While employers are not legally obligated to provide their employees with an internal grievance procedure, many choose to do so in an effort to satisfy employee complaints and to stave off union organizing campaigns. Employees who feel they have no way to voice their workplace problems and concerns are more likely to turn to a union for assistance in doing so. On the other hand, employees who are satisfied that their employer is concerned about issues affecting them and will make a good-faith effort to resolve legitimate grievances are less likely to be interested in a union or in filing a lawsuit. The problem solving procedure, contained in the first sample, which can be found by clicking on the Forms and Policies tab at the top of this page, is designed for employers who are relatively free from concerns about unionization, while the fair treatment procedure, contained in the second sample, which reads more like a typical collective bargaining agreement grievance procedure, is designed for employers with a greater expectation of union organizational activities.
An internal grievance procedure may also be advantageous to an employer in the discrimination context. An employee who has access to an internal complaint procedure may...
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