Red Tape, Green Tape & Grievance Policy in Local Government Leisha DeHart-Davis, UNC-School of Government
Dec 24, 2015
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