach when reaching out to fill positions.

Passive Candidate Research Firms / Sourcing Firms:

These firms provide competitive passive candidate intelligence to support company's recruiting efforts. Normally they will generate varying degrees of candidate information from those people currently engaged in the position a company is looking to fill. These firms usually charge a per hour fee or by candidate lead. Many times this uncovers names that cannot be found with other methods and will allow internal recruiters the ability to focus their efforts solely on recruiting.

Process:

Job Analysis

The proper start to a recruitment effort is to perform a job analysis, to document the actual or intended requirement of the job to be performed. This information is captured in a job


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description and provides the recruitment effort with the boundaries and objectives of the search. [2] Oftentimes a company will have job descriptions that represent a historical collection of tasks performed in the past. These job descriptions need to be reviewed or updated prior to a recruitment effort to reflect present day requirements. Starting a recruitment with an accurate job analysis and job description insures the recruitment effort starts off on a proper track for success.

Sourcing

Sourcing involves

1) Advertising, a common part of the recruiting process, often encompassing multiple media, such as the Internet, general newspapers, job ad newspapers, professional publications, window advertisements, job centers, and campus graduate recruitment programs

2) Recruiting research, which is the proactive identification of relevant talent who may not respond to job postings and other recruitment advertising methods done in #1. This initial research for so-called passive prospects, also called name-generation, results in a list of prospects who can then be contacted to solicit interest, obtain a resume/CV, and be screened.

Screening and selection

Suitability for a job is typically assessed by looking for skills, e.g. communication, typing, and computer skills. Qualifications may be shown through résumés, job applications, interviews, educational or professional experience, the testimony of references, or in-house testing, such as for software knowledge, typing skills, numeracy, and literacy, through psychological tests or employment testing. In some countries, employers are legally mandated to provide equal opportunity in hiring. Business management software is used by many recruitment agencies to automate the testing process. Many recruiters and agencies are using an Applicant tracking system to perform many of the filtering tasks, along with software tools for psychometric testing

Onboarding

Onboarding refers to the overall process of acquiring, accommodating, assimilating and accelerating new team members, whether they come from outside or inside the organization. The prerequisite to successful onboarding is getting your organization aligned around the need and


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the role[3]. Some think of onboarding as what follows recruitment. Some think of onboarding as something to include in the recruitment process for retention purposes. How you think of it is far less important than that you do think of it as you're thinking about recruitment.

Internet Recruitment / Websites

Such sites have two main features: job boards and a résumé/curriculum vitae (CV) database. Job boards allow member companies to post job vacancies. Alternatively, candidates can upload a résumé to be included in searches by member companies. Fees are charged for job postings and access to search resumes. Since the late 1990s, the recruitment website has evolved to encompass end-to-end recruitment. Websites capture candidate details and then pool them in client accessed candidate management interfaces (also online). Key players in this sector provide e-recruitment software and services to organizations of all sizes and within numerous industry sectors, who want to e-enable entirely or partly their recruitment process in order to improve business performance

Types of Recruitment:


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Internal Recruitment Process Weaknesses

The Internal Recruitment Process does not have just benefits, this process has some disadvantages as well. The Internal Recruitment Process is a very powerful tool, but it can be misused in hands of some employees and managers. The Internal Recruitment Process is not a process to steal the best employees from their departments. These employees should be treated as a very scarce resource and the internal recruitment procedures should work differently for them. The managers use the internal recruitment process as a tool to transfer their own issues to the other departments. This is very dangerous as other managers will not trust the internal recruitment process and will block the ambitions of employees to be transferred. The employees can misuse the internal recruitment process, when there are no clear rules and procedures applied. The organization can support internal rotations of employees, but the rules must be clear about the length of the stay of the employee in one department. The employee can enjoy the benefit of quick internal job hopping and the results achieved are very difficult to be recognized by the organization. No manager is able to make a full performance appraisal as the whole year in one department is unique then. The employee is just focused on his or her promotion in the organization and the salary can be increased in every step.

These include filling up a vacancy using a person who is already in the company’s payroll. The vacancy is advertised within the company and on the basis of responses from within the company, a selection is made. This type of recruitment has many advantages. The company is



able to obtain accurate information about the candidate as he has already been working with them. It boosts the morale of the workforce who sees that the company is able to provide them with opportunity for future growth. The cost of recruitment is relatively less. The employees being acquainted with the company already do not require job training. However, this method of recruitment has a few disadvantages as well. The choice of candidates is greatly limited. Selection of a candidate over others results in ill feeling among those who were not chosen. The selection of the candidate involves a great deal of subjectivity amongst the superiors and hence may not always be transparent.

External Recruitment Process Key Issues

The external recruitment process is a very complex HR Process, which involves many parties and the clear follow up of the individual process steps is essential. The HRM Function is responsible for setting and defining the external recruitment process and it has to be sure to solve several success factors in the external recruitment process.

