PeopleMuster

Grievance procedure template

Grievance procedures are judged on one thing. Does the person raising the concern know what happens next, and by when.

For concerns about work, conditions or treatment that have not been settled by a conversation. Harassment reports usually go down their own route, which is why that policy is separate.

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE — [Company name]
Effective [date] · Owner: [HR lead]

PURPOSE
A route for raising a concern about your work, your conditions, or how you
have been treated, and a commitment about how it will be handled.

STAGE 0 — INFORMALLY
Many concerns are settled by a direct conversation, or by your manager having
one. Try this first where it is reasonable. Skip it where the concern is
serious, or where it is about the person you would be talking to.

STAGE 1 — IN WRITING
Send your concern to [named role, and a named alternative]. Include:
  · what happened, with dates
  · who was involved
  · what you have already tried
  · what outcome you are asking for
Acknowledged within [2] working days.

STAGE 2 — THE HEARING
A meeting within [10] working days with [a manager not involved in the
matter]. You may bring [a colleague]. Notes are taken and shared with you.
Say if anything in them is wrong.

STAGE 3 — LOOKING INTO IT
Whoever hears it speaks to the people involved, reads what is relevant, and
writes down what they found. Where the concern is about a person, that person
is told what has been said about them and gets to answer it.

STAGE 4 — THE OUTCOME
In writing, within [5] working days of the hearing ending. The letter says
what was found, what will change, and by when. Where nothing is upheld, it
says why.

STAGE 5 — APPEAL
Within [5] working days of the outcome, to [a different, more senior person].
Say what part you disagree with. The appeal decision is final internally.

CONFIDENTIALITY
Kept to the people who need to know. Complete secrecy cannot be promised,
because the person a concern is about has to be able to answer it.

NO RETALIATION
Nobody is penalised for raising a concern honestly, or for taking part in
looking into one. Retaliation is treated as a conduct matter in itself.

RECORDS
Kept by [HR], separately from your personnel file, for [period].

Approved by [name, title], [date].

Before you send it

  • Put real numbers in the brackets. A procedure without timescales is where concerns go to sit, and the silence does more damage than the original problem.
  • Name an alternative recipient every time. The first name fails exactly when the concern is about that person or their team.
  • Grievance rights, who may accompany someone, and how records must be handled differ by country and sometimes by sector. Have this reviewed locally before you publish it.
  • Do not promise anonymity in a procedure like this. Anonymity and a fair hearing pull against each other, and it is better to say so plainly than to break the promise later.
  • Named feedback in PeopleMuster moves through four states: received, reviewed, addressed, closed. Names are masked by default, and only someone with access can reveal them, one item at a time.

Questions people ask about this letter

Who should hear a grievance?

Someone with no stake in it. Where the company is too small for that, say who steps in instead, including when the concern reaches the founder.

Can a concern be raised anonymously?

A no-name channel brings out things that would stay hidden. It is also hard to look into fairly. Many teams run both. A named route like this one, and a second, quieter one that promises less.

How long should grievance records be kept?

Long enough to be useful, no longer than needed, and separate from the personnel file. Retention periods for this kind of record are often set locally, so check rather than picking a number.

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