How to raise a grievance about bullying or harassment

A grievance is a formal complaint you raise with your employer about something that has happened to you at work. Once it is raised in writing, your employer is expected to follow a fair process to look into it, and that process is set out in the Acas Code of Practice.

Most employers expect you to try to resolve things informally first, and many bullying situations genuinely can be sorted that way. But you are not required to put yourself through an informal process if the behaviour is serious, or if the person you would raise it with is the person doing it.

The letter does not need to be long or legal. It needs to be clear. State that you are raising a formal grievance, set out what happened with dates, explain the effect it has had on you, and say what you want to happen next.

• Open with the words: I am writing to raise a formal grievance.
• Describe the behaviour factually, in date order, with the strongest examples first.
• If the behaviour relates to a protected characteristic, say so explicitly, because that engages the Equality Act 2010.
• Attach or reference your evidence rather than pasting it all in.
• End with the outcome you are asking for, and ask for the grievance to be acknowledged in writing.

Send it in a way you can prove, by email with a read receipt or by hand with a copy kept. Keep the date you sent it. Every deadline that follows runs from the employer's process, and you may need to show when yours started.

1. Your employer acknowledges the grievance and arranges a meeting, normally within a few weeks.
2. You attend the grievance meeting. You have the legal right to be accompanied by a colleague or trade union representative.
3. They investigate. That can mean speaking to witnesses and gathering documents.
4. You receive a written outcome, which should explain what was found and what will happen.
5. If you disagree, you can appeal, and the appeal should be heard by someone not involved in the first decision.

Some grievances are sat on, whitewashed or quietly punished. If that happens, it is not the end. It is itself evidence. Keep records of every delay, every ignored email and every change in how you are treated after raising it.