The HRM Function has to push the managers to deliver clearly defined job profiles of the vacancies and the job profile cannot be changed during the recruitment process. Or, the change of the job profile cancels the search and starts a new one again. The hiring manager has to know the rules. When the job profile changes during the search, it changes the focus of the recruitment agency and brings a lot of job candidates unsuitable for the job position.

The hiring manager can be a very weak point in the recruitment process. The hiring manager has to agree with the job profile and the hiring manager has to agree to decide quickly about the final job offer for the winning candidate. The hiring manager has to be aware of the danger of being late with inviting the job candidates and the late decision taken.

The good contract with the recruitment agencies is a basis for the efficient cooperation, The recruitment agency has to know about the conditions given and the fees given for not meeting them. The recruitment agency has clearly agree with the KPIs from the contract about the delivery of candidates, expected quality of candidates and basic competencies, which has to be met. The recruitment agency is a tool for the preselection of the job candidates and it has to be able to meet the basic expectations to reduce the time needed from the HRM employees. The recruitment agency has to receive very clear brief about the vacancy in the organization. The HRM Function and the hiring manager have to define the best job profile and the description of the ideal candidate to navigate the recruitment agency in the external recruitment process. The HRM Function has to make a description of the team, the decision process in the department to allow the recruitment agency to find a candidate with the best fit. The communication during the selection process is very crucial.

The resumes have to sent to the one single email address in the HRM Function and the organization has to provide the basic feedback very quickly. The recruitment agency has to



follow all the resumes sent to the organization as it can provide the candidates with additional information.

The external sources are those sources of recruitment that are found outside the employment.

1. Advertisement: This is a common method of recruitment. The advertisement usually appears in a newspaper, website or magazine. It is important that the company pays attention to how the advertisement is drafted. For the advertisement to draw the right candidates, it has to be drafted properly with clarity and should present a favorable picture of the company and the working culture.

2. Campus recruitment: There are some cases where recruiters contact educational institutions such as colleges and universities for a list of prospective candidates. The campus recruitment has the advantage of meeting all the candidates at a single place and hence saves time and effort. While campus recruitment may be attractive, it suffers from the limitation that it is suitable only for filling “entry level” positions.

3. Unsolicited applicants: Many candidates send their resumes to company without any explicit request. Companies usually file these resumes and refer to them when the need for a position arises.

4. Websites: With the advent of the Internet, searching for candidates has acquired a whole new dimension. Web portals dedicated to finding jobs have been setup. The candidates key in their details and post their resumes. Employers have to just browse through these resumes or use the site search engine to list out people with specific skills.

5. Employee referrals: Some companies also encourage current employees to refer their friends or acquaintances for positions in the organization. This system has the advantage that the new employees also have a fair idea about the organization and its culture. The downside is that this system tends to create nepotism and allows cliques of friends and relatives to form in an organization.

6. Placement Agencies: Placement agencies maintain database of resumes from prospective candidates. Companies in need of personnel contact these agencies with their profile. The agencies provide them with a list of potential candidates. The placement agencies can also assist in the recruitment process.

External sources of recruitment have many advantages. They enable fresh talent and new ideas to enter the organization. Since the selection is made from candidates from a wide area, the choice of candidates is widened.

Q.2 Write a note on guided and unguided interview?



An interview is a conversation between two or more people (the interviewer and the interviewee) where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.

Guided Interview:

When the aim of an enquiry is to gather information about the opinions of a particular person (an expert, a representative member of a group) in order to gain qualitative insights into a problem, guided interviews are used. Guided interviews contain only open-ended questions, and the questionnaire is only used as a guideline for the interview, the conversation between interviewer and interviewee does not have to follow it strictly. Guided interviews generate qualitative data, which is why the number of interviews usually is limited, and quantitative conclusions cannot be drawn.

Interviewing key individuals in one of the main technique used in the development studies. Participatory methods have contributed to adjusting the interview to make it more conversational while still controlled and structured, resulting in semi-structured interview. In this interview, some of the questions are pre-determined, whilst majority of the questions are formulated in the interview. Questions asked according to the checklist and not from a formal questionnaire.

Types of Interview Characteristics Strengths Weakness

A. Informal Conversational Interview

Questions emerge from the immediate context and are asked in the immediate course of natural things. There is no predetermination of questions wordings.

Increases the salience and relevance of questions. Interviews are building on and emerge from observations. The interviews can be matched to individuals and circumstances.

Different responses collected from different people with different questions. Less comprehensive if certain questions don’t arise naturally. Data analysis and organization can be quite difficult. Requires maximum attentions by the interviewer.

B. Interview Guide Approach

Topics and issues to be covered are asked in advance. Interviewer decide the working of the

The outline increases n comprehensiveness of the data and makes the data collections systematic for each

Important and salient topics may be inadvertently omitted. Interviewer flexibility in asking questions


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questions in the interview itself.

respondent. Interviews remain fairly conversational and situational

resulting in invariability of responses.

