Abstract
Employee grievance investigation is one of the most crucial challenges in Labour Relations (LR)
or Human Resource (HR) management in public sector departments such as the National
Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment (DFFE). The DFFE in Gauteng province has
implemented grievance investigation processes in 2002 to ensure that employees can report and
lodge grievances about unfair labour practices, unfair treatment, sexual harassment, and bullying
in the workplace, among other things. Grievances are established and supported by Public
Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) Resolution 14 of 2002 (Grievance Rules in the
Public Service—Section C: Managing Grievances), which provides guidelines for resolving
grievances in the public service and indicates that issues should be addressed by an employee
and as close to the source of origin as possible. It also ensures that no employees are victimised
or prejudiced as a result of filing a grievance, either directly or indirectly. Therefore, the study
assesses the effectiveness of grievance investigations at the DFFE by examining how employee
grievances are being managed and how effective the DFFE is at investigating employee
grievances. In order to meet the study's objectives, the researcher made use of a qualitative
research method. Data was gathered from investigators and senior officials in the department's
LR unit using face-to-face, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Despite this, research
was carried out in DFFE to better understand the effectiveness of grievance investigation
committees, procedures, and stakeholders involved. The study discovered that grievance
investigations have a significant impact on employees. For example the vast majority of
respondents stated that the absence of stakeholders (public managers) responsible for
grievances delays the progress of investigations. Furthermore, even though there were gaps, it
was established that all respondents understood their roles and the processes of grievance
investigation in the department. The researcher contends that the absence of external panel
members has a significant impact on the outcomes of employee grievance investigations, and it
is recommended that responsible and unbiased external LR officials form part of the panel during
grievance investigations to avoid favouritism.