IDS HR Studies Update 801, July 2005

Grievance procedures

• Sets out the key steps of the new statutory grievance procedure, from raising a grievance right through to the final appeal stage
• Considers what constitutes a grievance
• Outlines the right to be accompanied
• Looks at how employers have updated their procedures in light of the new legislation
• Discusses the role of mediators in reconciling the parties involved
• Draws on an analysis of the grievance procedures from 21 employers, covering a wide range of sectors

From 1 October 2004, the dispute resolution provisions of the Employment Act 2002 came into force. The Government hopes that these will result in more grievances being resolved within the workplace and thereby contribute to a reduction in the 100,000 or so employment tribunal claims made each year.

This IDS feature looks at how employers have amended their grievance procedures in light of the new legislation. In some instances, organisations have merely had to make minor tweaks to existing arrangements to accommodate the new statutory procedures. Others, however, have taken the opportunity to take a more detailed look at their grievance policies, and have made extensive changes.

The article discusses the key elements in resolving a workplace grievance, from initial attempts to find an informal resolution through to the possibility of an employment tribunal. In particular, it looks in detail at the key stages of a formal grievance procedure:

• setting out the grievance in writing
• holding a formal meeting
• hearing appeals.

Throughout, it is illustrated with examples from the grievance procedures of a broad cross-section of UK employers.

This in-depth article is the lead feature in IDS HR Studies Update 801, July 2005.