C. Standardized Open Ended Interview

The exact wording and sequence are determined in advance. All interviewers ask the same basic questions in the same order.

Respondents answers the same questions thus increase the comparability of responses. Reduce interviewer bias when several interviewers are used.

Little flexibility in relating the interview to particular individuals and circumstances.

D. Close Quantitative Interview

Questions and response categories are determined in advance. Responses are fixed; Respondent chooses from these responses

Data analysis is simple. Responses can be directly aggregated and compared. Many questions can be asked in a short time.

Respondents must fill their experience and feelings into the researcher’s categories; may be perceived as impersonal, mechanistic and irrelevant. Can distort what respondent really men or experienced.

The Unguided Interview is not planned or structured. The applicant determines the process of the interview by controlling the conversation and doing the most talking. Questions asked by the interviewer will usually follow on from the applicant's own statements.

Q.3 Discuss the techniques to motivate employees?RAHUL GUPTA, MBAHCS (1ST SEM), SUBJECT CODE-MBOO27, SET-2 Page 9


Introduction:

Learn how to identify causes of low morale, then apply proven techniques to motivate employees, prepare individual action plans to solve on-the-job problems and improve overall employee behaviors. The Process of Motivating Your Employees

Understanding Motivation Assessing Your Approach

Identifying Manager's Role

Applying Techniques

Measuring Success

What to Expect:Motivation is one of the primary concerns and challenges facing today's manager. This Business Builder will help you learn techniques for creating a proper motivational climate. You will learn how to apply proven techniques for motivating employees, prepare individual action plans to solve on-the-job problems, and identify causes of low morale and techniques for improving overall employee behaviors.

Why Do You Need To Know About Motivation:

Your employees are the key to your successful business.

Motivation affects employee performance, which affects organizational objectives.

Satisfied employees lead to satisfied customers.

Motivated employees make your job easier.

Criteria for Success:

To be a successful manager/motivator you must first understand that you cannot motivate anyone. You can only create an environment that encourages and promotes the employee's self motivation. Someone once said that motivation is getting people to do what you want them to do because they Want to do it. The challenge is to give them a reason to want to do it; doing it will satisfy a need they have. You have to tune in to their need, not yours. Secondly, you must also


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know what kind of behavior you want the employee to demonstrate. In other words, what do you want the employee to do differently?

Goals: Set a major goal, but follow a path. The path has mini goals that go in many directions. When

you learn to succeed at mini goals, you will be motivated to challenge grand goals. Finish what you start. A half finished project is of no use to anyone. Quitting is a habit.

Develop the habit of finishing self-motivated projects. Socialize with others of similar interest. Mutual support is motivating. We will develop the

attitudes of our five best friends. If they are losers, we will be a loser. If they are winners, we will be a winner. To be a cowboy we must associate with cowboys.

Learn how to learn. Dependency on others for knowledge supports the habit of procrastination. Man has the ability to learn without instructors. In fact, when we learn the art of self-education we will find, if not create, opportunity to find success beyond our wildest dreams.

Harmonize natural talent with interest that motivates. Natural talent creates motivation, motivation creates persistence and persistence gets the job done.

Increase knowledge of subjects that inspires. The more we know about a subject, the more we want to learn about it. A self-propelled upward spiral develops.

Take risk. Failure and bouncing back are elements of motivation. Failure is a learning tool. No one has ever succeeded at anything worthwhile without a string of failures.

Watch Out For There is no quick fix. Changing employee behavior takes time and patience. You will find that what works well for one person may not work for another. You may have to use "trial and error" until you identify and match the right method to the appropriate people.

You also may have to face the unpleasant truth that no matter what you do, you might have some employees who refuse to change their behavior. If that is the case, you will have to "bite the bullet" and ask them to leave. It's very demotivating to employees some do not cooperate perform according to agreed upon expectations.



The Process of Motivating Your Employees:

Motivation falls into five categories

Understanding the Concept of Motivation Assessing Your Approach to Employee Motivation

Identifying Manager's Role in Motivation Process

Applying Motivational Techniques (Creating the Environment)

Measuring Success

Understanding Motivation:

Can you motivate someone? The answer is an emphatic "NO!" Motivation comes from within the individual prompting an action. Motivation is a function of individual will. We do things because the outcome is appealing and serves as an incentive. Motivation is directly related to morale, that is, the attitude of individuals and groups toward their work, environment, management and organization as a whole.

