Grievance Procedure in the UK (2026): How to Raise, Handle and Appeal a Grievance

A grievance is a formal complaint an employee raises with their employer — about pay, workload, a manager's behaviour, bullying, discrimination, working conditions or a change to their terms. This guide is for UK employees deciding whether and how to raise one, and for small employers who've just received a grievance letter and want to handle it properly. It covers the steps in the Acas Code of Practice, realistic timescales, the right to be accompanied, appeals, mediation, the new six-month tribunal clock and the 25% uplift, with a worked example.

Quick answer

Try to sort the problem out informally first. If that fails, the employee puts the grievance in writing, the employer holds a meeting without unreasonable delay where the employee explains the complaint and can be accompanied, then decides in writing and offers an appeal heard by someone impartial. Tribunals can adjust awards by up to 25% if either side unreasonably ignores the Acas Code.

• No legal deadline, but Acas's sample uses a meeting within 5 working days and an appeal within 5 working days

• Companion: fellow worker, certified union rep or union official; postponement up to 5 working days

• A grievance doesn't pause tribunal time limits — most are now 6 months (from 1 October 2026)

• Collective grievances raised by a union fall outside the Code

What counts as a grievance

The Acas Code describes grievances as concerns, problems or complaints that employees raise with their employer. In practice, that covers almost anything about the job: being paid less than agreed, holiday being refused, a change to shifts, a manager who belittles staff in front of customers, harassment by a colleague or a customer, unsafe equipment, or being overlooked for promotion for reasons the employee believes are discriminatory.

Most grievances start as an everyday conversation. GOV.UK suggests talking to your manager first, and Acas encourages employers to listen early. A formal grievance is the right route when informal attempts haven't worked, when the employee doesn't want it handled informally, or when the matter is too serious for a chat — Acas gives sexual harassment and whistleblowing as examples.

The Code doesn't cover collective grievances raised on behalf of two or more employees by a recognised trade union; those go through your collective procedures. Where several individuals raise the same complaint, Acas says each grievance should still follow the formal procedure, and a joint meeting is possible only if everyone agrees — each person keeps the right to their own meeting.

Every employer should have a written grievance procedure, and the written statement of employment particulars must tell employees who to go to with a grievance and how. Our employment contract guide explains what goes in the statement and when. If you don't have a procedure, follow the Acas Code directly; Acas also publishes a free sample procedure for small firms.

The grievance procedure step by step

The Code sets out the order rather than fixed deadlines. Each stage should happen "without unreasonable delay", and the procedure can be scaled to the size of the business — a five-person shop doesn't need a committee — but every employer should investigate, let the employee be heard and accompanied, decide fairly and offer an appeal.

How a formal grievance works

1. 1

   Raise it in writing

   The employee writes to their manager, or to the person named in the procedure if the manager is the subject. Facts, dates, people involved and the outcome wanted.

   Tip: Acas's 2026 draft Code encourages starting with a short written explanation and a suggested resolution.

2. 2

   Acknowledge and plan

   The employer confirms receipt, decides who will handle it and whether investigation is needed before the meeting.

3. 3

   Hold a grievance meeting

   The employee explains the complaint and how they think it should be resolved, and can be accompanied. Adjourn to investigate if needed.

4. 4

   Decide and confirm in writing

   Set out the decision, any action you'll take, and how to appeal.

5. 5

   Appeal

   If the employee is unhappy, they appeal in writing. A more senior or uninvolved manager hears it, the employee can be accompanied, and the final decision is confirmed in writing.

Writing the grievance letter

A good grievance letter is short, specific and calm. Say that it's a formal grievance under the company procedure. Set out what happened, with dates, times and names; any steps you've already taken to sort it out informally; how it has affected you; and what you'd like to happen — an apology, back pay, a change of manager, a review of your hours. Attach evidence such as payslips, rotas, emails or messages, and keep a copy of everything you send.

If your grievance is about your line manager, send it to whoever the procedure names instead — often their manager, an HR contact or a director. In a very small business, that may be the owner even if the owner is involved; say so in the letter and ask whether an external person can hear it.

The grievance meeting

The employer should arrange a formal meeting without unreasonable delay. GOV.UK describes its purpose as establishing the facts and finding a way to fix the problem. The employee sets out the grievance, comments on any information gathered and says how they think it should be resolved. Bring supporting documents. The person hearing it should keep an open mind, take notes, and be ready to adjourn to interview witnesses or check records before deciding.

