Grievance Procedures: A Complete UK Guide

A grievance procedure is the process an employer provides for an employee to raise a concern, problem or complaint at work — about anything from pay and workload to bullying, harassment or how they have been treated. The standard for handling grievances fairly is the Acas Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures: the employee raises the grievance, usually in writing; the employer holds a meeting to discuss it, at which the employee can be accompanied; the employer responds with a decision; and the employee can appeal. Handling grievances properly matters in two directions: an unreasonable failure to follow the Acas Code can increase a tribunal award by up to 25%, and ignoring a serious grievance can itself breach trust and confidence and lead to a constructive dismissal claim. This guide explains, for employees and employers, what a grievance is, how the procedure works, and how to handle one well on both sides.

What a grievance is

A grievance is any concern, problem or complaint an employee has about their work, working conditions, or relationships at work that they raise with their employer. Unlike a disciplinary process — which the employer starts to address an employee’s conduct — a grievance is raised by the employee. Every employer should have a grievance procedure (the right to one is referred to in the written statement of terms), giving employees a clear, fair route to raise issues and have them properly considered. A good grievance procedure does not just protect employees; it helps employers identify and resolve problems early, before they escalate into disputes, resignations or claims. Treating grievances seriously and fairly is a hallmark of a well-run workplace.

Common types of grievance

Grievances can be about almost anything at work, but the most common include:

Some grievances are minor and quickly resolved; others — particularly those involving discrimination, harassment or whistleblowing — are serious and carry significant legal implications, so the seriousness of the issue should guide how it is handled.

The Acas Code and the 25% uplift

Grievances are governed by the same Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures as disciplinaries. The Code is not law in itself, but tribunals must take it into account, and an unreasonable failure by the employer to follow it can increase any compensation a tribunal awards by up to 25%.

The Acas Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures applies to grievances just as it does to disciplinaries. It is not strict law, but tribunals must take it into account, and an unreasonable failure to follow it can increase or decrease compensation by up to 25%. For grievances, the Code’s core expectations are: deal with the issue promptly and consistently; allow the employee to explain their grievance; hold a meeting to discuss it; allow the employee to be accompanied; decide on appropriate action and respond; and allow an appeal. Following the Code protects employers from both an inflated award and the wider risk of a poorly handled grievance escalating. For employees, the Code sets out what a fair process should look like, which helps them know whether their grievance is being handled properly.

Informal versus formal resolution

Not every concern needs a full formal process. The Acas Code encourages employers and employees to try to resolve issues informally first, where appropriate — a quiet word, a conversation with a manager, or mediation can often resolve a problem quickly and preserve working relationships. If informal steps do not work, or the issue is serious, the employee can raise a formal grievance, which triggers the structured procedure. The choice depends on the nature and seriousness of the issue: a minor misunderstanding may be best dealt with informally, while a serious allegation of discrimination or harassment usually warrants the formal route from the start. Employers should make clear that both routes are available and that raising a grievance — formally or informally — will not lead to any detriment.

The formal grievance process step by step

A fair formal grievance process, following the Acas Code, runs through these stages:

Each stage should be handled promptly and genuinely. Delay, or a meeting that is a formality rather than a real attempt to understand and resolve the grievance, undermines fairness and increases legal risk.

Raising a grievance

An employee raises a formal grievance by setting it out, usually in writing, to their manager or HR (or to a more senior person if the grievance is about their manager). A good written grievance is clear and specific: it explains what the problem is, what has happened (with dates and examples where possible), who is involved, what impact it has had, and what outcome the employee is seeking. Keeping it factual and focused helps the employer understand and address it. The employee should keep a copy and any supporting evidence. For serious matters such as discrimination or harassment, setting the grievance out carefully is particularly important, both to ensure it is taken seriously and because it may become relevant to any later claim. Raising the grievance properly is the foundation of getting it dealt with effectively.

The grievance meeting

After a grievance is raised, the employer should hold a grievance meeting without unreasonable delay. The purpose is to let the employee explain their grievance fully, and for the employer to understand it and explore how it might be resolved. The employer should listen, ask questions, and may need to adjourn to investigate before reaching a decision. The meeting should be conducted fairly and without hostility, and properly recorded. Where the grievance is about a particular person, that person is not normally present at the grievance meeting, though their account may be sought as part of any investigation. A genuine, well-conducted grievance meeting is central to resolving the issue and to demonstrating that the employer took the grievance seriously.

