Grievance resolution time: formula and example

Formula

Worked example

A textile mill in Coimbatore closed 8 grievances in the July to September 2026 quarter. They took 3, 5, 12, 7, 2, 30, 6 and 4 days from the date raised to closure. The 30-day case involved a disputed overtime payment spread across two months.

1. Total days = 3 + 5 + 12 + 7 + 2 + 30 + 6 + 4 = 69
2. Average resolution time = 69 / 8 = 8.63 days (8.625 rounded to 2 decimals)
3. Median: in order 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 30, so the median = (5 + 6) / 2 = 5.5 days

Setting and tracking a resolution standard

Write a grievance procedure that states who handles each type of grievance, how it is escalated and the target number of days for each step, and check whether your establishment must also have a Grievance Redressal Committee under the Industrial Relations Code. Measure against your own targets and your own previous quarters. Track the age of open grievances too, because a low average among closed cases can hide a few that were never closed.

Average, median and grievance type

Grievance times are usually skewed: most close quickly and a few take much longer. The median shows the typical experience, while the average shows the weight of long cases. Split the figures by type, such as pay, leave, shift allocation, supervisor behaviour and facilities, because each needs a different owner. Complaints of sexual harassment follow the separate process of the Internal Committee under the POSH Act and should never be mixed into general grievance metrics.

• Average and median days to close, by grievance type.
• Open grievances older than your target.
• Share of grievances escalated beyond the first level.

Pitfalls in grievance data

Grievances raised verbally and never recorded do not appear in any metric, so give employees a simple way to raise them in writing, including in their own language. Closing a case when a reply is sent, rather than when the issue is actually resolved, flatters the numbers. Keep grievance records confidential, and never use the metric in a way that discourages people from raising concerns.

How to improve it

• Publish a simple grievance procedure with named contacts and target days for each step.
• Record every grievance in writing on the day it is raised, with a reference number.
• Give first-level owners, such as supervisors and HR executives, authority to fix routine issues quickly.
• Review open grievances weekly and escalate any that pass the target.
• Fix the root cause of repeated grievances, such as recurring payroll errors.

Tracking it in ZeniaHR

ZeniaHR does not have a grievance module, so HR keeps a grievance register outside the system with the dates raised and closed. ZeniaHR can cut common grievances at the source: employees see the attendance rules in plain sentences, their leave balances and their payslips in My Self-Service, and can raise attendance corrections instead of disputing deductions later.

Frequently asked questions