Assessing Your Approach:

You may find yourself puzzled by an employee's apparent lack of motivation. You pay a decent salary so you can't understand why this person isn't grateful just to have a job. The first step to real understanding is to accept that what motivates you may or may not motivate your employees. Take a moment and rank the following motivating factors according to what is important to you: Job security, Adequate compensation, Company benefits, Pleasant physical working environment, Recognition for doing a good job, Loyalty and fairness of management, Participation in decisions that affect me, Interesting and challenging work, Opportunities for promotion and growth, Friendliness of people I work with, Clear understanding of what is expected of me, Feeling of personal accomplishment

Identifying Manager's Role:

At this point, you might be asking yourself, "What is my role as a leader in the motivation process?" Your responsibility in motivating employees is to create the environment that promotes motivation within the individual. Someone once said that good leadership is getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. Therefore, you must first



understand employees' needs and then show them the benefits of moving them from where they are to where you want them to be. In other words, point out the

Applying Techniques:

If you want to become an effective leader, use the following techniques to create an environment in which people want to work:

Use Appropriate Methods Of Reinforcement. Rewards should be tied directly to performance. If you have determined that delivering quality service is important, then the employee's performance in delivering that service should be rewarded.

Provide People With Flexibility And Choice. Whenever possible, give employees a chance to make decisions particularly when they affect them in some way. Choice and the personal commitment that results are essential to motivation. People who are not given the opportunity to choose for themselves tend to become passive and lethargic.

Provide Support When It Is Needed. One key characteristic of the achievement-oriented person is the willingness to use help when it is needed. Employees should be encouraged to ask for support and assistance; otherwise, they will become frustrated. Asking for help should never be considered a sign of weakness; it should be considered a sign of strength. When an employee comes to you for help, be careful not to turn him or her off with comments such as "You still don't know how to do that? I thought I explained it to you." Instead, ask, "Tell me where you are having problems. What can I clear up for you?"

Encourage Employees To Set Their Own Goals And Objectives. Let them participate actively in the goal-setting process. People tend to know their own capabilities and limitations. Also, personal goal-setting results in a commitment to goal accomplishment. In setting sales goals, for example, ask your sales person to come up with a realistic monthly goal and a plan to reach that number.

Then the two of you should sit down and evaluate the goal by applying the following criteria:

Is the goal specific? Write the goal so that anyone would be able to identify exactly what you are going to accomplish. Is it measurable? Identify the deliverable.

Is it agreed upon? All those involved must agree. In most cases, this means the manager and the employee who make it happen.



Is it realistic? Make sure that you have the appropriate resources (time, skills, equipment, environment, money) to successfully meet the goal.

Is it timebound? Set deadlines, interim reviews and target completion dates.

Think of an employee you would like to involve in the goal-setting process. Then outline how you are going to approach him or her. What will you say to communicate the reasons you are asking the employee to set his or her own goals? Are there any guidelines or parameters he or she should consider?

Establish A Climate Of Trust And Open Communication. Productivity is highest in organizations that encourage openness and trust. Trust and openness are created by the way we communicate. Do you use phrases that build people and get things started or ones that destroy ideas and chloroform creative thinking? Review the following lists. Which do you use more frequently?

Killer Phrases o "A great idea, but"

o "It won't work."

o "We don't have the time."

o "It's not in the budget."

o "We've tried that before."

o "All right in theory, but can you put it in practice?"

o "You haven't considered"

o "We have too many projects now."

o "What you're really saying is"

o "Let's put it on the back burner."

o "Let's discuss it at some other time."

Igniter Phrases

o "That would be interesting to try."

o "I'm glad you brought that up."

o "Good work!"



o "You're on the right track."

o "That's the first time I've had anyone think of that."

o "I have faith in you."

o "I appreciate what you've done."

o "See, you can do it!"

o "Go ahead, try it"

o "I never thought of that."

o "I'm very pleased with what you've done."

o "We can always depend on you."

o "We can do a lot with that idea."

Q.4 Explain in detail the disciplinary –Action Penalties?

Introduction:Many employers might be surprised to know that, in addition to the right to claim unfair dismissal, the Employment Act 2000 introduced the right for employees to claim that they have been unfairly disciplined. This wide protection for employees means that employers must think carefully and act fairly before taking any disciplinary action against members of their workforce. Otherwise an employee could make a complaint to the Labour Relations Officer / Inspector and, if the Inspector is not able to resolve the situation, take the matter further to the Employment Tribunal. What general guidelines should an employer follow to avoid this situation? First, the disciplinary action taken, whether it be a written warning, final written warning or suspension, should be able to be justified as ‘reasonable’. Secondly, the procedure involved to arrive at this outcome should be fair. In theory, these two aspects should go hand-



in-hand as the fairer the disciplinary procedure, the better informed to make a reasonable decision the employer will be. In practice, daft decisions are not always prevented by a scrupulously fair procedure.

