[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-177119-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":81,"doc-detail-177119-en":127},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","handling-grievances-workplace-grievance-procedure-guide","Handling Grievances - Workplace Grievance Procedure Guide","","Workplace grievance handling guide outlining what qualifies as a grievance under a contract, how to distinguish discipline, contract interpretation, law violations, past practice, employer rules, and informal complaints. Provides step-by-step guidance for investigating potential grievances with objective interviews, witness statements, document requests, contract and policy review, precedent checks, impact assessment, strategy selection, and remedy determination. Includes interview language examples and practical recording requirements, including the Six W’s.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/","Template",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/","Letters",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/handling-grievances-workplace-grievance-procedure-guide/177119/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/handling-grievances-workplace-grievance-procedure-guide/177119.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Rhys","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document","2026-10-19","2026-09-02",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",8,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What counts as a grievance under a contract?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Grievances are defined under the contract and generally involve violations of the contract or an employer’s rules. Common types include discipline and contract interpretation, as well as employer rules violations.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How should a potential grievance be investigated?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Investigate with an open, objective mind. Interview the grievant and witnesses, request relevant documents and personnel records, review contract provisions and applicable laws or policies, and determine remedy and who can resolve the issue.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What language can be used during interviews to ensure clear facts?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Use neutral prompts such as asking for more details, examples, exact words used, and clarification of timing and location. Summarize what was heard to confirm accuracy, and ask about rules, prior occurrences, and other people involved.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},177119,1789973915,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,89,94,99,104,109,114,118,123],{"id":85,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":86,"show_sort_weight":87,"slug":88},11,"Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":90,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":91,"show_sort_weight":92,"slug":93},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":95,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":100,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":105,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":110,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":115,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},18,30,"letters",{"id":119,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":124,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":126},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":128},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":129,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":130,"doc_module":22,"category_id":115,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":131,"file_id":132,"file_url":133,"file_type":134,"file_size":135,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":136,"language":137,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":138,"faqs":139,"seo_title":140,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":141,"read_time":26},687207024643,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_3d24733baf745e90a7e4bdd5f77d97b2","HANDLING GRIEVANCES\n1.\tWhat is a Grievance?\nGrievances are defined under the contract. Be sure to know your timelines for filing a grievance and moving the grievance to the next step, if necessary. Generally, grievances are limited to violations of the contract and violations of an employer’s rules. Types of grievances include:\nDiscipline\nAn employee might be disciplined for insubordination, gross misconduct, or something \tmore general. Most contracts require that discipline must be for just cause and \tgrievances allege that the discipline was not given for just cause.\nContract Interpretation\nThe grievance alleges that a provision of the contract, other than the just cause provision, was violated.\n(\tViolation of Federal, State or Local Laws\nHere you might have the option of filing a grievance or going to the appro\u001fpriate government agency to get redress or both.\n(\tPast Practice in the Workplace\nThis can be the basis for a grievance, particularly in areas where the con\u001ftract is silent or unclear, where a past practice has been violated by management, an employee may have a real grievance. But, to be consid\u001fered a past practice, the circumstances must have been repeated over an extend\u001fed period of time; accepted explicitly or implicitly by both workers and management e.g., by verbal agreement or in writing, without either side formally objecting; or while violating the contract, neither side has demand\u001fed that this part of the contract be enforced.\n(\tEmployer's Rules\nThe grievance alleges that an employer’s rule was violated.\nComplaint\nEmployees often have individual complaints that don’t always rise to grievances. \tComplaints about fellow employees, personal troubles, complaints about a bad \tsupervisor and other workplace concerns. A formal grievance may not be the answer, \tbut the complaint should still be addressed, and other action, if warranted, should be \texplored.\n2.\tInvestigating a Potential Grievance\nInvestigate with an open mind. Don’t personalize issues or prejudge the grievance’s merits. Maintain an objective attitude.\nInterview the grievant and listen carefully to the grievant’s story. Interview witnesses and management. Get a written statement from witnesses, if possible. Keep written records of the interviews.\nMake information requests. Ask for all relevant information and documents from management. Request a copy of the personnel file. Request any other management records needed.\nReview relevant contract provisions, side letters, relevant law or regulations, and the organizations polices or rules.\nCheck previous grievance settlements for precedents. In past practice cases, identify as many examples of the past practice as possible. Obtain first-hand accounts.\nDetermine if the problem impacts others in the workplace.\nDetermine the remedy.\nDetermine who can resolve the issue.\nDetermine the best strategy for resolving the issue (informal discussion, filing a grievance, demand to bargain, a group action, an organized protest, going to the board of directors, filing a complaint with a regulatory body).\nCheck experiences of other stewards in similar cases.\n3.\tGood Language to Use When Interviewing\n“I’m taking notes to help me understand and remember facts.”\n“If I ask questions management will ask, it’s because I need to know the answers to represent you well.”\n“Can you tell me more about what happened?”\n“What do you think management will say happened?”\n“I’m not sure I know what you mean by that.”\n“How do you know that?”\n“Are there any rules about that where you work?”\n“Did that happen before or after ______?”\n“How do you know what time it was when that happened?”\n“I want to be sure I understand the sequence of events, is this right….”\n“What were the exact words you (they) used?”\n“Tell me about anything like this that happened to you or someone else”\n“Who saw what happened?”  “Who else should I talk to?”\n“Why do you think this happened?”\n“Can you give me an example of what you mean?\n“How many times did it happen?”\n“Exac","cbCaiabxwF3simGJ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiabxwF3simGJ","docx",30968,6,"English","# Handling Grievances\n## What is a Grievance?\n## Investigating a Potential Grievance\n## Good Language to Use When Interviewing\n## Recording the Grievance","[{\"question\":\"What counts as a grievance under a contract?\",\"answer\":\"Grievances are defined under the contract and generally involve violations of the contract or an employer’s rules. Common types include discipline and contract interpretation, as well as employer rules violations.\"},{\"question\":\"How should a potential grievance be investigated?\",\"answer\":\"Investigate with an open, objective mind. Interview the grievant and witnesses, request relevant documents and personnel records, review contract provisions and applicable laws or policies, and determine remedy and who can resolve the issue.\"},{\"question\":\"What language can be used during interviews to ensure clear facts?\",\"answer\":\"Use neutral prompts such as asking for more details, examples, exact words used, and clarification of timing and location. Summarize what was heard to confirm accuracy, and ask about rules, prior occurrences, and other people involved.\"}]","Handling Grievances - Workplace Grievance Procedure Guide | DOCX",1788326607]