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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1990

Paul F. Salipante and René Bouwen

To date, grievance research has made little useof behavioural concepts developed in the literatureon organisational conflict. Such concepts form thebasis for a model of grievance

Abstract

To date, grievance research has made little use of behavioural concepts developed in the literature on organisational conflict. Such concepts form the basis for a model of grievance behaviour that relates the sources of grievances to grievance actions and outcomes. Sources of grievance conflict are explored by analysing interviews with Belgian and American employees concerning their complaints in the workplace. As an alternative to the limiting substantive classifications traditionally used, a categorisation of grievances is presented that corresponds to grievants′ own formulations of the causes of conflict. Applying this categorisation scheme to the interview data revealed that most grievances have multiple sources and that a grievant typically distorts public statements concerning the sources of the grievance. Behavioural analysis of grievances can benefit researcher and practitioner by providing insight into the organisational function of conflict and into employees′ most basic beliefs about their organisation′s values.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 12 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1991

Debra J. Mesch and Dan R. Dalton

Prior work has demonstrated that management enjoys a substantive edge in many grievance cases largely as a function of its discretion to pursue or dismiss these cases as it…

Abstract

Prior work has demonstrated that management enjoys a substantive edge in many grievance cases largely as a function of its discretion to pursue or dismiss these cases as it chooses. Conversely, organized labor has far less discretion in as much as it must pursue serious grievances which may be less viable. It is argued here that grievances “filed in the name of the union” may provide an important exception to this principle. This field assessment of format grievances (N = 538) indicates robust differences in the outcomes of grievances between those “filed in the name of the union” and those filed in the more traditional manner. This tendency may provide some countervailing influence for the grievant to the advantages posited for management.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Article
Publication date: 1 September 2023

Divya Sharma, M. Vimalkumar, Sirish Gouda, Agam Gupta and Vignesh Ilavarasan

Consumers are increasingly choosing social media over other channels and mechanisms for grievance redressal. However, not all social media grievances elicit a response from…

Abstract

Purpose

Consumers are increasingly choosing social media over other channels and mechanisms for grievance redressal. However, not all social media grievances elicit a response from businesses. Hence, in this research the authors aim to explore the effect of the complainant's social characteristics and the complaint's social and content characteristics on the likelihood of receiving a response to a grievance from the business on social media.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors build a conceptual model and then empirically test it to explore the effect of the complainant's characteristics and the complaint's characteristics on the likelihood of response from a business on social media. The authors use data of consumer grievances received by an Indian airline operator on Twitter during two time periods – the first corresponding to lockdown during Covid-19 pandemic, and the second corresponding to the resumption of business as usual following these lockdowns. The authors use logistic regression and the hazard rate model to model the likelihood of response and the response delay, respectively, for social media customer grievances.

Findings

Complainants with high social influence are not more likely to get a response for their grievances on social media. While tagging other individuals and business accounts in a social media complaint has negative effect on the likelihood of business response in both the time periods, the effect of tagging regulatory bodies on the likelihood of response was negative only in the Covid-19 lockdown period. The readability and valence of a complaint were found to positively affect the likelihood of response to a social media grievance. However, the effect of valence was significant only in lockdown period.

Originality/value

This research offers insights on what elicits responses from a service provider to consumers' grievances on social media platforms. The extant literature is a plenty on how firms should be engaging consumers on online media and how online communities should be built, but scanty on grievance redressal on social media. This research is, therefore, likely to be useful to service providers who are inclined to improve their grievance handling mechanisms, as well as, to regulatory authorities and ombudsmen.

Details

Journal of Service Theory and Practice, vol. 33 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2055-6225

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 October 2023

Xiaojing Zheng

This article aims to examine the role of boundaryless career orientation in influencing Internet professionals' strategies toward workplace problems in China's Internet companies…

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to examine the role of boundaryless career orientation in influencing Internet professionals' strategies toward workplace problems in China's Internet companies, which feature prominent problems including excessive overwork. It addresses one question: how do Chinese Internet professionals make grievance strategies?

Design/methodology/approach

This article draws on qualitative data based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 134 employees from 6 representative Chinese Internet companies. The data were collected during 2018-2021 and analyzed with a grounded theory approach.

Findings

This article highlights the role of boundaryless career orientation in explaining Chinese Internet professionals' strategies toward workplace grievances. The author develops a comprehensive model to illustrate how boundaryless career orientation influences four grievance strategies namely, strategic compliance, exit, dissent expression and resistance that correspond to four different motives to advance the professionals' boundaryless career: learning, transferring, relieving and resolving. Internet professionals choose different grievance strategies based on how each option can benefit their boundaryless career goals.

Originality/value

This article is one of the first to bring in boundaryless career orientation as a key factor in explaining Chinese Internet professionals' grievance strategies. It provides a fuller picture than previous studies by showing wide varieties of professionals' grievance behaviors. The finding of high-level boundaryless career orientation among Internet professionals offers insights on how companies can improve employment relations by improving career management practices.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2007

Lawrence Nurse and Dwayne Devonish

The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of workers' demographic characteristics on their perceptions of procedural justice from grievance management. A related aim…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of workers' demographic characteristics on their perceptions of procedural justice from grievance management. A related aim is to determine whether procedural justice perceptions have an impact on perceptions of distributive justice.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a survey of 660 employees across the public and private sectors. Perceptions were measured with the use of a dichotomous scale, and logistic regression analysis was applied to test the relationships between the dependent and independent variables.