A Reasonable Penalty:Various factors need to be considered in assessing what is a reasonable penalty. These include the nature of the employee’s conduct and the damage caused by it, the duties and terms of the employee’s contract, their length of service, previous conduct, the employee’s circumstances, and how the employer has disciplined others in similar situations. How should an employer approach these factors? Obviously, the more serious the conduct and greater the damage caused by it, the harsher the penalty imposed can be and still be ‘reasonable’. Similarly, if an employee contravenes one of their key duties or terms of their contract, then a harsher penalty may be appropriate. Taking another example, an employer would be expected to be more lenient to a long service employee with a good record than someone who has just joined. The factor of an employee’s circumstances means that an employee’s explanation for their conduct should be considered e.g. a missed appointment at work explained by a family emergency or, less justifiable, placing an IOU contrary to company policy due to temporary financial difficulties. Finally, it is very important that an employer needs to be consistent. A verbal warning to one employee followed by a written warning to another employee for practically the same offence months later, will make it more difficult to justify the reasonableness of the harsher penalty.

A Fair Procedure:At its absolute minimum, a fair procedure means that employees should be given a chance to explain themselves before any decision to discipline is made. Ideally, this should be done in the form of a hearing/ meeting between the employer and employee. The representative of the employer should be (as far as possible) someone not closely involved in the circumstances leading to the possible disciplinary action e.g. the manager subjected to the alleged curses of an employee should not be holding the meeting. At the meeting, the purpose of it should be explained to the employee and he or she should be informed of the allegations against them. The evidence should then be indicated either in writing or by calling witnesses. The employee should then be allowed to ask questions, call their own witnesses and put forwardtheir own arguments before any decision is made. As a matter of good practice, it is usually better to split the above meeting into two parts to avoid the obvious (and proper) request by an employee that they would like time to consider their response to the allegations against them before proceeding with the



meeting. Hence it is useful if the allegations and (if available) written evidence against them can be given to the employee at this first brief meeting. This will then enable the employee to consider and prepare their response in time for the second meeting a few days later. After this second meeting, the employer should then adjourn to consider their decision properly. (A decision given immediately after hearing the employee’s response only encourages an employee to believe that their employer was merely ‘going through the motions’.) A right of appeal should then be provided to the employee. Employers most often ‘trip up’ when the issue seems very clearcut. If it is, then it does not take long to have this confirmed in a fair manner by hearing the explanation (if any) of the employee as well as listening to any mitigating circumstances. With the Employment Act 2000 recognising its importance, procedure is now ignored at every employer’s peril. For example, should any dispute come before the Employment Tribunal, it is unlikely that the Tribunal will warm to the employer who argues that even if a fair procedure had been followed, the resulting disciplinary action would have been exactly the same. Such a failing of procedure may allow a very undeserving employee in the employer’s eyes to a ‘technical’ win and some compensation.

Violation of act; disciplinary action; penalties:

(1) The board may after hearing, by majority vote, take any or all of the following actions, upon proof satisfactory to the board that any person or organization has violated the Geologists Regulation Act or any rules or regulations adopted and promulgated pursuant to the act:

(a) Issuance of censure or reprimand;

(b) Suspension of judgment;

(c) Placement of the offender on probation with the board;

(d) Placement of a limitation or limitations on the holder of a license and upon the right of the holder of a license to practice the profession to such extent, scope, or type of practice for such time and under such conditions as are found necessary and proper;

(e) Imposition of a civil penalty not to exceed ten thousand dollars. The amount of the penalty shall be based on the severity of the violation;

(f) Entrance of an order of revocation, suspension, or cancellation of the certificate of licensure;

(g) Issuance of a cease and desist order;



(h) Imposition of costs as in an ordinary civil action in the district court, which may include attorney's fees and hearing officer fees incurred by the board and the expenses of any investigation undertaken by the board; or

(i) Dismissal of the action.

In hearings under this section, the board may take into account suitable evidence of reform.

(2) Civil penalties collected under subdivision (1)(e) of this section shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for credit to the permanent school fund. All costs collected under subdivision (1)(h) of this section shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for credit to the Geologists Regulation Fund.

Q.5 Explain the importance of grievance handling?

Introduction:In their working life, employees do get dissatisfied with various aspects of working may be with the attitude of the manager, policy of the company, working conditions, or behavior of colleagues. Employers try to ignore or suppress grievances. But they cannot be suppressed for long. Grievance acts as rust which corrodes the very fabric of organization. An aggrieved employee is a potent source of indiscipline and bad working. According to Julius, a grievance is “any discontent or dissatisfaction, whether expressed or not, whether valid or not, arising out of anything connected with the company



which an employee thinks, believes or, even feels to be unfair, unjust or inequitable.”Maintaining quality of work life for its employees is an important concern for the any organization. The grievance handling procedure of the organization can affect the harmonious environment of the organization. The grievances of the employees are related to the contract, work rule or regulation, policy or procedure, health and safety regulation, past practice, changing the cultural norms unilaterally, individual victimization, wage, bonus, etc. Here, the attitude on the part of management in their effort to understand the problems of employees and resolve the issues amicably have better probability to maintain a culture of high performance. Managers must be educated about the importance of the grievance process and their role in maintaining favorable relations with the union. Effective grievance handling is an essential part of cultivating good employee relations and running a fair, successful, and productive workplace. Positive labor relations are two-way street both sides must give a little and try to work together. Relationship building is key to successful labor relations.

