Red Tape, Green Tape & Grievance Policy in Local GovernmentLeisha DeHart-Davis, UNC-School of Government

Research Overview

Importance of Grievance Policy Research Questions Research Design Results Recommendations Next Steps

Importance of Grievance Policy

Manage legal risk Data Fairness Employee voice Potential conflict resolution

Research Questions

How common are grievance policies & rates?

How are grievance policies designed?

What factors influence grievance rates?

How do grievances affect local government organizations?

Research Design

NC cities and counties Research-for-training swap Interviews Surveys– Online Qualtrics survey– 78% county response rate– 19% city response rate

How Common Are Grievance Policies?

Almost all counties 84% of responding

cities – 40% have just cause

standard for termination

How Many Grievances Were Filed?

Average 1%-2% of workforce grieves

Average 4 weeks to resolve

Wrongful termination most common

How Are Grievance Policies Designed?

Retaliation protection Opportunity for employee

to provide evidence Maximum timeframes Purpose of grievance policy

How Are Grievance Policies Designed?

Peer review committees (25%)

Mediation (62%) Bypass supervisor (62%)

Key Findings

Lack of basic HR data GrievanceTurnover Training – Upheld decisions– Departmental resolution

Key Findings

Employee surveys/performance appraisalsgrievances

Grievance policies effective, sometimes not understood

Policy revisions correlate with perceptions of better grievance policies

Grievable Issues in NC Local Government

Grievance-Related Innovations

Mediation Ombuds Zero-Fault Grievances Employee-Driven Policy Design

Recommendations

Collect HR data Periodically revise grievance policy Train Employee-centered workplace

Limitations of the Research

Small sample and item response size Correlation≠causation Generalizability to union settings

Questions Raised By Research

Are grievance processes really conflict resolvers?

Does mediation truly have no affect on grievance outcomes?

What key outlets for employee voice are most effective for reducing grievance?

Questions About Research