Acas suggests the employer may need to make short-term arrangements while a grievance is looked at — for example rearranging shifts if the employee works alongside the person they've complained about — and make clear these aren't a punishment. If the complaint suggests a crime, such as an assault, the police may need to be involved.

Who can come to a grievance meeting?

Companion	Statutory right?	Notes
Fellow worker	Yes	Entitled to reasonable paid time off to accompany
Certified trade union representative	Yes	Union must certify them as competent
Full-time trade union official	Yes	Employed by the union
Family member or Citizens Advice worker	Only if the procedure or contract allows	Many employers agree anyway
Support worker for a disabled employee	May be a reasonable adjustment	Equality Act 2010
Solicitor	No	Rarely allowed at internal meetings

Fellow worker

Statutory right?

Yes

Notes

Entitled to reasonable paid time off to accompany

Certified trade union representative

Statutory right?

Yes

Notes

Union must certify them as competent

Full-time trade union official

Statutory right?

Yes

Notes

Employed by the union

Family member or Citizens Advice worker

Statutory right?

Only if the procedure or contract allows

Notes

Many employers agree anyway

Support worker for a disabled employee

Statutory right?

May be a reasonable adjustment

Notes

Equality Act 2010

Solicitor

Statutory right?

No

Notes

Rarely allowed at internal meetings

The right to be accompanied at grievance meetings

The statutory right applies to a grievance hearing that concerns a duty owed by the employer to the worker — anything arising from the contract or from legislation, such as pay, hours, holiday, discrimination or health and safety. The Code's own example: a request for a pay rise usually wouldn't qualify unless the contract gives a right to one, but a complaint that you've been paid less than your contract says would. In practice most employers allow a companion at any formal grievance meeting, which avoids arguments.

The companion can be a fellow worker, a trade union representative certified as competent by their union, or a full-time union official. GOV.UK notes some employers' procedures also allow a family member or Citizens Advice worker, though that's not a legal right unless the contract says so. The worker needs to make a reasonable request, giving enough notice and the companion's name. If the companion can't make the date, the worker can propose another reasonable time within 5 working days of the original, and the employer must agree.

The companion can present and sum up the case, respond on the worker's behalf to views expressed, and confer with them during the meeting, but can't answer questions for them. If an employer refuses a valid request, the worker can claim up to 2 weeks' pay at a tribunal, with a week's pay capped at £751. The government is reviewing this right during 2026, so check for changes next year.

Realistic timescales

Because the law only says "without unreasonable delay", the timescales in your own procedure matter. Acas's sample procedure for small businesses gives a useful benchmark, and many employers adopt something close to it.

These aren't legal requirements. A bullying grievance with six witnesses can't sensibly be investigated and decided in a week, and that's fine as long as you keep the employee updated and the delay is explained. What tribunals dislike is silence: grievances left unanswered for months, or outcomes that never arrive.

Outcomes and appeals

There's no fixed menu of outcomes. Acas says the employer should decide based on the findings, what's fair and reasonable, and how similar cases were dealt with before. A grievance can be upheld in full, upheld in part, or not upheld. If it's upheld and involved someone else's conduct, the employer may need to start a separate disciplinary procedure against that person — but the details of any sanction are usually kept confidential.

The decision should be sent in writing "as soon as possible", explaining the reasons, any action the employer will take, and how to appeal. GOV.UK says the procedure should set out where to send an appeal, the time limit, what meetings will be held and how they'll run. The appeal should ideally be heard by a manager who wasn't involved, the employee can be accompanied again, and the final decision must be confirmed in writing.

Mediation, Acas and tribunals

Mediation brings in an impartial third party — an external mediator or a trained colleague — to help the people involved reach their own agreement. GOV.UK describes it as voluntary and confidential; the mediator can't impose a result. It works well for relationship breakdowns between colleagues, but it shouldn't replace a formal investigation of discrimination or harassment.

If the grievance doesn't resolve things and the employee is considering a claim, they must first notify Acas for early conciliation. Acas stresses that this shouldn't be the first step — raising the issue informally, then formally, then appealing should come first. But timing matters. For problems that happened on or after 1 October 2026, most tribunal claims must be brought within six months minus one day. Internal grievances and appeals don't stop that clock; notifying Acas within the time limit pauses it until conciliation ends.