Forms of Grievances:A grievance may take anyone of the following forms:

A) Factual: A factual grievance arises when legitimate needs of employees remain unfulfilled, e.g., wage hike has been agreed but not implemented citing various reasons.

b) Imaginary: When an employee’s dissatisfaction is not because of any valid reason but because of a wrong perception, wrong attitude or wrong information he has. Such a situation may create an imaginary grievance. Though management is not at fault in such instances, still it has to clear the ‘fog’ immediately.

c) Disguised: An employee may have dissatisfaction for reasons that are unknown to him. If he/she is under pressure from family, friends, relatives, neighbors, he/she may reach the work spot with a heavy heart. If a new recruit gets a new table and almirah this may become an eyesore to other employees who have not been treated likewise previously. The importance of grievance handling in an organization requires am effective approach and attitude on the part of the grievance handling authority. It reflects healthy organizational practices and strong organizational culture. The failure of grievance handling will affect the harmonious environment of the organization

Causes:Grievances may occur for a number of reasons:

a) Economic: Wage fixation, overtime, bonus, wage revision, etc. Employees may feel that they are paid less when compared to others.

b) Work Environment: Poor physical conditions of workplace, tight production norms, defective tools and equipment, poor quality of materials, unfair rules, lack of recognition, etc.



c) Supervision: Relates to the attitudes of the supervisor towards the employee such as perceived notions of bias, favoritism, nepotism, caste affiliations, regional feelings, etc.

d) Work group: Employee is unable to adjust with his colleagues; suffers from feelings of neglect, victimization and becomes an object of ridicule and humiliation, etc.

e) Miscellaneous: These include issues relating to certain violations in respect of promotions, safety methods, transfer, disciplinary rules, fines, granting leave, medical facilities, etc.

GRIEVANCE HANDLING PROCEDURE

As already discussed, there are valid reasons to have the grievances processed through Machinery or a procedure.

Objectives of a Grievance Handling Procedure

Jackson (2000) lays down the objectives of a grievance handling procedure as follows:

To enable the employee to air his/her grievance. To clarify the nature of the grievance. To investigate the reasons for dissatisfaction. To obtain, where possible, a speedy resolution to the problem. To take appropriate actions and ensure that promises are kept. To inform the employee of his or her right to take the grievance to the next stage

Of the procedure, in the event of an unsuccessful resolution.

The Benefits of a Grievance Handling Procedure

According to Jackson (2000), further benefits that will accrue to both the employer and employees are as follows: It encourages employees to raise concerns without fear of reprisal, It provides a fair and speedy means of dealing with complaints. It prevents minor disagreements developing into more serious disputes, It saves employers time and money as solutions are found for workplace, Problems and It helps to build an organizational climate based on openness and trust.

Process:The details of a grievance procedure/machinery may vary from organization to organization. Here, a four phase model (Figure 1) is suggested. The first and the last stages have universal relevance, irrespective of the differences in the procedures at the intermediate stages. The four stages of the machinery are briefly discussed here: The level at which grievance occurs: The best opportunity to redress a grievance is to resolve it at the level at which it occurs. A worker’s grievance should be resolved by his immediate boss, the first line supervisor. The higher the document rises through the hierarchy, the more difficult it is to resolve. Bypassing the supervisor would erode his authority. When the process moves to a higher stage, the aggrieved employee and the supervisor concerned may shift their focus to save face by proving the



other wrong. The substantive aspect of any of the grievances may thus be relegated and dysfunctional aspects come to the fore thus making it more difficult to settle the issue. In a unionized concern, the first stage of the procedure usually involves three people: the aggrieved employee, his immediate boss and the union representative in the shop/ department. It is possible to involve the union in laying down the framework of the grievance procedure and thereafter restrain union involvement in the actual process, at least in the first two stages.

Intermediate Stage: If the dispute is not redressed at the supervisor’s level, it will usually be referred to the head of the concerned department. It is important that line management assume prime responsibility for the settlement of a grievance. Any direct involvement by personnel department may upset balance in line-staff relations. At the intermediate level, grievance can be settled with or without union involvement. Excessive reliance on supervisor at this stage can jeopardize the interests of the employee and affect the credibility of the procedure.

Organization Level: If a grievance is not settled at the intermediate level also, it will be referred to the top management. Usually, a person of a level not less than General Manager designated for the purpose will directly handle the issue. By now, the grievance may acquire some political importance and the top leadership of the union may also step in formally, if the procedure provides for it and informally, if the procedure prohibits it. At this level it is very difficult to reconcile the divergent interests.

