Grievance Procedure – A Manager’s Guide

A grievance raised by an employee can strike fear into any seasoned manager.  It can be a stressful and upsetting situation and cause considerable disruption to the business. How the issue is handled makes a huge difference to the outcome, even if the grievance is not upheld.  Following the correct steps is vital.

In the first instance, employees should be encouraged to raise their complaint informally and attempts made to discuss and resolve the issue without the need for a formal grievance procedure.  In some circumstances, if the issue is too serious, if the grievance is made against someone senior within the business or informal discussions don’t reach a resolution, a formal grievance hearing may be required.

We advise all companies to have their own grievance procedure in place so that everyone understands how to raise a formal grievance and what the process is.  We can help put this together if you don’t yet have one.  At the very least your document should cover the ACAS code of conduct on disciplinary and grievance procedures.   The diagram below gives a top line overview of this process, that should be followed once a grievance has been made. (Formal grievances should be submitted in writing covering the nature of the grievance, evidence to support it and what action they are expecting).

It is important that written records are kept at every stage of the process and ideally an HR professional should be involved.  Having evidence that a fair and correct formal grievance procedure has been followed will be vital when delivering any outcome, and in the event that the case ends up at an employment tribunal.

If you require independent HR support with a grievance procedure, Pure Human Resources provide experienced and unbiased advice to support you through the process.

For experienced and pragmatic HR advice to help you deal with any grievance or disciplinary issues, on a great value pay-as-you-go basis, get in touch today.

You may also be interested in attending one of our Disciplinary and Grievance training courses.  These one day sessions are suitable for anyone with line management responsibility and offer a more in-depth overview of disciplinary, grievance and dismissal processes.  We also offer courses on a wide range of other people management, personal development and business improvement topics.

See also our guide to Disciplinary Procedure