Employee Relation - disciplinary & grievance procedures Outline

Employee Relation - disciplinary & grievance procedures - Outline Example Such a procedure enables the employees to have a formal means of complaint about their terms and conditions, working environment, and related issues. Just like grievance procedure, disciplinary action is also meant to resolve issues that are deemed to be in violation of the organisation’s code of conduct in order to improve their performance. If such issues are unresolved, they may lead to conflicts among the members of the organisation and these are counterproductive. Therefore, the role of the disciplinary and grievances procedure is to set the benchmarks that can guide the behaviour of the members in an organisation. Hawkins (1979) posits to the effect that these procedures in an organisation are meant to influence the behaviour of management, employees and trade union representatives in a defined situation to abide by a certain code of conduct. In short, the main purpose of procedures is to have an agreed set of rules which can be used to channel any discussion with regards to issues reflecting discontent through appropriate mechanisms towards finding a resolution. In most cases, matters pertaining to disciplinary and grievance issues are expected to be resolved informally at lower levels in an organisation. However, it must be noted that these procedures are hierarchical in nature. Such issues are first dealt with by the line manager. If the matter has not been resolved, then mediation is considered as a viable option. If there is no solution in sight to the contentious issues, then the matter is raised formally through the disciplinary and grievance procedures for consideration by the top management. Such procedures have been designed in a way to delineate a proper channel that can be followed by a complainant to have his or her issue solved in a formal way. Likewise, every organisation is structured in a particular way and this structure helps to shape the behaviour as

Short story analiysis- Hills Like White Elephants,by Ernest Hemingway Essay

Short story analiysis- Hills Like White Elephants,by Ernest Hemingway - Essay Example On this side there was no shade and no trees...It was very hot and the express from Barcelona would come in forty minutes†(Hemingway). The imagery of this hot and humid setting creates the idea of a large expanse with nowhere to run or hide from the heat. This creates a feeling of uneasiness, discomfort, and even slight claustrophobia for both the reader and the characters. Additionally, the hills are introduced here which proves to be an important point later on in the story. The hills are not only apart of the imagery that occurs within the story, but also are an important symbol as well. The female character, referred to as Jig, notices these hills: They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry. ‘They look like white elephants,’ she said†(Hemingway). The hills come to symbolize the ultimate issue that lies between the man and woman within the story. It is inferred that the woman is pregnant and that the man is taking her to get an abortion. The hills are a symbol of this conflict. The female character brings up the hills and how they look like white elephants; however, later on in the story, she changes her tune about them: ‘They’re lovely hills,’ she said. ‘They don’t really look like white elephants. I just meant the colouring of their skin through the trees’†(Hemingway). Ultimately, these comments about the hills are symbolic of the female’s feelings about the abo rtion. With her first comment about the hills, it appears that she is not really in control of her life, simply making observations as life passes her by. However, when she takes back this comment about the hills at the end, it represents the doubts that she is having about having this abortion and represents her desire to ponder her options, instead of acting hastily. The alcohol is also an important symbol within the story. Both the male