Defining a Grievance: A Theoretical Examination of An Old Issue

Abstract

This conceptual study attempted to fill a gap in the theoretical knowledge about employee grievances in terms of having a synthesized description and explanation of defining a grievance, and furthermore to solve an intellectual puzzle to uncover whether the term Grievance has been defined in the existent literature in the way that is more appropriate to today’s business context. Six research questions were formulated and they were answered systematically by following a desk research strategy. 25 definitions from the literature were examined, 11 common characteristics were identified and listed, and based on the derived characteristics, a content analysis was done. The study yielded several findings consistent with the formulated six research questions and they are: there is no generally accepted definition for the term grievance; it is possible to identify and list 11 common characteristics which derive from or which are included in the definitions considered for the study; different classifications of grievances exist in the existent literature such as informal and formal, valid and invalid, expressed and unexpressed, and individual and collective; it is possible to classify existent definitions as narrow and broad, and except the five definitions all other definitions (20) examined were narrow; only expressed dissatisfactions need to be dealt with in managing employee grievances because of several valid reasons; and finally it is appropriate for an organization to consider generally work-related grievances for the organizational effort in solving grievances, and consider non-work related grievances as a voluntary method of grievance handling through employee counseling.