The right to be accompanied

An employee invited to a formal grievance meeting has the same statutory right to be accompanied as in a disciplinary, under section 10 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 — by a fellow worker, a trade union official, or a certified union representative. The companion may address the meeting and confer with the employee, although they cannot answer questions on the employee’s behalf.

At a formal grievance meeting, the employee has a statutory right to be accompanied by a colleague or a trade union representative. The companion can put and sum up the employee’s case and confer with them, but cannot answer questions on their behalf. As with disciplinary hearings, the employer should inform the employee of this right when inviting them to the meeting and accommodate a reasonable request to rearrange if the chosen companion is unavailable. Refusing a reasonable request to be accompanied is a breach of a statutory right. Honouring the right to be accompanied helps ensure the grievance meeting is fair and that the employee feels properly supported in raising their concern.

The outcome and the appeal

After the meeting and any investigation, the employer should give its decision in writing, explaining whether the grievance is upheld in whole or part, the reasons, and any action it will take to resolve the issue. If the employee is not satisfied with the outcome, they have the right to appeal, and the appeal should be heard, where possible, by someone not previously involved and more senior. The employee can be accompanied at the appeal too. A fair outcome is not simply about whether the grievance is upheld — it is about whether the employer genuinely considered it, explained its decision, and took reasonable action. Offering and conducting a proper appeal is an important part of a fair grievance procedure and a common point at which procedures fall short.

Discrimination, harassment and whistleblowing grievances

Some grievances carry particular legal weight. A grievance alleging discrimination or harassment connected to a protected characteristic engages the Equality Act 2010, and how the employer responds is critical — failing to deal with such a complaint properly can itself amount to unlawful conduct and significantly increase the risk and value of a claim, which for discrimination is uncapped. A grievance that amounts to a protected disclosure (whistleblowing) — raising a concern about wrongdoing in the public interest — gives the employee protection from being subjected to a detriment or dismissed for raising it. Employers must handle these serious grievances with particular care, taking them seriously, investigating properly, and ensuring the employee suffers no detriment for raising them. For employees, framing a serious concern clearly, and understanding the protection that applies, matters a great deal.

Grievances and constructive dismissal

A grievance that is ignored or mishandled can itself become the basis of a claim. If an employer’s failure to deal with a serious grievance breaches the implied term of trust and confidence, an employee may be able to resign and claim constructive dismissal under section 95(1)(c) of the Employment Rights Act 1996. Raising the grievance in writing first, and giving the employer a chance to put things right, is usually essential to such a claim.

How an employer handles a grievance can be decisive in a constructive dismissal claim. If an employer ignores a serious grievance, fails to deal with it, or handles it so badly that it breaches the implied duty of mutual trust and confidence, the employee may be entitled to resign and claim constructive dismissal — treating the employer’s conduct as a fundamental breach of contract. This is why a properly handled grievance procedure is not just good practice but legal protection: it gives the employer the chance to address a problem before it escalates, and it demonstrates that the employer took the employee’s concerns seriously. For employees, raising a grievance and giving the employer a genuine opportunity to put things right is usually an important step before resigning, both practically and for any later claim. Our guide to unfair dismissal explains constructive dismissal in more detail.

Worked example

An employee feels they are being treated unfairly by their manager and that their workload has become unreasonable. After an informal conversation does not resolve it, they raise a formal written grievance setting out specific examples. The employer invites them to a grievance meeting, informs them of the right to be accompanied, listens to their concerns, and adjourns to look into the workload data and speak to others. The employer then responds in writing, partly upholding the grievance, and agrees changes to the workload and a review. The employee is satisfied and does not appeal. The issue is resolved, the relationship is preserved, and the employer has a clear record of having dealt with the concern properly — protecting it from a later claim. The example shows how a fair grievance procedure resolves problems and reduces legal risk.

Grievances raised during a disciplinary or on exit

Grievances and disciplinary processes sometimes overlap, and handling that overlap fairly matters. An employee facing a disciplinary process may raise a grievance — for example, alleging that the disciplinary is unfair or motivated by discrimination. The Acas Code allows the employer either to deal with the grievance separately or, if the two are related, to deal with them together, but the grievance should not simply be ignored. Where a grievance is raised during or after employment ends, it can still be relevant — for instance, a grievance about discrimination raised on exit may feed into a tribunal claim. Employers should resist the temptation to brush aside a grievance because it is inconvenient or arrives alongside a disciplinary; doing so is both unfair and legally risky. The two processes can run in parallel or be combined sensibly, but each must be dealt with properly on its merits.

