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15) Does your organisation provide a grievance mechanism for workers to raise workplace concerns?

August 20, 2021 Procurement Risk Grievance

Answer yes if your organisation has a mechanism in place (backed up by a written policy document with a defined process) that allows employees and contractors to address grievances relating to their employment. Please upload the policy document (as a PDF file) as evidence.

By law employers must set out a grievance procedure and share it in writing with all employees. It must include:

  • who the employee should contact about a grievance;
  • how to contact this person.

It should also:

  • say that if the problem can’t be resolved informally, there will be a meeting with the employee, called a grievance hearing;
  • set out time limits for each stage of the process;
  • identify who to contact if the normal contact person is involved in the grievance;
  • explain how to appeal a grievance decision;
  • state that employees can be accompanied in any meetings by a colleague or union representative;
  • outline what happens if a grievance is raised during disciplinary action.

You don’t have to include information about the grievance procedure in employment contracts. However, if you do, you must follow the procedure, or the employee could bring a breach of contract claim against you.

How to implement the control:

The UK government have some good advice on the implementation of a grievance mechanism within your business that can be found here.

There is plenty of advice on the internet for creating a Grievance process and documenting it as a policy. If you have complex requirements you can also ask for advice from counsel who will be able to help.

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