Raising a grievance

A grievance is a formal complaint to your employer about something at work: how you are treated, a decision about your pay or hours, bullying, or a change to your job. You raise it in writing, your employer holds a meeting to hear it, and you get a written outcome you can appeal. The process is set out in the ACAS Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures, and every NHS trust, council, school and Civil Service department has a grievance policy based on it.

Try the informal route first, if it is realistic

Many problems can be fixed by talking to your manager, or to their manager if your manager is the problem. Most policies encourage this. Keep a short note of what was said and when.

Informal routes are not always sensible. If the issue is serious (harassment, discrimination, safety or a large sum of pay), or you have already tried and nothing changed, go straight to a formal grievance. Some employers have separate procedures for bullying and harassment or for raising concerns about patient or pupil safety; HR can tell you which applies. Safety and wrongdoing concerns may also be whistleblowing, covered in the whistleblowing guide.

Writing the grievance

Put it in writing to the person your policy names, usually your line manager or HR. Say clearly that it is a formal grievance. Then set out:

1. what happened, with dates, and who was involved
2. how it has affected you
3. any rules, policies or contract terms you think have been broken
4. what you want to happen to put it right

Stick to facts and keep it as short as the problem allows. Attach or list evidence such as emails, rotas or payslips. Ask for written acknowledgement.

The grievance meeting

Your employer should arrange a meeting without unreasonable delay. At the meeting you explain the grievance and how you think it should be resolved. The person hearing it may adjourn to investigate, interview witnesses or check records.

You have a legal right to be accompanied at a grievance meeting by a colleague or a trade union representative. The companion can put your case, sum up and confer with you, but cannot answer questions for you. If your chosen companion cannot attend, you can propose another reasonable date. Many public sector policies also allow a friend or family member in some cases, such as where a disability is involved; check yours.

Ask for reasonable adjustments if you need them, for example extra breaks or a different location.

The outcome and appeal

You should get a written decision, with reasons, and be told how to appeal. If you appeal, set out why in writing. The appeal should be heard by a more senior manager who was not involved, where possible, and you have the right to be accompanied again. The appeal decision is usually final within the employer.

Public sector procedures often set timescales for each stage. If your employer is slow, a polite written reminder citing the timescale in its own policy usually helps.

Overlap with other procedures

If you raise a grievance while you are going through a disciplinary, your employer can pause the disciplinary to deal with the grievance, or deal with both together if they are related. The ACAS Code allows either. A grievance about bias by the manager hearing your case is a good reason to ask for someone else to hear it.

Where several staff have the same complaint, such as a rota change across a whole ward or a pay grading issue affecting a team, a union can raise a collective grievance. Recognised unions in the NHS, councils and schools often have their own disputes procedure in the local recognition agreement, which runs alongside the individual route.

Some issues have their own process. Pay banding disputes in the NHS usually go through job evaluation review, and concerns about patient or pupil safety go through the raising concerns policy. HR can tell you which procedure fits, and using the wrong one usually just means a delay while it is transferred.

Why following the ACAS Code matters

Tribunals take the ACAS Code into account. If either side unreasonably fails to follow it, the tribunal can increase or reduce compensation by up to 25%. For you, that means putting the grievance in writing, attending meetings and using the appeal. For your employer, it means meeting you, allowing a companion, giving a decision and offering an appeal.

If the grievance does not resolve it

Options include mediation, which many NHS trusts and councils offer, ACAS conciliation, and a tribunal claim if the problem involves a legal right such as unpaid wages, discrimination or detriment for whistleblowing.

Watch the time limit. Since 1 October 2026, most employment tribunal claims must be started within six months, and you must contact ACAS for early conciliation before you can make a claim. A grievance does not stop the clock. The employment tribunal time limits guide and the ACAS early conciliation guide explain how this works.

A union rep can help write the grievance, come to the meetings and advise on next steps. If you are not in a union, ACAS runs a free helpline. The trade unions guide lists the main public sector unions.