The Code also cuts both ways. A tribunal can increase an award by up to 25% if the employer unreasonably failed to follow the Code — for example by never holding a meeting or ignoring an appeal. It can reduce an award by up to 25% if the employee unreasonably failed to follow it, for example by never raising a grievance at all before resigning and claiming. That's one reason employees who are thinking of resigning and claiming constructive dismissal are usually advised to raise a written grievance first.

Grievance-related dates

11 Mar 2015

Current Acas Code takes effect

30 Jul – 23 Sep 2026

Acas consults on revised draft Code

1 Oct 2026

Tribunal time limit rises to 6 months for most claims

30 Oct 2026

'All reasonable steps' harassment duty and third-party harassment obligation

1 Jan 2027

Unfair dismissal after 6 months of service

Changes employers need to know about

Harassment duties widen on 30 October 2026. The government's timeline confirms that from that date employers must take "all reasonable steps" to prevent sexual harassment of their workers, and become responsible for preventing harassment by third parties such as customers and clients. A grievance alleging harassment, including by a customer, is now both an HR matter and evidence of whether your prevention steps work, so investigate promptly and record what you changed as a result.

A revised Acas Code is coming. Acas's draft, consulted on until 23 September 2026, uses the word "concerns" for informal issues, asks both sides to say what informal steps they've taken before going formal, encourages workers to suggest a resolution and to start with a short written explanation, and adds sections on mediation and reasonable adjustments. It isn't in force yet; it needs the Secretary of State's approval and must be laid before Parliament.

Unfair dismissal from six months. From 1 January 2027, employees with six months' service will be able to claim unfair dismissal, including constructive dismissal, instead of needing 2 years. More grievances from shorter-serving staff will carry real tribunal risk if mishandled.

Worked example: an overtime pay grievance

Amira is a warehouse operative at a small distribution company in Northampton, paid £13.10 an hour. Her contract says overtime is paid at time and a half. For three months, her overtime has been paid at the standard rate. She raised it with her supervisor twice in September, but nothing changed. On 12 October 2026 she sends a formal grievance to the operations director, attaching her payslips and timesheets, and asks for the underpaid overtime to be paid.

Amira's underpayment

£13.10

Basic hourly rate

£19.65

Contractual overtime rate

time and a half

46 hrs

Overtime paid at basic rate

£301.30

Shortfall claimed

46 × £6.55

The difference is £6.55 an hour. She worked 46 overtime hours over the three months, so the underpayment is 46 × £6.55 = £301.30. The director acknowledges the grievance the next day and invites Amira to a meeting four working days later, telling her she can bring a colleague or union rep. At the meeting, payroll confirms an error in the overtime code after a software update. The director upholds the grievance in writing the following day, pays the £301.30 in the next pay run, has payroll check the same error across all staff, and tells Amira she can appeal within five working days if she's not satisfied.

Had the employer ignored her, Amira could have claimed unlawful deduction from wages. For a series of deductions, time generally runs from the last one in the series. Because some of Amira's underpayments fell before 1 October 2026, when the three-month limit still applied, she would be wise to check her deadline with Acas rather than assume she has six months — and her internal grievance wouldn't extend it either way.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Letting a grievance drift. Silence is the most common failing. Acknowledge quickly, give a meeting date and keep the employee updated if things take longer.

The wrong person hearing it. The manager complained about shouldn't decide the grievance. Use someone else or an external HR adviser.

Treating the grievance as disloyalty. Moving someone to worse shifts or starting a disciplinary because they complained invites claims of victimisation or detriment, especially where the complaint involves discrimination or whistleblowing.

Poor record-keeping. Acas recommends keeping written records of the grievance, the decisions and actions taken and the reasons for them, and whether the employee appealed. Keep them confidential and only for as long as necessary under data protection law, but long enough to cover the six-month tribunal window and any claim that follows. Good notes made at the time are usually the best evidence an employer has.

Ignoring patterns. Three grievances about the same supervisor, or several complaints about the same customer, point to a problem that one-off outcomes won't fix. Look across grievances every few months and act on what they tell you — under the October 2026 harassment duty, that's also how you show you took reasonable steps.

