As it can be seen from the definitions of grievance, it arises out of something that causes dissatisfaction or discontent to one’s employment. As such, there cannot be a precise set of the causes of grievances applicable to all organisations. In fact, the causes of grievances are likely to differ from organisation to organisation.
Chandra’ in his study found the following areas as the causes of employee grievances:
3. Continuity of service
5. Disciplinary action
9. Medical benefits
10. Nature of job
12. Recovery of dues
13. Safety appliances
18. Condition of work
However, whatever be the causes of grievances, they tend to fall under the following categories:
1. Concerning Working Conditions:
(i) Unsafe and unpleasant working conditions.
(ii) Inadequate toilet facilities, dirty toilets, etc.
(iii) Non- availability of necessary raw material, tools and machines,
(iv) Misfit between worker’s ability and job
2. Concerning Management Policy and Practices:
(i) Wage rate and its payment
(vi) Fines, punishments and penalties.
3. Concerning Violation of Rules and Regulations:
(i) Organisational rules and regulations
(ii) Civic laws
(iii) Past practices
(iv) Procedure of collective bargaining
4. Concerning Personality Traits:
(i) Fault-finding attitude
(iii) Mental tension
(iv) Negative approach to life
(v) Excessive ego feelings
The two American experts have classified the causes of grievances into the following three categories:
1. Management Policy and Practices
2. Trade Union Practices
3. Personality Traits
A brief description of these follows:
Management Policy and Practices:
At times, the particular style of management also gives rise to grievances. The autocratic or bureaucratic style of management, for example, is hardly liked by the educated workers. They favour the participative style of management. . So to say, the management styles need to be adapted in accordance to the composition of workforce forming a specific situational context.
Closely related to management styles is a management practice also leading to grievances. It is often found that if the implementation falls short of the intended policy, it also gives rise to grievances
Added to this may be the managerial ambiguities in personnel policies which may also lead to employee grievances. Matters such as employee compensation, seniority, overtime, transfer, etc., are the common instances of ambiguities that lead to employee grievances.
Much also depends on the supervisory practices experimented in an organisation. For example, if the supervisory style is inconsistent in the implementation of personnel policies, biased in application of organisational rules, regulations and decisions, indifferent in attitude toward employees union, etc., all these boil down to build pressure on employees. Such pressure ultimately results in employee grievances.
It is found that where there are multiple of unions with different political affiliation work in an organisation, they remain engaged in constant jostling and lobbying the workers for gaining strengths in numerical terms. In practice, workers join a union which, in their opinion, has concern for their welfare.
It is with this consideration, the unions take grievance machinery as an important vehicle to show their real concern for workers welfare. Expectedly, the unions are then found sometimes inclined to encourage workers for filing of grievances with an objective to demonstrate the advantage of joining the particular union. The workers are, therefore, found tempted to express their grievances, may not be real grievances.
Sometimes, an individual worker’s personality traits also have a bearing on the emergence of grievances. Traits such as over ambition, excessive self-esteem, grumbling and fault finding attitude, mental tension, etc., are illustrations of personality traits leading to employee grievances.
Besides, the atmosphere at a time prevalent may also contribute to grievances. For example, when an antagonistic atmosphere prevails in and around, it may result in even a trivial matter being blown out of proportion. But the same in a cooperative and congenial atmosphere would not even have been noticed at all.