On the fifth day of Christmas, Aspire said to me…ensure you have a grievance policy!

'Twas the day before Christmas at St Nick Industries, office spirits were high

But Ms Claus felt upset, she even had a cry.

With snide comments and whines, St Nick crossed the line,

So, Ms Claus raise a grievance while there was still time.

Ms Claus shared her feelings, St Nick felt great shame,

And after a chat, there was no need for a claim.

Employers should have a formal procedure in place which explains how a grievance should be raised, and this document should be referenced in your contract of employment and should be easily accessible in the Company Handbook, HR or Personnel manual, on the HR intranet site, etc.

ACAS have set out guidelines of practice for employees and employers and your written grievance procedures, and grievance proceedings, should comply with the code.  Employers should also ensure that managers are trained in the application of the procedure.

Employers have an implied duty to "reasonably and promptly afford a reasonable opportunity to its employees to obtain redress of any grievance" and it is essential that all steps are followed, such as dealing with matters informally with a face to face discussion, using mediation processes and it is essential that a right of appeal is also provided to help to avoid any future Employment Tribunal claim.

There is a strict time limit within which an Employee can make a claim which is three months minus one day from the date of the last event concerned in the grievance.

Know ho ho your employee’s rights to raise a grievance!

For further advice or to find out more about grievance training for managers, join us at our seminars on 11 February 2020 in London and 13 February 2020 in Birmingham. Booking information will be released shortly. To express an interest, email enquire@aspirepartnership.co.uk.