If grievances are not dealt with promptly or handled correctly, the likelihood is that they will grow and harm working relationships between employees. Grievances that are not handled correctly could also result in subsequent disciplinary, poor performance, the resignation of good employees, and expensive tribunal cases.
Therefore, it is important that as an organisation, you not only follow the legal requirements surrounding the handling of grievances, but also put a process in place to ensure you are doing everything possible to overcome any issues or concerns raised in a timely and fair manner.
So firs things first, what are the employment law regulations? Well first of all, in an employees Written Terms and Conditions of Employment, you should ensure that you specify where an employee should go if they have a grievance.
In addition to this, employees should be given the opportunity to be accompanied by a person of their choice (a colleague or trade union representative) to a grievance hearing.
If an employee plans to use a grievance as the basis for an employment tribunal hearing, then they must first complete the 3 stages of raising a grievance with their employer at a local level.
Stage 1: Inform the organisation of your grievance in writing.
Stage 2: Attend a meeting to discuss your grievance with your employer.
Stage 3: If you are unsatisfied with the outcome of your grievance, go through the appeal process.
Following this, if an employee is still unsatisfied, they can take their complaint to an employment tribunal. All the more reason for an organisation to follow procedure and do everything possible to resolve the grievance locally.
Grievances can be raised for many reasons. Even in the best workplace with the best working environment, things can go wrong. Grievances may arise in relation to the following areas of employments:
- Bullying and Harassment
- Terms and Conditions
- Health and Safety
- Discrimination
- Supervision / Management
- Sexual Harassment
If an organisation has a detailed grievance policy covering all aspects relating to the employment law legalities relating to grievances, then there is no reason that any issues raised cannot be resolved by following procedure.