Findings

Except for education, demographic characteristics made no significant difference to workers' perceptions of procedural justice afforded by grievance procedures. Perceptions of procedural justice, however, had an impact on perceived distributive justice.

Research limitations/implications

The use of dichotomous response sets prevented the use of factor analysis. Logistic regression analysis compensated for the inability to use ANOVA. Further research is needed to explain why education moreso that any other demographic characteristic would influence procedural justice perceptions of grievance management. Research is also required to isolate the effects of justice perceptions on satisfaction with the trade union and organizational citizenship behaviours.

Practical implications

Failure to pay careful attention to procedural justice can create problems for managers, workers and unions.

Originality/value

This paper highlights the need to pay due attention to procedural justice. It continues a line of inquiry on workplace justice that has only recently been initiated in Barbados.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1992

Debra J. Mesch and Dan R. Dalton

Prior research has argued that management has an advantage in many grievance cases largely because it enjoys the discretion to pursue these cases or otherwise as it chooses…

Abstract

Prior research has argued that management has an advantage in many grievance cases largely because it enjoys the discretion to pursue these cases or otherwise as it chooses. Conversely, organized labor has far less discretion inasmuch as it must pursue serious grievances for which positive outcomes cannot reasonably be expected It was recently demonstrated that grievances “filed in the name of the union” may provide an important exception to this principle. This empirical assessment of arbitration cases (N = 520) extends these arguments from the context of the grievance to that of arbitration, an arguably more valid and generalizable context for such an assessment. The results indicate that “filing in the name of the union” does provide a substantive edge in arbitration outcomes, even while controlling for the various types of arbitration cases.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 3 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1996

Caroline M. Hook, Derek J. Rollinson, Margaret Foot and Janet Handley

Presents the first of two reports which research into the handling styles of supervisors and managers when dealing with disciplinary and grievance situations. Compares the…

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Abstract

Presents the first of two reports which research into the handling styles of supervisors and managers when dealing with disciplinary and grievance situations. Compares the handling styles that they use when dealing with discipline and grievance situations and finds that differences exist in the styles used for the two types of issue. The less serious disciplinary cases seem to attract a fairly prescriptive autocratic style, whereas those which are potentially more serious to the organization tend to be handled with less prescriptive approaches that involve the employee to a greater extent, and it is this approach which theory suggests is more likely to bring about the desired change in the behaviour of the employee. With the exception of cases which pose some threat to managerial authority, the general pattern that emerges for grievances is that they tend to be explored in a less prescriptive way. Describes the research methodology and sets the scene for a further research report.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1990

René Bouwen and Paul F. Salipante

By focusing on grievants′ formulation of theirgrievances, behavioural analysis can further ourunderstanding of grievants′ actions and theirassessment of grievance outcomes…

Abstract

By focusing on grievants′ formulation of their grievances, behavioural analysis can further our understanding of grievants′ actions and their assessment of grievance outcomes. Building on concepts reported in the preceding issue of this journal and examining the grievance reports of over 200 Belgian and American employees, a multi‐episodic model of grievance formulation, actions, outcomes and reformulation is developed and examined. Persistence in pursuing a grievance through several episodes, while risky for the grievant, was positively related to the grievant′s satisfaction with outcomes. This effect is explained by increased opportunities for reformulation, including learning which action strategies are most likely to lead to success. Successful action strategies differed between Belgian and US contexts, in ways consistent with their structural and institutional characteristics. Implications for researchers and third party intervenors include the need to manage grievances in a manner that favourably influences grievants′ beliefs about the organisation.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1995

Kelly L. Cleyman, Steve M. Jex and Kevin G. Love

Using the Leader‐Member Exchange (LMX) model as a guide, this study examined the relationship between the quality of information exchange between an employee and his or her…

Abstract

Using the Leader‐Member Exchange (LMX) model as a guide, this study examined the relationship between the quality of information exchange between an employee and his or her immediate supervisor and the intention to file grievances. One hundred twenty‐five unionized automotive employees completed a measure of quality of information exchange and responded to eight vignettes representing hypothetical work situations. Employees rated each vignette in terms of their intention to file a grievance if faced with that situation. It was hypothesized that employees who perceived a high quality information exchange relationship with their supervisors would be less likely to file grievances than employees who perceived a low quality information exchange relationship. When the intent to file measure was aggregated across all vignettes, the hypothesis was supported When the vignettes were categorized into three different types of grievance situations through a principal components analysis, quality of information exchange was related only to grievance filing over issues pertaining to time at work. Implications of these findings for both employee grievance research and grievance prevention are discussed.

Details

The International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 3 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1055-3185

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1997

Julie B. Olson‐Buchanan

This paper examines the relation between several attitudinal and performance measures and the decision to file a grievance in an organizational simulation. Results were consistent…

Abstract

This paper examines the relation between several attitudinal and performance measures and the decision to file a grievance in an organizational simulation. Results were consistent with predictions derived from previous research. Employees who valued their compensation and were satisfied with their performance were likely to file a grievance against their manager. Conversely, employees who were highly satisfied with their job and judged the selection process and performance evaluation systems to be fair were not likely to file a grievance. Implications of these results for future research are discussed.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 8 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

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