No written outcome. An oral "we've sorted it" isn't enough. Put the decision, reasons and appeal route in writing.

Employees waiting too long. If you're an employee and a claim is possible, note the date of the problem and check the six-month limit. Raise your grievance promptly and contact Acas in parallel if the deadline is getting close.

Employer checklist when a grievance arrives

0/8

• Acknowledge in writing and name who will handle it
• Check it isn't about the person hearing it
• Decide what to investigate before the meeting and gather documents
• Invite to a meeting, explaining the right to be accompanied
• Consider interim arrangements and reasonable adjustments
• Send a written outcome with reasons, actions and the appeal deadline
• Arrange an impartial appeal if requested and confirm the final decision in writing
• Record lessons learned — especially for harassment complaints

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Official links

• Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance proceduresThe current statutory Code
• Acas grievance procedure step by stepGuidance for employers and employees
• Acas example grievance procedureFree template for small businesses
• Raise a grievance at workGOV.UK guidance
• Employment tribunal time limitsSix-month limit from 1 October 2026
• Acas early conciliationRequired before most tribunal claims

What to do next

Employers: check your grievance procedure names an alternative contact for complaints about managers, sets realistic timescales and an appeal deadline, and is referenced in every written statement — then make sure whoever hears grievances understands the October 2026 harassment duties. Employees: write down what happened and when, raise it in writing, and keep an eye on the six-month clock. If a grievance is linked to a disciplinary or dismissal, read our disciplinary procedure guide and notice period guide; for pay disputes, the holiday pay guide and the salary slip generator help you check the numbers. The Acas helpline (0300 123 1100) is free and confidential.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice — confirm on the official source or with a professional.

Frequently asked questions

How do I raise a formal grievance at work?

Put it in writing to your manager — or to someone else named in the grievance procedure if your complaint is about your manager. Keep to the facts: what happened, when, who was involved, how it affected you and what outcome you want. Keep a copy. Your employer should then invite you to a meeting without unreasonable delay.

How long does an employer have to respond to a grievance?

There's no fixed legal deadline. The Acas Code says each stage should happen without unreasonable delay, and your employer's own procedure should set timescales. Acas's sample procedure for small firms uses a meeting usually within five working days of the grievance and a written decision usually within 24 hours of the meeting, but these are examples, not legal requirements.

Can I bring someone to a grievance meeting?

Yes, if your grievance is about a duty your employer owes you — such as pay, contract terms, discrimination or health and safety — and you make a reasonable request. You can bring a fellow worker, a certified trade union representative or a union official. If they can't make the date, the meeting must be moved to a reasonable time within 5 working days.

Does raising a grievance stop the tribunal time limit?

No. Internal grievances and appeals don't extend tribunal time limits. For problems on or after 1 October 2026, most claims must start within six months minus one day. Only notifying Acas for early conciliation pauses the clock, so if a deadline is close, contact Acas while the grievance continues.

What happens if my employer ignores my grievance?

Ask in writing for a meeting and a decision, referring to the procedure and the Acas Code. If they still don't act and you win a related tribunal claim, the tribunal can increase your award by up to 25% for an unreasonable failure to follow the Code. You can call the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100 for free advice.

Can an employee be disciplined while their grievance is open?

Yes, but it needs care. The Acas Code says that where an employee raises a grievance during a disciplinary, the employer may pause the disciplinary to deal with the grievance, or deal with both together if they're related. Disciplining someone because they raised a grievance could be victimisation or a detriment.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 13 October 2026. Each rate and limit is stored once with its own official source and review date, and official update channels are monitored daily so changes are picked up. How we verify

1. 1.Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures — Acas · accessed 13 October 2026
2. 2.Raise a grievance at work — GOV.UK · accessed 13 October 2026
3. 3.Grievance procedure step by step — Acas · accessed 13 October 2026
4. 4.Example grievance procedure — Acas · accessed 13 October 2026
5. 5.Employment tribunal time limits — Acas · accessed 13 October 2026
6. 6.Early conciliation — Acas · accessed 13 October 2026
7. 7.Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act: timeline update — Department for Business and Trade · accessed 13 October 2026
8. 8.Acas consultation: draft Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures — Acas · accessed 13 October 2026