Handling a grievance? Get the free manager's guide.
For owners and managers of small teams who want to get it right when someone raises a concern. A calm, step by step process based on the Acas Code of Practice, on two printable pages, with each step marked as the Code or good practice.
- What counts as a grievance, and when an informal chat is enough
- The seven formal steps, from receiving it to the appeal
- The right to be accompanied, and when to move a meeting
- Acknowledgement wording you can adapt
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Instant download. Updated October 2026.
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Download the checklist (PDF)Dealing with a grievance right now? Book Your 20-Minute Discovery Call.
What's in the guide
Three short sections you can keep beside you when a grievance lands.
- Before you start: what a grievance is, and when an informal conversation is the right first step
- The formal process: seven steps, from asking for it in writing to hearing an appeal, each linked to the Acas Code paragraph
- Situations that need extra care: a disciplinary already under way, a grievance about the owner, and harassment or whistleblowing concerns
General guidance for employers in England, Scotland and Wales, not legal advice. Based on the Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures, checked October 2026. Acas expects an updated Code to apply from 2027. Prefer to read online? See How do I handle an employee grievance fairly?
Rather have someone alongside you?
An HR Advice Session (£125) helps you plan the meeting and the outcome letter. For hands-on help from first meeting to outcome, see Employee Relations Support. If the grievance is about you, I can hear it or the appeal as an independent person.
You'll deal with me, Arrun Greaves, CIPD Level 7. How my support works.
"Arrun has been amazing, insightful and patient. He has helped me build out my HR policies for my Family Support Agency. He assisted in making sure we are fully legally compliant and making sure our policies are suitable for such a sensitive industry. Would highly recommend him!"
Talk it through first.
Twenty minutes, no charge. Tell me what's been raised and I'll help you work out a fair next step.
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