Grievances
At Thrive Law, we believe that a positive workplace culture is built on trust, communication, and respect. Most concerns can be resolved informally when issues are identified early and conversations are handled sensitively. However, sometimes problems arise that cannot be resolved without a more formal approach. In those situations, it’s important that both employers and employees understand the grievance process and their rights and responsibilities within it.
What Is a Grievance?
A grievance is a formal way for an employee to raise concerns about issues they are experiencing at work. These concerns may relate to:
- Treatment by managers or colleagues
- Pay or contractual issues
- Workload or working conditions
- Bullying or harassment
- Discrimination
- Health and safety concerns
- Whistleblowing or wider workplace culture issues, although these may be dealt with under a different policy or process.
An effective grievance process ensures issues are addressed fairly, promptly, and transparently.
How We Support Employers With Grievances
We help employers not only manage grievances, but reduce the likelihood of them arising in the first place. We can support you to:
- Build strong workplace culture strategies that encourage open communication
- Draft and maintain clear grievance policies and employee handbooks
- Advise on the correct process when a grievance is raised
- Guide or train managers on sensitive handling of employee concerns
- Review or support internal investigations and meeting structures
- Draft or review grievance outcome letters
Where needed, as part of our Outsourced HR Support, we can also provide an independent consultant to conduct investigations or hearings on your behalf – offering impartiality, professionalism, and reduced internal risk.
Handling grievances well can protect employee wellbeing, preserve working relationships, and significantly reduce exposure to legal claims.
How We Support Employees With Grievances
If you feel you have been treated unfairly or have ongoing concerns at work, we can help you:
- Understand your rights and whether you have grounds for a formal grievance
- Draft the grievance in a clear, structured and effective way
- Navigate internal grievance meetings and hearings
- Review any outcome and advise on next steps
- Consider escalation routes if necessary – including claims for discrimination, whistleblowing detriment, or constructive dismissal
A well-presented grievance often supports resolution more quickly, reduces stress, and can prevent matters escalating unnecessarily.
Contact Us
Why the Grievance Process Matters
Employers are legally required to handle grievances fairly and in line with the ACAS Code of Practice. A failure to follow a fair process can result in:
- Increased compensation awards in Tribunal claims
- Damage to workplace morale and culture
- Avoidable legal disputes
- Loss of trust and retention issues
If a grievance includes allegations of discrimination or whistleblowing, the stakes are higher. These issues must be managed with particular care and may need to be addressed under different policies (e.g., dignity at work, whistleblowing, or equality policies) and with specialist legal advice.
A robust, fair grievance procedure allows employers to respond proactively, reduce conflict, and protect the business and its people.
Get in Touch
Whether you are an employer looking to manage or prevent workplace grievances, or an employee needing support to raise or understand one, we are here to help.
Contact us at enquiries@thrivelaw.co.uk to speak with one of our employment law specialists.
We will support you to achieve a fair, constructive and legally sound outcome.
A grievance is a formal concern raised by an employee about something they are experiencing at work. It might relate to how they’re being treated by a manager or colleague, a change to their terms and conditions, a health and safety issue, a perceived breach of contract, or a concern about discrimination or harassment. Any matter the employee feels has been handled unfairly, or that they want the employer to address formally, can be raised as a grievance.
Some issues, like whistleblowing concerns about criminal activity or wider wrongdoing, may need to be handled under a different policy. But the grievance process is the starting point for most workplace concerns. Our grievances page covers the process in detail.
Where informal conversation hasn’t worked, or the issue is serious enough that it needs to be on record, a formal grievance is usually the right step. It’s also worth raising one before resigning if you’re considering a constructive dismissal claim, as Tribunals will expect to see that the employee gave the employer an opportunity to address the problem.
That said, timing matters. Raising a grievance doesn’t pause the Employment Tribunal clock; if you’re approaching the three-month time limit for a potential claim, get legal advice before raising a grievance, particularly where the issues involve discrimination or constructive dismissal.
Acknowledge it promptly, investigate it properly, and communicate clearly throughout. The ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures sets out the expected process: invite the employee to a meeting, allow them the right to be accompanied, investigate the allegations fairly, communicate the outcome in writing, and provide a right of appeal.
The investigation is where most grievances go wrong. A thorough, impartial investigation, documented carefully, protects both the employee and the business. If the matter is complex or involves allegations of discrimination or whistleblowing, consider whether you need specialist support. Our team can advise on or manage grievance investigations.
A Tribunal can apply a financial uplift of up to 25% on any compensation awarded if it finds the employer unreasonably failed to follow the Code. That uplift applies on top of damages for the underlying claim, which makes non-compliance costly in any case where there is also liability.
Beyond the financial exposure, failure to follow the Code can risk undermining the employer’s position and credibility more broadly.
Raising a grievance doesn’t prevent you from bringing an Employment Tribunal claim, and in some cases you’ll need to have raised one first to show you gave the employer the chance to resolve things. If the outcome is unsatisfactory, you can appeal internally before considering external action.
The key point is that Tribunal time limits continue to run while a grievance is being dealt with. If you’re approaching three months (or six months after October 2026) from the event you want to claim about, take advice now rather than waiting for the grievance to conclude. Get in touch with our team here.
