How to handle an employee grievance

1.      Meeting with the Employee

When you receive a grievance from an employee it is advisable to consider who would be the most appropriate person in your organisation to investigate and deal with the grievance.

If the grievance is about a manager or other members of staff they would not be appropriate to investigate. In a small organisation this can present difficulties and whilst you could justify the decision if there is no-one else available, it is advisable to have someone external to investigate.

If there is sufficient information contained within the grievance letter to begin an investigation then the grievance should be acknowledged and enquires started.

In any event the employee should be invited to an investigation meeting which will give them the opportunity to explain the grievance in more detail and for you to ask questions about anything which isn’t clear.

The meeting is also a good opportunity to ask the employee what they want the outcome of the meeting to be.

If further investigation is required it may be necessary to adjourn the meeting and reconvene at a later date.

Right to bring a companion

The employee has the right to be accompanied at the meeting by a trade union representative or work colleague.

Your own policy may allow for someone else to accompany the employee, and it is at your discretion to grant permission if the employee request to be accompanied by someone other than a work colleague or trade union representative.

2.      Investigate the grievance

Following the meeting it may be necessary to investigate the grievance further and/or make further enquiries about the points raised by the employee.

Whilst careful consideration should be given to the issues raised and evidence available, you are not required to carry out a criminal level investigation, and therefore your investigation need only be reasonable and fair.

3.      Deliver the outcome of the grievance investigation

Once you have reached a conclusion to the grievance investigation your findings should be communicated to the employee in writing.

You may merely state whether each part of the grievance is upheld or not, but it is advisable to give some explanation as to how you have reached the decision and the conclusions made.

If there are any action points resulting from your investigation then these should be communicated to the employee and followed up to ensure action is taken.

The employee should also be informed of their right to appeal.

4.      Appeal

If the employee is not satisfied with the outcome of the grievance investigation they have the right to appeal.

The appeal should be in writing and specify the grounds for appeal. If the employee does not give details of the reason for their appeal then these should be requested in writing from the employee for consideration prior to the appeal meeting.

Where possible the appeal should be dealt with by someone impartial and who has not been involved in the grievance investigation. If this is not possible, you should consider arranging for a third party to carry out the appeal meeting.

Once someone has been allocated to deal with the appeal the employee should be invited to an appeal meeting. You should avoid unnecessary delay in the process where possible.

It is advisable to deliver the outcome of the appeal to the employee following the meeting either by asking them to wait for the decision or in writing afterwards.