How do I raise a formal grievance at work?
Short answer
In writing, to the person named in your employer’s grievance procedure, setting out the facts, dates and the outcome you want. Try informal resolution first where that is realistic. You can be accompanied at the hearing, and failing to raise a grievance can cut a later tribunal award by up to 25%.
A grievance is the formal route for a serious concern about your treatment at work — bullying, discrimination, breach of contract, or health and safety. Almost every employer should have a written grievance procedure; ask HR for a copy first, because following it protects you.
Writing the grievance
Where the issue is capable of being resolved with a conversation, try that first — the Acas Code expects informal resolution to be attempted where possible, and tribunals notice when it was not. If that fails, put the grievance in writing and keep it factual:
- A dated chronology of what happened, naming those involved and any witnesses
- The documents you rely on — emails, rotas, messages, medical evidence
- Why you say it is wrong, and the specific outcome you are asking for
- A request for a grievance hearing under the employer’s procedure
The hearing and afterwards
You have the right to be accompanied at a formal grievance hearing by a trade union representative or workplace colleague. If your grievance is about your line manager, it should be heard by someone senior to and independent of them — HR, a more senior manager, or at the top of a small business, a director. You should receive the outcome in writing, with a right of appeal.
Your employer must not retaliate. Disciplining or otherwise penalising you for a grievance raised in good faith is likely to be victimisation or an unlawful detriment — document it and get advice.
If the grievance is simply ignored, follow up in writing with a clear deadline. Unreasonable failure to follow the Acas Code can lead a tribunal to increase compensation by up to 25%, and a persistent refusal to engage can itself be evidence of a repudiatory breach supporting a constructive dismissal claim. The reverse also applies: not raising a grievance at all can see a later award reduced by up to 25%.
There is no internal time limit for raising a grievance, though delay weakens it. What does not move is the tribunal deadline — generally three months less one day from the incident — which keeps running while your grievance is heard. Notify Acas in time even if the internal process is unfinished.
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