Template · Employee relations and discipline
Grievance policy template
In short
A grievance policy template sets out how employees raise work-related concerns and how the company will handle them: who to go to, the stages, timelines, the right to appeal and protection from retaliation. This template includes a complete three-stage employee grievance procedure, roles, record-keeping rules and a short grievance submission form.
Grievance Policy and Procedure template
Grievance Policy and Procedure
Replace bracketed text with your company's details. Check the policy against any collective bargaining agreement, which takes precedence for covered employees, and against local law in each state or country where you employ people.
1. Purpose
[Company Name] wants problems at work to be raised early and resolved fairly. This policy explains how employees can raise a concern or complaint about their work, working conditions or relationships at work, and how the company will respond. It applies to all employees of [Company Name] [in (countries / states)]. [Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement should use the grievance procedure in that agreement.]
2. What this policy covers
You can use this procedure for concerns about, for example:
- Work assignments, schedules, workload or working conditions - How a policy or practice has been applied to you - Pay, overtime, or time-off decisions - Health and safety concerns - Treatment by a manager or co-worker that is not covered by another policy - Changes to your terms of employment
Some concerns follow a separate process. Complaints of harassment, discrimination or retaliation are handled under our [Anti-Harassment and Equal Opportunity Policy]. Reports of fraud, legal violations or ethical misconduct can be made under our [Whistleblower / Speak-Up Policy] or hotline at [Hotline Number / URL]. Appeals against disciplinary decisions follow the appeal step in our [Progressive Discipline Policy]. If you are unsure which process applies, raise it under this policy and HR will route it.
3. Principles
- Concerns will be taken seriously and dealt with promptly. - Each grievance will be heard by someone who was not involved in the matter, where practical. - You will have the chance to explain your concern fully and to bring relevant evidence. - You may be accompanied at formal meetings by a co-worker [or union representative]. - Information will be shared only with people who need it to resolve the grievance. - No one will be disciplined, demoted, or treated less favorably for raising a grievance in good faith or helping with one. Retaliation is a serious violation of this policy. - Nothing in this policy limits your right to contact a government agency, discuss your terms and conditions of employment with co-workers, or take any other action protected by law.
4. Stage 1: Informal resolution
Most concerns are best resolved by talking to your manager. Raise the matter with your manager within [30] days of the issue. Your manager will discuss it with you and aim to resolve it within [5] working days. If your concern is about your manager, or you are not comfortable raising it with them, go to their manager or to HR at [HR Contact].
5. Stage 2: Formal grievance
If the matter is not resolved informally, or it is serious enough to go straight to a formal grievance, submit it in writing to HR using the grievance form or by email to [HR Email]. Explain what happened, when, who was involved, what you have already done to resolve it, and what outcome you are looking for.
HR will acknowledge your grievance within [3] working days and appoint a manager to hear it. You will be invited to a meeting, normally within [10] working days of submitting the grievance. The hearing manager may investigate further, including speaking to witnesses. You will receive a written decision, with reasons, normally within [10] working days after the meeting. If more time is needed, HR will tell you why and when to expect a decision.
6. Stage 3: Appeal
If you are not satisfied with the decision, you may appeal in writing to [HR / the appeal manager role] within [10] working days of receiving it, explaining why. The appeal will be heard by a more senior manager who was not involved earlier. You will be invited to an appeal meeting and receive a written decision, normally within [10] working days of that meeting. The appeal decision is final under this procedure.
7. Records and confidentiality
HR will keep a record of each formal grievance, including the written complaint, meeting notes, evidence, the decision and any appeal. Records are kept securely, separate from the general personnel file, for [number] years after the grievance is closed or longer if a legal claim is pending. Grievances will not be used as a basis for performance or disciplinary decisions.
8. Responsibilities
Employees: raise concerns promptly and honestly, and take part in meetings. Managers: listen, try to resolve concerns early, refer formal grievances to HR, and never retaliate. HR: run the formal process, keep to the timelines, keep records, and report grievance trends to leadership [quarterly]. Leadership: act on recurring issues that the trends reveal.
Grievance submission form
- Employee name
- Job title and department
- Manager
- Date submitted
- Category
- Working conditions or schedulePay or time offApplication of a policyTreatment by manager or co-workerHealth and safetyOther
- What happened, when, and who was involved
- Steps already taken to resolve it
- Outcome you are looking for
- Witnesses or documents
- Employee signature
- Received by HR (name and date)
Acknowledgement
- I have read and understand the Grievance Policy and Procedure.