Precautions and Prescriptions:1. Always ensure that the managers involved in the grievance handling procedures have a quiet place to meet with the complainant.

2. Always ensure that managers have adequate time to be devoted to the complainant.

3. Explain manager's role, the policy and the procedures clearly in the grievance handling procedure.

4. Fully explaining the situation to the employee to eliminate any misunderstanding and promote better acceptance of the situation complained of.5. Try to let employee present their issues without prejudging or commenting

6. Do use a positive, friendly ways to resolve the crisis than punitive steps, which disturb the system.

7. Do remain calm, cool, collected during the course of the meeting.

8. Always focus on the subject of the grievance than allied issues.

9. Don't make threats manage the grievances.



10. Never make use of allegations against personalities.

11. be aware of the staff member's potential concerns to the possible repercussions of raising a grievance.

12. Don't become angry, belligerent, or hostile during grievance handling procedure.

13. Do listen for the main point of arguments and any possible avenue to resolve the grievance.

14. Listen and respond sensitively to any distress exhibited by the employees.

15. Eliminating the source of the irritation or discomfort being complained of.

16. Reassure them that the managers will be acting impartially and that your hope is to resolve the matter if possible.

17. Don't "horse trade" or swap one grievance for another (where the union wins one, management wins one). Each case should be decided on its merits.

18. Avoid usage of verbalisms like”it will be taken care of."

19. Ensure effective, sensitive and confidential communication between all involved.

20. Take all possible steps to ensure that no victimization occurs as a result of the grievance being raised.

21. The investigator or decision maker acts impartially, which means they must exclude themselves if there is any bias or conflict of interest.

22. All parties are heard and those who have had complaints made against others are given an opportunity to respond.

23. Try to look upon the problem on different angles for appropriate understanding.

24. Ensuring that there is proper investigation of the facts and figures related the problem under concern.

25. Consider all relevant information in the investigation process.

26. Ask the staff member their preferred resolution option, although it is important to make it clear that this may not be a possible outcome.



27. be aware of the limits of authority of the person who involved in the grievance handling procedures.

28. If the manager feels that he/she is not the appropriate person (senior manager) to deal with the issue refer the complainant to the appropriate person as soon as possible.

29. Try to get a better idea of whether the alleged discrimination or harassment happened or didn't happen.

30. Tell them exactly what they are supposed to have done, to whom and explain why this may be seen as discrimination/harassment or as inappropriate.

31. Grievances are preferably to be settled informally at the level of the employee's immediate supervisor.

32. Try the level best to involve team members to resolve the crisis at unit level itself.

33. Avoid as far as possible the union involvement in conflict resolution situation process.

34. Follow documentation the procedures, of all necessary steps taken to resolve the problem/complaint.

Conclusion:To a great extend the aggravation of industrial problems depends on manager's approaches and attitude in effective handling of employees grievances. Care should be taken in the way managers approaches the problem and perceiving the pros and cons of the situation. The conflict management approaches include the win-win strategy that help in the healthy organizational practices and which reflects the strong organizational culture.

Q.6 Explain Managerial grid in detail?

The managerial grid model (1964) is a behavioral leadership model developed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton. This model originally identified five different leadership styles based on the concern for people and the concern for production. The optimal leadership style in this model is based on Theory Y. The grid theory has continued to evolve and develop. Robert Blake updated it with (?) in (?) (Daft, 2008). The theory was updated with two additional leadership styles and


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_Y

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Mouton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Blake_(management)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavior


with a new element, resilience. In 1999, the grid managerial seminar began using a new text, The Power to Change.

The model:

The model is represented as a grid with concern for production as the X-axis and concern for people as the Y-axis; each axis ranges from 1 (Low) to 9 (High). The resulting leadership styles are as follows:

The indifferent (previously called impoverished) style (1,1): evade and elude. In this style, managers have low concern for both people and production. Managers use this style to preserve job and job seniority, protecting themselves by avoiding getting into trouble. The main concern for the manager is not to be held responsible for any mistakes, which results in less innovative decisions.

The accommodating (previously, country club) style (1,9): yield and comply. This style has a high concern for people and a low concern for production. Managers using this style pay much attention to the security and comfort of the employees, in hopes that this will increase -performance. The resulting atmosphere is usually friendly, but not necessarily very productive.

The dictatorial (previously, produce or perish) style (9,1): control and dominate. With a high concern for production, and a low concern for people, managers using this style find employee needs unimportant; they provide their employees with money and expect performance in return. Managers using this style also pressure their employees through rules and punishments to achieve the company goals. This dictatorial style is based on Theory X of Douglas McGregor, and is commonly applied by companies on the edge of real or perceived failure. This style is often used in case of crisis management.

