Try informal first
Most problems at work are best sorted out informally — a calm conversation with your manager (or, if it’s about them, someone more senior). It’s quicker, keeps working relationships intact, and is often all that’s needed.
Raise it formally when the issue is serious, when the informal route hasn’t worked, or when you need it on the record — for example discrimination, bullying, a health-and-safety concern, or unpaid wages.
Check your employer’s procedureYour employer should have a written grievance procedure — usually in the staff handbook or your contract — telling you who to raise it with and the steps they’ll follow. Follow it where you can.
The grievance letter
Put your grievance in writing to your manager (or someone more senior if it’s about them). Keep it calm and factual:
- Say clearly: “I am writing to raise a formal grievance.”
- Set out the facts — what happened, when, who was involved, and the impact on you. Stick to facts; avoid insulting or abusive language.
- Attach or refer to any evidence (emails, dates, witnesses).
- Say what outcome you want — how you’d like it resolved.
- Ask for a meeting to discuss it, and say you’d like to be accompanied.
- Keep a dated copy of everything you send.
Draft it in minutesOur
letter writer can help you set out a clear, calm, factual grievance letter you can send to your employer.
The meeting — and your right to be accompanied
Your employer should hold a grievance meeting without unreasonable delay — often within about 5 working days — and give you time to prepare. At the meeting you explain your grievance and the evidence, and can suggest how to resolve it.
You have a statutory right to be accompanied where the grievance is about your employer breaching a legal or contractual duty. Your companion can be:
- a work colleague, or
- a trade union representative or official.
They can put your case, sum up and talk things over with you during the meeting — but they can’t answer questions for you. After the meeting, the employer should give you their decision in writing, and tell you how to appeal.
If you’re not happy — appeal
If you disagree with the decision, you can appeal. Tell your manager (in writing is best), and you’ll be invited to an appeal meeting — normally within about 5 working days — ideally with a more senior manager who wasn’t involved before. You can be accompanied at the appeal too.
You can’t be punished for raising a grievanceIt’s unlawful for an employer to treat you worse, or dismiss you, for raising a genuine grievance — especially about a legal right like discrimination or health and safety. If that happens, it can be a separate claim. Keep records and get advice.
If it’s still not resolved
A grievance itself isn’t a tribunal claim — but if the underlying issue is a legal one (discrimination, unlawful deduction of wages, constructive dismissal), and internal steps haven’t worked, you may be able to take it further:
- ACAS early conciliation — a free step to try to settle before a tribunal (and required before most tribunal claims).
- An employment tribunal for the underlying claim — with strict time limits (usually 3 months less a day).
Do this now
If a quiet word hasn’t worked, put your concern in writing as a formal grievance — calm, factual, dated — using our letter writer. Ask for a meeting and say you’d like to be accompanied.
Get free, confidential advice first from ACAS (0300 123 1100) or Citizens Advice. If the problem is really about being pushed out or unfairly dismissed, see unfair dismissal or, if you’re offered a deal to leave, a settlement agreement.
Related guides — work & rights
Source verification
Primary sources: ACAS — Formal grievance procedure, step by step (Understanding the options; Raising a formal grievance; Responding; The grievance meeting) and the ACAS Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures; plus GOV.UK — Raise a grievance at work (
gov.uk/raise-grievance-at-work). Last verified 2 July 2026 — try informal first then formal in writing; the grievance-letter contents (state it’s a formal grievance, keep to facts, say what you want); the meeting held without unreasonable delay (often ~5 working days); the statutory right to be accompanied by a colleague or trade union representative where the grievance concerns a legal/contractual duty; the written decision; and the appeal to a more senior manager were web-checked against ACAS and GOV.UK. Confidence: High — long-standing procedure under the ACAS Code (tribunals can adjust compensation by up to 25% if either side unreasonably fails to follow it). Timescales are ACAS good practice, not fixed legal deadlines. Scope: Great Britain (Northern Ireland has an equivalent via the LRA). Not legal advice — free help from ACAS (
0300 123 1100) and Citizens Advice.
Grievances — common questions
How do I raise a grievance?
Try informal first — talk to your manager. If it’s serious or that hasn’t worked, put a formal grievance in writing: state it’s a formal grievance, set out the facts calmly, say what you want done, and ask for a meeting with a companion. Keep a dated copy.
What goes in a grievance letter?
That it’s a formal grievance, the facts (what/when/who/impact), any evidence, the outcome you want, and a request for a meeting where you’ll be accompanied. Stay factual and avoid insulting language.
Can I bring someone to the meeting?
Yes — you have a statutory right to be accompanied by a colleague or a trade union representative where the grievance is about a legal or contractual duty. They can put your case and confer with you, but can’t answer for you.
What if it’s not resolved?
Appeal to a more senior manager. If the underlying issue is legal (discrimination, unpaid wages, constructive dismissal), you may take it to ACAS early conciliation and possibly a tribunal — with a strict deadline (usually 3 months less a day). Get advice first.
Can I be punished for raising one?
No — treating you worse or dismissing you for a genuine grievance is unlawful, especially where it relates to a legal right. If it happens, it can be a separate claim. Keep records and get advice from ACAS or Citizens Advice.