Top Tips
- It is important that employees have a vehicle through which they can raise matters of concern and dissatisfaction in relation to their employment.
- They should know, through the detail of their statement of main terms/contact of employment, the procedure that they should follow.
- Hopefully matters can, in the first instance, be resolved informally.
- Beware of...
- The employee who claims grievances against everyone from the M.D. to the Tea lady - when they have been suspended on full pay for apparent gross misconduct.
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Grievances
A grievance is a concern, problem or complaint that an employee raises with his employer. Most grievances will concern issues that are within an employer’s control i.e. treatment afforded to employees by management or other employees, but sometimes the issue may be in respect of the behaviour of clients or customers. All grievances should be treated in the same way regardless of the subject matter.
The ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures forms the basis of the procedure which employers and employees must follow in the event that an employee wishes to raise a grievance.
It is in everyone’s interests that grievances are resolved quickly, fairly and efficiently to maintain staff morale within the workplace.
As an employer it is vital to have written grievance procedures in place which give both you and the aggrieved employee a mechanism through which the grievance can be aired and, hopefully, resolved.
Whilst many grievances can be and are resolved informally, those that cannot may be pursued formally by the employee.
Written policies should make clear how formal grievances should be made and how grievance hearings will be handled, to protect both parties.
If the employer mishandles a grievance, the compensation could be substantial and so it is advised expert advice is taken in such situations.
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