Grievance Policy Guide

When a grievance occurs, a good policy can be the difference between a tribunal and successful resolution. But what should you include in it? And how can you execute it effectively?

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is a grievance policy?

It’s a document that determines what your business procedure is in the event of an employee complaint.

The purpose of it is to inform everyone how employee grievances will be dealt with. And, you’re legally required to have one and share it with your staff.

An employee can raise a grievance on a range of matters, including:

• Discrimination
• Health & safety
• Conflict
• Employment conditions
• Breaches of policy

However, in more severe cases, such as gross misconduct or discrimination, you may need to refer to different policies.

What should a grievance policy contain?

There are a few key clauses that you should always include. These are:

• Details of who the employee raising the grievance should contact
• The name of the person to contact in the event the first person is involved in the grievance or is unavailable
• An explanation that the company will attempt to resolve the issue informally first
• An explanation that problems will be taken to a grievance hearing if informal methods fail
• Details of employees’ rights, including the legal right to be accompanied into meeting by a colleague or union representative
• Time limits for each stage of the formal procedure
• How to appeal a decision

Once you’ve created your grievance resolution policy, include it in your employment contracts or your employee handbook.

If you fail to produce your own procedure, you must rely on the Acas grievance policy.

Grievance policy example

When an employee makes a formal complaint you should follow a formal procedure. You should then outline this in your policy. Deciding what to include however, can be tricky.

That’s why we’ve produced a sample grievance policy for you. Download yours by clicking the button below.