Handling a grievance from an employee

Aug 29
3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Introduction

A letter arrives from an employee raising a complaint about a colleague, or about the owner, or about how something was handled. In a business of nine people this is deeply uncomfortable, and the first instinct is to have a quiet word and make it go away.

That instinct is the problem. A grievance raised formally has to be handled formally, the employee has rights around how it is dealt with, and an attempt to resolve it informally over their objection is itself a failure of process. Most small employers meet their first grievance with no procedure and no practice. Both of those gaps are fixable in an afternoon and only before one arrives.

1. Handling a grievance from an employee starts with taking it seriously

Whatever you think of the substance.

The complaint may be misconceived, exaggerated or about something you consider trivial. None of that changes the obligation to deal with it properly, and dismissing it early is what turns a grievance into a claim.

2. Have a procedure in place beforehand

Written before it is needed.

Who a grievance is raised with, what happens if it concerns that person, the stages, timescales and the appeal route. In a small business the obvious recipient is frequently the subject of the complaint, so name an alternative in advance.

3. Acknowledge it quickly

The first response sets the tone.

A short written acknowledgement confirming receipt, who will deal with it and when they will hear next. Silence at this point is read as an attempt to ignore it and hardens the position considerably.

4. Do not retaliate, and be seen not to

The most damaging error available.

Changing somebody's shifts, excluding them, or treating them differently after they raise a grievance creates a separate and more serious problem in most jurisdictions. This includes actions that feel entirely justified for other reasons.

5. Investigate properly

Even when you think you know.

Speak to the employee, to anybody named, and to witnesses, and look at records. Where the complaint is about the owner, consider whether somebody else can investigate, which may mean bringing in an external person.

6. Hold a meeting and let them be accompanied

A right in most jurisdictions.

Let them explain in their own words, ask what outcome they are seeking, and do not defend during the hearing. What they want is frequently smaller and more achievable than the letter suggested.

7. Keep it confidential

Difficult in a small team and necessary.

Information shared only with those who need it, and no discussion with other staff. In a business of nine this requires deliberate discipline, and breaching it damages trust across the whole team.

8. Respond in writing with reasons

Whatever the conclusion.

What was found, what will happen, and how to appeal. A grievance not upheld still needs a reasoned explanation; an outcome delivered verbally leaves both the employee and the employer with different recollections.

9. Deal with what it revealed

The part that prevents recurrence.

Even a grievance that is not upheld usually indicates something: a management style, an unclear process, a conflict nobody addressed. Fixing that is more valuable than the outcome of the individual complaint.

Consider mediation where the grievance is between two employees. A formal process determines who was right and frequently leaves both people in a worse working relationship, whereas mediation can resolve the situation they will both still be in next week.

Conclusion

Take it seriously and handle it formally, because attempting to make it disappear is what escalates it.

Put a procedure in place before you need one and name an alternative recipient, acknowledge in writing quickly, avoid anything that could be read as retaliation, investigate properly and consider an external investigator where the complaint is about you, hold a meeting and allow the employee to be accompanied, maintain confidentiality despite the size of the team, respond in writing with reasons and an appeal route, address whatever the grievance revealed, and consider mediation between colleagues.