Grievance Policy and Procedure
- See also Bullying and Harassment Policy
Dealing with grievances informally
If an employee has a grievance or complaint to do with work or the people they work with, they should, wherever possible, start by talking it over with their line manager. They may be able to agree a solution informally between themselves.
Formal grievance
If the matter is serious and/or the employee wishes to raise the matter formally, they should set out the grievance in writing, as soon as possible, to their line manager. The employee should stick to the facts and avoid language that is insulting or abusive. Where the grievance is against the line manager and/or the employee feels unable to approach him or her, they should talk to another member of the Senior Management Team.
Grievance hearing
The manager will call the employee to a meeting, normally within five working days, to discuss the grievance. The employee has the right to be accompanied by a colleague or trade union representative at this meeting, if this is reasonable. The manager may decide to adjourn the meeting for any investigation that may be necessary. After the meeting the manager will notify the employee of the decision in writing, without unreasonable delay and, where appropriate, should set out what action the employer intends to take to resolve the grievance. The employee will be informed that they can appeal if they are not content with the action taken.
Appeal
Where an employee feels that their grievance has not been satisfactorily resolved, they should appeal. They should outline their grounds for appeal without unreasonable delay and in writing.
Employees will be invited to an appeal meeting, normally within five days, and the appeal will be heard by someone who has not previously been involved in the case, for example, the Chair of Trustees. Employees have the right to be accompanied by a colleague or trade union representative at this meeting if this is a reasonable request.
The outcome of the appeal meeting should be communicated to the employee in writing without unreasonable delay. The appeal decision is final.