The status quo (previously, middle-of-the-road) style (5,5): balance and compromise. Managers using this style try to balance between company goals and workers' needs. By giving some concern to both people and production, managers who use this style hope to achieve suitable performance but doing so gives away a bit of each concern so that neither production nor people needs are met.

The sound (previously, team) style (9,9): contribute and commit. In this style, high concern is paid both to people and production. As suggested by the propositions of Theory Y, managers choosing to use this style encourage teamwork and commitment among employees. This method relies heavily on making employees feel themselves to be constructive parts of the company.

The opportunistic style: exploit and manipulate. Individuals using this style, which was added to the grid theory before 1999, do not have a fixed location on the grid. They adopt whichever behaviour offers the greatest personal benefit.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_X

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y-axis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-axis


The paternalistic style: prescribe and guide. This style was added to the grid theory before 1999. In The Power to Change, it was redefined to alternate between the (1,9) and (9,1) locations on the grid. Managers using this style praise and support, but discourage challenges to their thinking.

Description:Leaders may be concerned for their people and they also must also have some concern for the work to be done. The question is, how much attention to they pay to one or the other? This is a model defined by Blake and Mouton in the early 1960s.

Concern for People

HighCountry Club management

Team management

Medium

Middle of the road management

LowImpoverished management

Authority-compliance

Low Medium High

Concern for Production (Task)

Impoverished management:

Minimum effort to get the work done. A basically lazy approach that avoids as much work as possible.



Authority-compliance:

Strong focus on task, but with little concern for people. Focus on efficiency, including the elimination of people wherever possible.

Country Club management:

Care and concern for the people, with a comfortable and friendly environment and collegial style. But a low focus on task may give questionable results.

Middle of the road management:

A weak balance of focus on both people and the work. Doing enough to get things done, but not pushing the boundaries of what may be possible.

Team management:

Firing on all cylinders: people are committed to task and leader is committed to people (as well as task).

Discussion:This is a well-known grid that uses the Task vs. Person preference that appears in many other studies, such as the Michigan Leadership Studies and the Ohio State Leadership Studies. Many other task-people models and variants have appeared since then. They are both clearly important dimensions, but as other models point out, they are not all there is to leadership and management.

The Managerial Grid was the original name. It later changed to the Leadership Grid.

Developed by the founders of our company, Drs. Robert R. Blake and Jane S. Mouton, The Managerial Grid graphic below is a very simple framework that elegantly defines seven basic styles that characterize workplace behavior and the resulting relationships. The seven managerial Grid styles are based on how two fundamental concerns (concern for people and concern for results) are manifested at varying levels

whenever people interact.


http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/actions/ohio_state.htm

http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/actions/michigan.htm

http://changingminds.org/explanations/preferences/task_person.htm


The Seven Managerial Grid Styles:

I expect results and take control by clearly stating a course of action. I enforce rules that sustain high results and do not permit deviation.

I support results that establish and reinforce harmony. I generate enthusiasm by focusing on positive and pleasing aspects of work.

I endorse results that are popular but caution against taking unnecessary risk. I test my opinions with others involved to assure ongoing acceptability.



I distance myself from taking active responsibility for results to avoid getting entangled in problems. If forced, I take a passive or supportive position.

I provide leadership by defining initiatives for myself and others. I offer praise and appreciation for support, and discourage challenges to my thinking.

I persuade others to support results that offer me private benefit. If they also benefit, that’s even better in gaining support. I rely on whatever approach is needed to secure an advantage.

I initiate team action in a way that invites involvement and commitment. I explore all facts and alternative views to reach a shared understanding of the best solution.

Grid Relationship Skills:

The Grid theory translates into practical use through Grid style relationship skills that people experience day in and day out when they work together. These relationship skills depict the typical and vital behaviors for each style that make relationships effective or ineffective. Some behaviors strengthen and motivate teams while others obstruct progress.



Critique - Learning from experience by anticipating and examining how behavior and actions affect results

Initiative - Taking action to exercise shared effort, drive, and support for specific activities

Inquiry - Questioning, seeking information, and testing for understanding

Advocacy - Expressing attitudes, opinions, ideas, and convictions

Decision-Making - Evaluating resources, criteria, and consequences to reach a decision

Conflict Resolution - Confronting and working through disagreements with others toward resolution

Resilience - Reacting to problems, setbacks, and failure, and understanding how these factors influence the ability to move forward

Grid theory makes behaviors as tangible and objective as any other corporate commodity. By studying each of the seven Leadership Grid styles and the resulting relationship skill behaviors, teams can examine, in objective terms, how behaviors help or hurt them. They can explore types of critique that work best for them and why. They can openly discuss how to improve decision-making and conflict resolution skills. These and other subjects usually considered "off limits" in terms of productivity are the very subjects that usually impede productivity. The Grid approach makes these subjects not only "discussable" but measurable in objective terms that generate empathy, motivation to improve, and creativity.


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