Final answer:
A step-review system refers to the structured process where employee complaints can be addressed through successively higher levels of management, contributing to a merit-based and fair workplace.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding a Step-Review System
A step-review system is based on a pre-established set of steps for review of employee complaints by successively higher levels of management. It involves a series of management levels that can be approached by an employee to resolve grievances which may start from the immediate supervisor and could escalate to higher levels including human resources and senior executives. This system is part of the overall performance appraisal and employee feedback mechanisms that organizations employ to ensure fairness, professionalism, and to underline merit-based assessment in the workplace.
Performance appraisals and grievance mechanisms are geared towards maintaining a merit-based system which protects employees against managerial abuses and towards making the bureaucracy more efficient. By providing an avenue for employees to escalate complaints, it ensures that grievances are heard and addressed appropriately, which can ultimately contribute to a more transparent and accountable organizational culture.
Such systems also align with the growing trend of flat organizational structures, where feedback and communication are encouraged across all levels, and the manager/employee relationship is more of a partnership directed at achieving the organization's broader goals.