What is a Grievance Interview?

A grievance interview is a meeting held between a company’s management and one or more of its employees to discuss concerns regarding company policy, procedure, practice, or personnel.

Human resources professionals are often charged with conducting employee interviews, which can help mitigate or eliminate misunderstandings between parties.

Employees can request a grievance if they are not happy with some policy and work. The employee must write down the issue and submit it to the appropriate management department to initiate the process.

The employee can appeal a meeting by providing a written grievance to an immediate supervisor, a human resources rep, or an Equal Employment Opportunity officer at the company.

Grievance interviews can be difficult, and determining the steps to take in response to an incident of discrimination or harassment requires knowledge, experience, and careful reflection.

What are the main causes of Grievances?

• Economic: These employee grievances are usually salary related. It can be issues like late payments, unfair compensation, arrears or hikes, etc.
• Work Environment: Sometimes the physical work environment can hamper employee work. It can be related to office equipment malfunctions, heat or cold conditions, appliances, etc.
• Supervisory: When employees feel that their supervisors are being unfair, they can have grievance meetings.
• Employee Relations: In-team relationships are important. But when employees have issues with fellow team members on an ongoing task or project, they can take it up with HR.
• Policy Changes: If there are any sudden policy changes in the company that employees are not on board with, they can address the issue in the meeting.

What are the steps in a Grievance interview?

1. An investigation by HR: HR will go through the raised complaints and investigate deeply to understand the personal view of employees about the policy concerned.
2. Face to face interview: The interviewer will listen to the employee’s side of the story and then confirm with the employee the details of the complaint. It is important to ask questions to discover all the facts.
3. Post-interview: The HR rep may have to consult with the EEO officer or other supervisors before taking the decision.

Grievance Interview – FAQs

How do I prepare for a grievance interview?

A grievance interview can be daunting for any employee. But be prepared and note down all your issues to articulate it better. Stay calm in any situation and take a companion with you if possible.

How do you conduct a grievance interview?

Before taking a grievance interview, prepare the questions you would want to ask the employee. Do not make up your mind about an issue until you have had proper data or evidence backing it. Be empathetic towards the employee raising the issue and try to reach a possible solution.

What is the objective of a grievance interview?

The objective of grievance interview is for an employee to raise any concerns or issues they face at work. The grievance interview is between an employee and a manager (or an HR representative).