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Learn how to handle employee grievances effectively. Our practical guide covers the key causes of workplace grievances, the ACAS grievance procedure, and how to manage complaints fairly and legally.
Written by:Â Owen John, Employment Law Partner, Darwin Gray | Last updated: 20/04/2026 | Reviewed by: Owen John
Every workplace, no matter how well-run, will face employee grievances at some point. Someone will feel they’ve been treated unfairly. A relationship with a manager will break down. A policy will be applied in a way that seems inconsistent.
What matters is how you respond. Handle grievances well, and you can resolve issues before they escalate, protect working relationships, and demonstrate that your organisation takes employee concerns seriously. Handle them badly, and you risk tribunal claims, resignations, and a workplace culture where people don’t feel heard.
Research from the CIPD consistently shows a gap between how confident employers are about their grievance processes and how employees actually experience them. While 81% of employers believe they’re doing enough to address workplace issues, only 36% of employees who’ve experienced conflict feel the matter was fully resolved. That disconnect should give us all pause.
This guide explains what causes grievances, how to handle them properly, and how to create an environment where fewer formal complaints arise in the first place. We’ve written it for employers who want to get this right.
A grievance is a formal complaint raised by an employee about a workplace issue. It could relate to almost anything connected with their employment:
The key distinction is between informal concerns (which might be raised in conversation and resolved quickly) and formal grievances (which are put in writing and trigger a structured process).
Employees don’t need to use the word “grievance” for a complaint to count as one. If someone puts a workplace concern in writing and expects a formal response, treat it as a grievance.
Beyond the obvious legal implications, grievances are important because they tell you something about your workplace. They’re often symptoms of deeper issues: management problems, communication failures, or policies that aren’t working as intended.
CIPD research found that around 500,000 workers in the UK resign each year due to unresolved workplace disputes. That’s a significant cost in recruitment, training, and lost knowledge. Effective grievance handling isn’t just about legal compliance, it’s about retention and culture.
Understanding why grievances arise helps you prevent them. Research and practice consistently highlight three recurring themes.
This is the single most common cause of employee grievances. According to the Workplace Employment Relations Study (WERS), unfair treatment or a poor relationship with line managers is the most frequently cited trigger for formal complaints.
Grievances often arise when managers:
The CIPD’s 2024 report on bullying and harassment noted that line managers are often the source of workplace conflict, yet many aren’t equipped to handle disputes effectively. This points to a training gap that organisations can address.
Prevention tip: Invest in management training, particularly around communication, fairness, and conflict resolution. Managers who can have difficult conversations early often prevent issues from becoming formal grievances.
When employees feel unheard or excluded from decisions that affect them, frustration builds. If informal channels aren’t working, the formal grievance process becomes their only way to be taken seriously.
Common triggers include:
Employee voice is a central theme in modern employment relations. Effective mechanisms like team briefings, surveys, suggestion schemes, and employee forums help organisations identify issues early and resolve concerns before they escalate.
Prevention tip: Create genuine opportunities for employees to raise concerns informally. When someone raises an issue, acknowledge it and follow up, even if you can’t give them the answer they want.
Employees expect consistency, transparency, and equity in how workplace rules are applied. Grievances often arise when they perceive that policies exist but aren’t applied fairly.
This might include:
Even well-intentioned policies can generate grievances if managers apply them inconsistently or if the criteria for decisions aren’t transparent.
Prevention tip: Audit your policies regularly to check they’re being applied consistently. Train managers on the importance of fair and transparent decision-making.
When an employee raises a formal grievance, you must follow a fair procedure. The ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures sets out the minimum standards. While it’s not legally binding, employment tribunals will take it into account, and failure to follow it can result in compensation being adjusted by up to 25%.
Before formal procedures kick in, encourage employees to raise concerns with their line manager (or another appropriate manager if the concern is about their line manager) informally. Many issues can be resolved through a conversation.
If informal resolution isn’t possible or appropriate, the employee should be advised to put their complaint in writing.
The employee should set out their complaint in writing, explaining:
Acknowledge receipt promptly. Let the employee know what happens next and the expected timeframes.
Before the grievance meeting, gather relevant information:
The investigation should be proportionate to the complaint. A concern about workload allocation requires less investigation than an allegation of harassment.
Arrange a meeting with the employee without unreasonable delay, ideally within five working days. The purpose is to:
The right to be accompanied: Employees have a statutory right to be accompanied at formal grievance meetings by a colleague or trade union representative. The companion can present the employee’s case and confer with them but cannot answer questions on their behalf.
Make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees. If the employee is too unwell to attend, consider alternatives (such as written submissions or a telephone meeting).
After the meeting (and any further investigation), decide on the outcome. This should be communicated in writing and should include:
Be clear about what you’ve decided and why. Even if you can’t uphold the grievance, explain your reasoning.
The employee should have the right to appeal if they’re not satisfied with the outcome. The appeal should ideally be heard by someone more senior who wasn’t involved in the original decision.
The appeal process mirrors the original process: written notice, a meeting, and a written outcome.
Some grievances require particular care.
These are among the most serious grievances and require careful handling:
CIPD research shows that almost one in four workers have experienced some form of bullying or harassment during their career. The reputational and legal consequences of mishandling these complaints can be severe.
Employees sometimes raise grievances while facing disciplinary action. This creates a difficult situation, but you have options:
ACAS guidance suggests pausing only where the grievance would call the fairness of the disciplinary process into question. A tactical grievance designed to delay disciplinary action doesn’t normally require the disciplinary to be suspended.
