Managers guide to grievances
Use this guide to understand the law and good practice on employee grievances, including the effective management of grievances and the practicalities of dealing with grievances.
- 5 pages / 1,838 words
- Instantly download as Word / PDF / plain text
- Suitable for worldwide use (but check local legislation)
- Includes 12 months’ access, with all updates to this page provided free of charge and notified to you.
Managers guide to grievances
Grievances are concerns, problems or complaints that employees raise with their employer. A grievance might concern matters such as an employee's work, physical working environment, pay and benefits, working hours, health and safety, working relationships or general treatment at work.
The purpose of a grievance procedure is to allow employees to raise genuine workplace grievances and have them dealt with fairly and objectively without fear of recrimination.
The grievance procedure should be in writing, as this helps to clarify the process. The structure of a grievance procedure It should be possible for most grievances to be dealt with informally by the employee's line manager. However, as it may not be possible to resolve some grievances informally, the organisation's grievance procedure should also allow employees to raise grievances formally with management or with the HR department if the organisation has one.
Most employers will stipulate in their grievance procedure that an employee who has a formal grievance should, in the first instance, raise it with his or her immediate line manager (unless the line manager is the subject of the grievance - in
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Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can I use this template in my small business?
Yes. The Managers guide to grievances is designed to be flexible and suitable for organisations of all sizes, including small businesses and charities. It follows UK employment law best practice, so even if you don't have an in-house HR team, you can confidently apply it.
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Is this template compliant with 2025 UK employment law?
Absolutely. All of our templates are drafted with the latest ACAS guidance and UK employment legislation in mind. We review and update them regularly, so you can be confident they remain compliant.
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Can I customise it for my organisation?
Yes, we highlight the areas that you need to update with your own details, and where you need to make decisions to suit your situation. This saves you time and ensures that you meet best practice.
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Do I get instant access?
Yes. Once purchased, you'll be able to download it instantly. Templates are provided in editable Word or Excel format so you can customise them easily, and in PDF format for easy sharing.
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What if I need more help, not just this template?
If you're looking for broader support, we also offer toolkits and library bundles that include this template, along with other HR templates and policies for fully managing your situation. These may be more cost-effective if you need deeper advice.