- Date
How to use this template
- Replace the bracketed names, contacts and timelines, and decide which concerns go to separate policies such as harassment or whistleblowing.
- Check the policy against any union contract and the laws of each state or country you operate in, and adjust stages or time limits as needed.
- Name the roles that will hear grievances and appeals, and train those managers to run a fair meeting and write a reasoned decision.
- Publish the policy in the handbook and on the HR portal, and collect signed or electronic acknowledgements.
- Log every formal grievance with its dates so you can track whether timelines are being met.
- Review grievance trends at least quarterly and fix the recurring causes, not only the individual cases.
What a grievance procedure is for
A grievance procedure gives employees a known, safe route to raise a problem and get a decision. Without one, complaints leak out sideways: to social media, to an agency, to a lawyer, or into quiet resignations. With one, most issues get fixed at stage 1 by a manager who did not know there was a problem.
In the US, private employers are not generally required by federal law to have a grievance policy, except where a union contract includes one. It is still standard practice, and a working internal process is part of how employers show they take complaints seriously. In Great Britain, the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures sets the expected process, and employment tribunals can adjust awards by up to 25% where either side unreasonably fails to follow it. Rules vary by state and country.
How it fits with your other policies
Keep the grievance policy for general workplace concerns and route specific matters elsewhere. Harassment and discrimination complaints need their own reporting channels, including options that bypass the employee's manager, which is why they belong in your anti-harassment policy. Fraud and legal violations belong in a whistleblower process. Disciplinary appeals belong in the progressive discipline policy.
The template's catch-all line, "if you are unsure, raise it here and HR will route it", matters. Employees should never be turned away because they used the wrong form. For a simpler intake that any employee can use regardless of the issue, pair this policy with an employee complaint form.
Timelines that hold up in practice
Short, specific timelines build trust. A common pattern is acknowledgement in 3 working days, a hearing within 10 and a decision within 10 more, so a formal grievance closes in about a month. Do not promise faster than you can deliver; a policy that says 5 days and routinely takes 30 does more harm than one that says 20 and keeps to it.
The employee's own time limit (30 days in this template) encourages prompt reporting, but apply it flexibly. Someone who waited because they feared retaliation, or because the issue built up over months, should still be heard.
Running grievances in large and frontline workforces
In a 2,000-person contact center or distribution network, many employees have no desk, no company email and a supervisor who is also their scheduler. Give them a mobile-friendly way to submit, a phone line, and a named HR contact by site. Train team leads and supervisors on stage 1, because that is where most grievances are won or lost.
Track every formal grievance by site, category, stage reached and days to close. A typical pattern is that schedules, overtime allocation and one or two individual supervisors account for a large share of cases. Fixing those causes reduces grievances and attrition at the same time.
Legal notes
Do not discipline employees for raising grievances in good faith, and do not write policy language that discourages employees from discussing pay or working conditions with co-workers or from contacting agencies; both can conflict with the National Labor Relations Act and anti-retaliation laws. If the grievance raises discrimination, harassment, safety or wage issues, treat it as a protected complaint and involve HR immediately, even if the employee did not use those words. In unionized workplaces the collective bargaining agreement's procedure governs covered employees.
Common mistakes
- Letting the manager who caused the problem hear the formal grievance.
- Missing timelines without telling the employee.
- Giving a decision without reasons.
- Treating a grievance as a performance issue or noting it in the employee's review.
- Resolving the individual case and ignoring that the same complaint has come from five people on the same shift.
Frequently asked questions
What is an employee grievance procedure?
It is the step-by-step process employees use to raise a work-related concern and get a decision, usually starting with an informal conversation, then a written formal grievance and hearing, and finally an appeal to a more senior manager.
What is the difference between a grievance and a complaint?
The terms overlap. Complaint is often used for any concern, including harassment or customer issues. Grievance usually means a formal concern about the employee's own work, treatment or terms of employment, handled under a defined procedure.
Is a grievance policy legally required?
In the US, generally not for non-union private employers, though it is standard good practice. Union contracts normally include one. In some countries, such as the UK, a fair grievance process is expected under official codes of practice.
Can an employee bring someone to a grievance meeting?
Many policies allow a co-worker or union representative. In Great Britain workers have a statutory right to be accompanied at formal grievance hearings. In the US it depends on your policy and any union contract.
How long should a complaint procedure policy allow for a decision?
A common standard is acknowledgement within 3 working days and a written decision within about 20 working days of a formal grievance, with an appeal resolved within a similar period. Set timelines you can meet consistently.