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Grievance procedure & hearings
If you’re having a problem at work, such as a dispute with your employer, talk to Tees. We’ll explain your legal rights and options for getting it resolved.
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Workplace grievance meetings: What employees need to know
When should you raise a formal grievance?
If you have concerns or complaints about something that’s happened at work, it’s usually best to try to sort problems out informally. Talk to your employer, starting with your manager – or if they’re the cause of the problem, HR or another manager that you trust. If not suitable for dealing with informally, or matters are not resolved, you may need to raise a formal grievance.
What to expect at a grievance meeting
A grievance meeting or hearing will be the meeting that takes place to consider your formal grievance. This is usually after prior informal attempts to resolve the problem have been unsuccessful.
At the meeting you can communicate your complaint in more detail, share written evidence and ask questions; your employer will also likely ask questions. You will be able to say what it is you want done about the problem; your employer may, reasonably, have already invited to you provide details of your desired outcome. It’s not meant to be an adversarial meeting with two opposing ‘sides’ and both parties should seek to understand and discuss the issues and see how they might be resolved.
After the meeting your employer should respond in writing and if your grievance isn’t upheld, they should tell you that you can appeal.
You can find out more about raising a grievance on the ACAS website.
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I think I’ve been treated unfairly at work – what can I do?
There are very strict time limits for making claims to employment tribunals. You usually have just under three months to make a claim and will need to go through ACAS Early Conciliation first. So if you think you might need to take your employer to an employment tribunal, there’s no time to lose. You need to get expert advice.
How our employment solicitors can help
We can support you with a workplace grievance by:
drafting your grievance
briefing you on the process of the grievance meeting
advising on strategy and planning the key points you need to get across
helping you identify a companion for the meeting – who could be a union representative, or a friend or colleague
advising on an appeal against the decision, if your employer does not uphold your grievance and rectify the situation
advising you on how you might pursue a settlement agreement strategy for exit and enter into a “protected conversation” with your employer, if that’s what you ultimately want
taking your employer to an employment tribunal and other considerations; this is only if it cannot be resolved and you choose to do this; we will advise you on all the options.
Legal and financial advice under one roof
Tees is a top-tier Legal 500 firm offering joined-up legal and financial services. We have our own independent financial advisers (IFAs), who work closely with our lawyers.
Our advisers provide holistic financial planning and as we are not connected to any one provider, we can offer a whole-of-market approach for the range of products we can advise on. We can also give independent advice for a whole range of insurance products to protect you and your family. Our IFAs are regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, which means we’re accountable for the advice we give.
Get in touch today, we’re here to help
If you have concerns about something that has happened at work, it’s important to understand your rights and the options available to you. Our employment lawyers provide clear, practical advice tailored to your circumstances, helping you understand the grievance process, prepare your case and take the right steps to resolve the situation. Where appropriate, we can also advise you on your options if the grievance remains unresolved.
We have offices across Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire, but we can help you wherever you are in England and Wales.
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