All members of University staff should be treated fairly and with respect. There may be times when you are unhappy about the treatment that you have received or about any aspect of your work.
If attempts to resolve the situation informally have been unsuccessful, it may be appropriate for you to raise a formal grievance. Our procedures provide a fair and consistent way of dealing with situations where a formal grievance is raised.
All University procedures are underpinned by the principles of natural justice and the ACAS code of practice.
View the Employee Relations Toolkit here.
Grievances are usually best dealt with at an early stage, by speaking informally with your line manager. Or, if your line manager is the subject of your grievance, then speak to your next level up line manager. Your line manager will take any appropriate action. Trying to resolve any problems through talking and listening to the person concerned as soon as any problem occurs is often the best way to resolve things and may avoid the need for any further intervention.
We recognise that this isn't always easy, so before raising a formal grievance please consider mediation as an alternative route to resolution. You will then have the services of an expert in conflict resolution who will guide you through a process which offers you an opportunity to feel heard and enable you seek practical workable solutions that feel fair.
If attempts to resolve your concerns informally prove unsuccessful, you should raise your grievance formally in writing to your line manager. If your concern relates to the way in which your manager is treating you, the grievance should be sent to the next level manager. Please write your grievance using the University's grievance template. An overview of the grievance process can be found in the Grievance Flowchart for Employees. If you've not already done so, you may seek mediation at any point in the grievance process.
Staff concerns should be directed to their line manager or next level manager where the line manager is the subject of the concern. As a line manager receiving a complaint or concern, it is important to arrange an informal meeting as soon as possible. Many concerns can be addressed at this informal stage.
In this informal meeting, you do not need HR present, however you may contact HR for advice on how to handle the matter. The informal meeting is an opportunity for you to listen to the concerns raised and explore opportunities for resolution.
It is important to understand what outcome the employee is seeking. If the matter concerns a working relationship you could also explore whether mediation would be appropriate. You may wish to confidentially discuss whether mediation would be appropriate and/or seek guidance on managing the conflict by contacting the mediation service. During your conversation with the employee you do not need to get them to agree to mediation there and then. You should just seek consent to explore whether this might be the best approach to reach a resolution by asking them to have a conversation with the mediation service first, after which they can decide if they would like to pursue it.
If an employee believes that informal action will not sufficiently address their concerns, you will need to talk through what the formal grievance procedure involves. You can direct the employee to the guidance for staff on raising a grievance. After the informal meeting, it is important to make a note of the meeting including a summary of what was discussed and any action points.
Schedule in a further meeting to discuss whether the action taken has sufficiently addressed their concerns.
Please see the Employee Relations toolkit for more information.
If attempts to resolve the employee's concerns informally are unsuccessful, you should explain the formal grievance process to the employee. Please see the Grievance Guidance - for Managers for information on how to handle a formal grievance raised by a member of staff.
When an issue of alleged misconduct has been raised and you wish to ascertain if more formal action should be taken.
For further guidance we recommend you speak to Ask HR in the first instance and consult the Investigations section of the Employee Relations toolkit.
An appropriate investigator will be appointed to ensure a fair and reasonable investigation is undertaken. The investigator will be impartial and have had no prior involvement in the issue to be investigated.
For further guidance we recommend you speak with HR and consult the Employee Relations toolkit.