The Effectiveness of Employee Grievance Investigations at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE)

Description

Page: 140-146

Lamola, K.M. and Majam, T. (Public Management & Governance, University of Johannesburg, South Africa)

Employees are reporting their various grievances in South African public service institutions; however, grievances are common even in private institutions. It is for this reason that the study investigated the effectiveness of employee grievance investigations at the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) in Gauteng Province. To achieve all these the researcher followed a qualitative research method, whereby semi-structured questionnaires and interviews were utilised to collect primary data. Both semi-structured questionnaires and interviews were designed in the form of open-ended questions. The study aimed to investigate what should be done to effectively manage employees’ grievances in the DFFE. The article is guided by the theory of Participative Decision Making (PDM) which emphasises a key aspect of control in the workplace and applied to grievances. This theory specifies not only when investigators should get involved but also what role the administrator should play based on the circumstances surrounding the grievance decision. The findings of the article showed that grievances differ and require different approaches to be resolved, with some being difficult and time-consuming to resolve, while others being simple to investigate. The article further discovered that DFFE follows rules and regulations and that sometimes investigators handle simple grievances that can be resolved through communication, while others require actual investigations. From the findings, it can be suggested that investigators should involve all role players in resolving employees’ grievance cases, and employees must be informed of the status of their grievances.