Grievances…what are they anyway?

As a small business owner, you might get complaints from time to time, but as soon as a complaint is made in writing to you, it becomes a grievance.  In other words, it becomes formal.

You have a legal obligation to provide your employees with a grievance policy. Did you know that? If you think about it, it’s only fair that the people who work for you know the details of how to raise an issue fairly at work.

I once supported a grievance with an employee who formally complained that their colleague chewed their food too loudly! How would you deal with that kind of complaint?

In some cases, you would expect an employee to raise a problem informally first, giving you an opportunity to resolve directly. If this doesn’t work, or the complaint is serious, then your staff member has every right to raise a formal grievance with you.

Even if you doubt the validity of a complaint being made, you must take any grievance seriously.   If you ignore it, take too long to respond, or fail to follow a fair and proper process, your employee could take you to an employment tribunal. And no small business owner wants that!

There is certain ‘do’s and don’ts’ when it comes to handling a grievance, and ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) provides the basics on this.

For complex, or hard to resolve grievances, it’s always best to seek advice from a HR professional - I’m ready to listen!

In my experience, there is one key question to ask at any grievance hearing that can help to resolve the issue, want to find out more?

If you find yourself needing HR guidance on how to handle a specific grievance, need bespoke letters to support an ongoing case, or want your own company grievance policy and management pack, then contact me for further info!