An employee is saying he is going to file a grievance. Can we settle matters without going through the formal procedure?
Yes, the Acas Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures (see question three) positively encourages you to. It says, many potential grievance issues can be resolved informally, particularly in smaller firms. The Code aims to stop grievances escalating, and stop acrimony in the workplace because matters get too formal too quickly. It points out that a quiet word is often all that is required to resolve an issue, especially those involving friction in working relationships. However, where an issue cannot be resolved informally then it may have to be pursued formally. Another possibility before resorting to a formal procedure is mediation, where an independent third party to help resolve the problem. The third could be someone within the business who is not involved in the issue complained of, or it could be an external mediator.
Related Questions
- Can an employee raise claims of discrimination through the negotiated grievance procedures and file a formal EEO complaint?
- An employee is saying he is going to file a grievance. Can we settle matters without going through the formal procedure?
- Can an employee file an EEO complaint and a grievance on the same time?
