Abstract:
Organizations inevitably face grievances from dissatisfied employees or groups due to
current working conditions or interactions with colleagues. Since Kenya's health sector
underwent devolution following the 2010 constitution, addressing employee concerns has
become more complex. This study aimed to assess how grievance handling impacts staff
performance at Kenyan public hospitals, focusing on Longisa Referral Hospital in Bomet
County. The objectives were to evaluate the influence of grievance handling procedures,
styles, and prevention strategies on employee performance. Using a case study design, the
study surveyed 307 employees at Longisa Referral Hospital, employing a census approach
due to the accessible and manageable population size. Questionnaires were used to gather
primary data, which was then analyzed using descriptive statistics to calculate percentages
and frequencies, Pearson correlation to evaluate relationships, and Chi-square analysis to
identify linkages. Frequency tables were used to present the data. The outcomes showed
that employee performance at Longisa Referral Hospital and grievance management
procedures had a high positive connection (r = 0.820, P-value = 0.000). In a similar vein,
employee performance and grievance management techniques showed a strong positive
association (r = 0.547, P-value = 0.000), and employee performance and grievance
prevention strategies showed a noteworthy correlation (r = 0.616, P-value = 0.000). Chi-
square analysis revealed that all three of the null hypotheses were rejected, indicating that
respondents thought grievance management practices, approaches, and preventative
measures were essential to worker performance. The study recommended that
organizations implement effective grievance handling protocols, adopt proactive grievance
management methods, and establish robust grievance prevention strategies to enhance
employee performance. These findings are anticipated to improve grievance management
practices across public health facilities in Kenya.
Key Words: Grievance handling, grievance handling procedure, grievance handling
styles, grievance prevention strategies, employee’s performance and referral hospital.