Mediation as an alternative

Not every grievance is best resolved through a formal procedure. Workplace mediation — a confidential, voluntary process in which a neutral third party helps the people involved reach their own resolution — can be highly effective for grievances about relationships, communication or management style, where a formal “win/lose” outcome may damage the working relationship further. Mediation can be used before, instead of, or alongside a formal grievance process, and it often resolves issues more quickly and with less lasting harm. It is not suitable for every case — serious allegations of discrimination, harassment or misconduct usually need formal handling — but for interpersonal and workplace-relationship grievances it is a valuable tool. Employers increasingly offer mediation as part of their approach to grievances, and employees can ask whether it might help. Where the underlying issue is a breakdown in a working relationship, mediation is often the better route to a lasting resolution.

Records, confidentiality and timescales

As with disciplinaries, two practical principles run through fair grievance handling. Records matter: the employer should keep a clear record of the grievance, the meeting, any investigation, the decision and the appeal, because if the matter is later litigated, the employer must show how it was handled. Confidentiality matters too: grievances, particularly those involving allegations against individuals or sensitive personal matters, should be handled discreetly and information shared only with those who need it. Timescales are also important — the Acas Code expects grievances to be dealt with promptly, without unreasonable delay, while allowing enough time to investigate properly. Leaving a grievance hanging is one of the most damaging things an employer can do, both to the employee’s wellbeing and to its own legal position. A prompt, discreet, well-recorded process is the mark of fair grievance handling.

An employee’s grievance checklist

If you want to raise a grievance, the following helps:

• Try informal resolution first where appropriate — but not for serious matters like discrimination.
• Put it in writing, setting out the problem, the facts, dates, who is involved and the outcome you want.
• Keep it factual and specific, and keep copies and any supporting evidence.
• Use the right person — your manager, HR, or someone more senior if the grievance is about your manager.
• Attend the meeting and bring a companion if you wish.
• Engage with the process and respond to the outcome, using the appeal if you are not satisfied.
• Take advice early on serious matters such as discrimination, harassment or whistleblowing.

Raising a grievance properly, and giving the employer a genuine chance to resolve it, puts you in the strongest position whatever happens next.

What we see in practice

In our advisory work, grievances escalate most often when they are met with silence or defensiveness rather than a prompt, neutral process. The most common pattern we see is an employer treating a grievance as an attack to be defended, with the person complained about effectively investigating themselves. We also see delay — weeks of no response — which is exactly what later supports a constructive dismissal argument. Acknowledging the grievance quickly, appointing someone independent, and keeping the employee informed defuses far more disputes than it costs.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Employers: ignoring or delaying a grievance. This can breach trust and confidence and lead to a constructive dismissal claim.
• Employers: no meeting or appeal. The Acas Code expects a meeting and the chance to appeal.
• Employers: denying the right to be accompanied. It is a statutory right at a formal grievance meeting.
• Employers: mishandling discrimination grievances. A poor response can amount to unlawful conduct and increase liability.
• Employees: being vague. Set out the grievance clearly, with facts, dates and the outcome sought.
• Employees: resigning too soon. Usually raise and exhaust the grievance before considering resignation.

London employers and employees: a quick note

The grievance rules and the Acas Code apply across Great Britain, so there is no London-specific procedure. In a large, diverse London workforce, grievances — particularly about discrimination, harassment and workload — are common, and the consistency and seriousness with which they are handled matters a great deal. London’s concentration of professional and unionised employees also means the right to be accompanied and the fairness of the process are often tested. For London employers, the priority is taking every grievance seriously and following the Acas Code; for employees, it is raising concerns clearly and using the procedure, including the appeal.

How Hayhills can help

Advising on grievances is an employment and commercial matter, not a reserved legal activity, so Hayhills can help you directly. For employers, we help you handle grievances fairly and in line with the Acas Code — meetings, investigations, outcomes and appeals — and design clear grievance policies that resolve issues early and reduce the risk of constructive dismissal and discrimination claims. For employees, we help you raise a grievance effectively, understand your rights, and decide your next steps, particularly where discrimination, harassment or whistleblowing is involved. Where a matter reaches the employment tribunal, which is a regulated activity, we work alongside and introduce a regulated litigator. Explore our employment advisory service or speak to Hayhills today.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or accountancy advice. Hayhills Limited, trading as Hayhills Legal Advisory, provides non-reserved legal advisory services. Always check current requirements at GOV.UK.

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