Where a grievance alleges discrimination based on a protected characteristic, be aware that:
When multiple employees raise the same concern, the ACAS Code doesn’t strictly apply. However, you should still follow a fair process. Consider whether a collective meeting is appropriate (with individual follow-up as needed) and whether the issue points to a systemic problem that needs addressing.
Even well-intentioned employers can get grievance handling wrong. Here are the most common pitfalls:
Not responding promptly. Delays signal that you don’t take the complaint seriously. Aim to acknowledge grievances within a day or two and hold meetings within five working days.
Not investigating properly. A cursory investigation that doesn’t establish the facts will undermine your decision, whatever it is.
Predetermining the outcome. If you’ve decided what you’re going to do before the meeting, the process isn’t fair. Keep an open mind until you’ve heard everything.
Failing to follow your own procedure. If your policy says grievances should be acknowledged within 48 hours or appeals should go to a named person, follow it. Inconsistency undermines trust.
Not considering the underlying issues. A grievance might be the visible symptom of a bigger problem. Ask yourself whether this complaint points to something you need to address more broadly.
Dismissing complaints without proper consideration. Even if you ultimately can’t uphold a grievance, the employee should feel they’ve been heard. Dismissing concerns out of hand often makes things worse.
Not keeping proper records. Document the process, the evidence, your reasoning, and your decision. Good records protect you if the matter goes further.
Mediation is an alternative to formal procedures where an independent, impartial person helps the parties reach their own resolution. It can be used at any stage of a dispute.
Mediation works well when:
It doesn’t work well when:
CIPD research suggests that many employers are open to using mediation but relatively few actually use it. If you don’t currently offer mediation, consider whether it might help resolve disputes before they become entrenched.
An employee who’s unhappy with how their grievance was handled may ultimately bring an employment tribunal claim. Common routes include:
Constructive dismissal. If an employer fundamentally breaches the employment contract (for example, by failing to address serious harassment), the employee may resign and claim they were constructively dismissed. There’s an implied term that employers will deal with grievances reasonably and promptly.
Discrimination. Where the underlying issue involves a protected characteristic, the employee can bring a discrimination claim regardless of whether the grievance was upheld.
Whistleblowing. If the grievance involved raising concerns about wrongdoing, the employee may be protected under whistleblowing legislation.
Detriment. Employees are protected from being disadvantaged for raising a genuine grievance. If an employee’s career prospects suffer after they complain, that could be victimisation.
The key point: failing to handle grievances properly doesn’t just create immediate workplace problems. It creates legal risk that may materialise months or years later.
Every employer should have a written grievance policy that sets out:
The policy should be easy to find. Include it in your staff handbook, mention it during induction, and make sure managers know where to direct employees who have concerns.
Keep the procedure non-contractual if possible. This gives you flexibility to adapt it when needed without creating breach of contract issues.
A grievance is a formal complaint raised by an employee about any aspect of their work, working conditions, or treatment at work. It could relate to relationships with managers or colleagues, pay and conditions, workload, discrimination, or how policies have been applied.
The three main causes are: poor management behaviour (inconsistent treatment, lack of support, not listening); lack of communication and employee voice (feeling unheard, excluded from decisions); and perceived unfairness in how policies are applied.
The ACAS Code isn’t legally binding, but employment tribunals will consider whether you followed it. If you unreasonably failed to follow the Code, compensation in any subsequent claim can be increased by up to 25%.
Yes. Former employees can still raise grievances about matters that occurred during their employment. You should still investigate and respond, though practical considerations (such as the person’s availability for meetings) may affect how you proceed.
You don’t automatically have to pause the disciplinary. Consider whether the grievance raises concerns about the fairness of the disciplinary process. If not, you can usually continue the disciplinary and address the grievance separately.
There’s no fixed timeframe, but the ACAS Code requires you to act without unreasonable delay. Aim to hold the initial meeting within five working days and communicate outcomes as soon as reasonably practicable.
Yes, if after proper investigation you conclude the complaint isn’t justified. But you must follow a fair process, consider the evidence, and explain your reasoning. Even rejected grievances should be treated seriously.
You still need to deal with each one fairly. Consider whether they can be addressed together if the issues are related. If grievances appear vexatious or designed to frustrate other processes, seek legal advice.
The ACAS Code expects formal grievances to be in writing. This ensures clarity about what’s being complained about and creates a record. If an employee raises a concern verbally, encourage them to put it in writing if they want it dealt with formally.
You must still follow a fair process in line with the ACAS Code. Not having a policy isn’t a defence, and it makes it harder to demonstrate you’ve treated employees consistently.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ACAS Code of Practice | The statutory guidance setting minimum standards for handling disciplinary and grievance matters. Tribunals consider compliance with the Code when assessing fairness. |
| Companion | A colleague or trade union representative who accompanies an employee to a formal grievance meeting. They can present the case and confer with the employee but cannot answer questions on their behalf. |
| Constructive dismissal | When an employee resigns because the employer has fundamentally breached the employment contract. Mishandling grievances can contribute to such a breach. |
| Formal grievance | A complaint put in writing and dealt with through the employer’s formal grievance procedure. |
| Informal resolution | Addressing a concern through discussion without invoking formal procedures. Usually the first step and often the most effective. |
| Mediation | A voluntary process where an independent third party helps the parties in dispute reach their own resolution. |
| Victimisation | Treating someone unfavourably because they’ve raised a complaint or supported someone else’s complaint. This is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010. |
Handling grievances effectively requires a combination of good policy, proper process, and sound judgment. We help employers get all three right.
We’re direct, responsive, and focused on practical outcomes. You’ll work with the solicitor handling your matter from the start. And as Wales’ leading Welsh language law firm, we can provide all our services in Welsh or English.
Need help with an employee grievance? Contact us for a free, no-obligation chat about how we can help.
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