If a nurse encounters a problem at work, she or he has a fair chance to resolve it. All she needs to do is to deal with it quickly. In short, grievances can be the concerns, issues, or complaints that an employee raises with his/her employer in an organization. Although there is no legally binding process to follow while trying to raise or handle a grievance at the job, there are still some principles that have to be noted. In any circumstance, ensuring to follow the right grievance process is important. Here are some general pieces of information and tips to have to go about the grievance process.

Ways to Appeal:

A grievance procedure is a process by which the employee can question or appeal against a decision by someone at a higher level. In this line, one must remember that by raising a grievance with the person who supervises or evaluates the grievance-raising person, the particular individual’s job security will be at risk. Therefore, they should take the chance of dealing with it quickly and in an informal way. In normal practice, going through an informal way to resolve the issue is taken as a first step in the grievance process.

Try resolving informally:

It’s advisable for an employee to try to solve the issues informally before formally lodging a grievance. The informal methods of resolving disputes will be provided by the employer’s policies. The most common informal method to resolve an issue is found to be mediation. In this, the individual who wishes to raise a grievance would take the help of an impartial third person to help the people in the dispute. This mediation might help reach an agreement between the people in dispute. Generally, the method of mediation is found to be advantageous by enabling both parties to share what they feel about the problem. If they come to mutual terms with each other, then the problem is solved.

While some of the informal grievance processes will be helpful, sometimes there will not be any resolution arrived upon. In such cases, the second step, which is the first formal grievance approach, has to be taken.

Try resolving it formally:

Remember, the formal grievance processes are highly structured and there will be a series of steps to be followed.

Take complaints further:

Before starting with the formal grievance procedure, one must try to understand what she wants to achieve by taking out the grievance formally. After finding out whether the formal grievance process will take the person to achieve the desired goal, she or he can move forward with the process. To know more about the formal grievance in aparticular healthcare facility, one can go through the employee handbook. In the grievance guidelines section, one can find answers to the following questions:

• What is grievable?
• Who can make use of the formal grievance process?
• Is the grievance should be in writing?

The employees can also find a potential sample of the grievance form that is to be used for filing grievance.

Inform the employer:

Now, it’s time to file the grievance. In the grievance form that is available, one should include the following details:

• Reasons for grievance
• Supporting data and/or evidence
• Details of informal grievance process
• Suggested actions
• Desired goals

Hearing with the employer:

Once the grievance has been filed, the employer would carry out the hearing process to find out the facts of the particular case. Therefore, the person who files a grievance should expect a formal meeting with the employer as early as possible. This process is formally called as “grievance hearing”. The person who files the grievance should be able to make a reasonable stand during this hearing. She or he can even take a coworker or a representative along with them for the meeting. In any circumstances, the person should make every possible effort to be at the meeting. Herein, the person will be given the chance to explain the problems and give possible suggestions towards resolving the issue.

Expect the action:

It’s natural for the employer to take the time to consider the issue and the evidence submitted. They might have to discuss with the other parties and take advice from them. In such cases, the employer will provide the time range for the next step. However, they should communicate their decision in a writing format as early as possible.

Appeal against the decision:

If the action the employer has taken is not acceptable to the individual, she can always go for appealing. However, before doing that, checking with local policies is really important. Here again, timescales will be there for each step.

Preserving the Position:

Although going through a grievance procedure is important, it’s equally important for anyone to preserve the current position. The record of disagreement with an employer could affect the person. Therefore, preserving the current position is crucial. Get the same in a written document so that if any action goes against the person, he or she can report it to the state’s board of nursing.

The grievance process should not be anything to avoid. This is the structural process that could save a job, while at the same time, find solutions for problems in the workplace.