Grievances

Difficulties may arise at various points in the employment relationship, the grievance procedure is there to ensure that these challenges are dealt with fairly and consistently. For this reason, employers need procedures that support both the employer’s and employee's perspective. If an employee feels comfortable to come the speak to you with any concerns this could be an informal grievance, which is usually solved with a chat. Sometimes, it may be appropriate to follow a formal procedure.

Here are a few useful tips when following the grievance procedure:

• In most cases, the employee will raise a grievance in writing to their line manager. Going forward, you should consider who will investigate if needed, who will hold the grievance meeting and who will hold the appeal if the desired outcome is not reached.
• You should then invite the employee to a grievance meeting. In the letter, it is important to outline the details of the grievance and inform an employee if a grievance has been made against them.
• You may need to hold investigations, to understand the full details surrounding the grievance. You should mention to any witnesses that the notes can be anonymised and information can be redacted.
• Once investigations are complete, the investigator will need to complete an analysis and recommended the next steps. The leader will then make a decision and identify a resolution.

You must inform the employee of the resolution in writing. If this is not the outcome they desired, they do have the right to appeal to a senior manager or director.