Grievance Policy Template (UK)

A grievance policy is the written route an employee follows to raise a concern, problem or complaint about work — and the route the employer follows to resolve it. The Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures, which covers both situations, describes grievances as "concerns, problems or complaints that employees raise with their employers". A grievance policy template UK employers can work from gives you that route ready to adapt: who to write to, what happens at the meeting, who may attend, and how appeals work.

The document does real legal work. The written statement of employment particulars that every employee and worker must receive under the Employment Rights Act 1996 has to carry a note specifying a person the worker can apply to "for the purpose of seeking redress of any grievance relating to his employment", and the manner of applying (section 3). And if a dispute reaches a tribunal, an unreasonable failure to follow the Acas Code can move the award — the Acas uplift, up to 25% in Great Britain and up to 50% in Northern Ireland, is explained in full on our disciplinary policy template page.

One point of timing. The Acas Code in force is the one that took effect on 11 March 2015. Acas published a draft replacement for consultation on 30 July 2026, with responses due by 23 September 2026. Until a revised Code is approved and laid before Parliament, the 2015 Code is the one tribunals take into account — but expect to revisit your policy once the new version lands.

Grievances raised mid-disciplinary or after resignation

An employee facing disciplinary action may raise a grievance about that very process. The Acas Code's answer: the disciplinary "may be temporarily suspended in order to deal with the grievance", or both run concurrently where related. Adopt one route explicitly — ploughing on regardless is risky, and so is letting serial grievances stall the disciplinary forever. Pause or run concurrently, and record why.

Someone who has resigned may then send a formal complaint. The Acas Code does not deal with former employees, so the policy must speak: grievance in writing, investigation, written response, meeting at the employer's discretion. The complaint does not evaporate with the employment, and your response may be examined later.

When you need a grievance policy

You are taking on your first employee or worker — the written statement (see our UK employment contract template) must name someone to approach about a grievance. That note is due no later than two months after the employment starts, so it is worth settling the policy before then.
A complaint has landed and nothing is written down.
A refused request to work from home or change hours has turned into a complaint — our free hybrid and remote working policy template covers requests to change where and when people work.

What a grievance policy should cover

Scope and status — who is covered, and that the policy is non-contractual so it can be updated freely.
Informal resolution first — most problems fix better in conversation, but informality must never block the formal route.
Raising a formal grievance — in writing, to a named role, matching the note in the written statement.
The grievance meeting — held without unreasonable delay, with a genuine chance to explain the complaint and the outcome sought.
The right to be accompanied is a statutory right for workers under the Employment Relations Act 1999, not merely a policy promise. For a grievance hearing it is narrower than many policies assume: it applies where the hearing concerns the performance of a duty the employer owes the worker — that the contract is not being honoured, say, or that a legal obligation is being breached. Where it applies, a worker who reasonably requests it may bring one companion — a fellow worker, a trade union official, or a union-certified companion (Employment Relations Act 1999, sections 10 and 13(5)). If that companion is unavailable at the time the employer proposed, the worker may propose an alternative that is both reasonable and not more than five working days after the original date, and the employer must postpone to it.
What the companion may do — put and sum up the worker's case, respond on the worker's behalf to views expressed at the meeting, and confer with the worker during it. The employer is not obliged to let a companion answer questions for the worker.
Outcome and appeal — decisions in writing without unreasonable delay; appeals dealt with impartially and, wherever possible, by a manager who has not previously been involved in the case, with the outcome also in writing.

Common mistakes

Merging grievance and disciplinary into one procedure. They share the Acas Code but point in opposite directions — a grievance is raised by the employee; a disciplinary is action taken by the employer. That is why this template stands alone. Customer complaints belong in a complaints procedure, not here.
Making the policy contractual — procedural steps can then become terms that are capable of being breached.
Restricting the companion. A policy may be more generous than section 10, never narrower: the Code is explicit that employers must agree to a companion from any of the three statutory categories, and a worker may change their choice.

England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

This page describes England and Wales, and Scotland is materially the same: the Employment Rights Act 1996, the Employment Relations Act 1999 and the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 each extend to England, Wales and Scotland, and the Acas Code applies across Great Britain.

Northern Ireland genuinely differs, and by more than wording. None of those three Acts extends there — section 46(3) of the Employment Relations Act 1999 says so in terms — and the Acas Code does not apply. The accompaniment right comes instead from Article 12 of the Employment Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1999, and the relevant code is the Labour Relations Agency Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures, in effect since 3 April 2011. Northern Ireland's statutory grievance procedures were repealed on 3 April 2011, but the statutory dismissal and disciplinary procedures in Part I of Schedule 1 to the Employment (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 remain in force, with their own award adjustment for non-completion. A policy drafted for Great Britain needs adapting before it covers staff in Northern Ireland.

Frequently asked questions

What must the written statement of employment particulars say about grievances?

It must include a note specifying a person the worker can apply to "for the purpose of seeking redress of any grievance relating to his employment", and the manner of applying (Employment Rights Act 1996, section 3). The note is due no later than two months after the employment starts, and a formal grievance is raised in writing, to a named role, matching that note.

What counts as a grievance?

The Acas Code describes grievances as concerns, problems or complaints that employees raise with their employers — pay, workload, working conditions, treatment by colleagues or managers. Customer or supplier complaints are not grievances.

Who can accompany an employee to a grievance meeting?

Where the meeting concerns a duty the employer owes the worker, the worker may choose one companion: a fellow worker, a trade union official, or a union-certified companion (Employment Relations Act 1999, sections 10 and 13(5)). The companion may address the meeting, sum up the case and confer with the worker, but the employer is not required to let them answer questions on the worker's behalf.

What happens if an employee raises a grievance during a disciplinary process?

The Acas Code gives two routes: pause the disciplinary to deal with the grievance, or run both concurrently where they are related. Choose deliberately and record the choice rather than ignoring the grievance or letting it stall the process.

Can an employee raise a grievance after resigning?

Yes — often as the prelude to a tribunal claim. The Acas Code does not deal with former employees, so the policy should: grievance in writing, investigation, and a written response. Refusing to engage because the employment has ended rarely reads well if the dispute continues.

Statutory references on this page were checked against primary sources (legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK, HSE, ICO and Acas) on 8 August 2026. Our templates themselves are not solicitor-drafted — see the note below.

This page is legal information, not legal advice.

Dogetlawyer is a Legal-Technology platform, not a law firm.

Our templates are not solicitor-drafted and have not been checked against primary sources. They are starting points to adapt, not finished documents.

This page describes the law of England and Wales unless it says otherwise. For anything significant, consider taking advice from a qualified professional.

This page states the position as at 8 August 2026.

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Our grievance policy template sits in an A–Z index of around 114 free UK legal templates — browse the free UK legal contract templates index without signing up, then register a free account to download — no payment involved.