How do I raise a problem at work formally?

The Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures sets the expected shape of this, and tribunals can adjust an award by up to 25 per cent where either side unreasonably failed to follow it. That cuts both ways: raising a grievance properly protects your position, and skipping it can reduce what you recover later.

Step by step

1. Try informal resolution first, and record that you did.A conversation, followed by a short email summarising what was agreed. Many problems end here, and having tried is itself part of a reasonable process.
2. Find the employer's grievance procedure.It is in the handbook or the written statement. Follow it — who to write to, what stages exist, what timescales apply.
3. Write it as a factual chronology.Dates, what happened, who was present, what was said. Avoid characterisation and adjectives. A chronology is far harder to dismiss than a narrative of how something felt.
4. Name the term, policy or law you say was breached."This is contrary to the overtime provision in my written statement" is actionable. "This is unfair" is not. If it involves a protected characteristic, say so explicitly, because that changes what the employer must do.
5. Say what outcome you want.Be specific and proportionate: correcting a payment, changing a rota, mediation, a policy being applied. An unstated outcome guarantees an unsatisfying one.
6. Exercise the right to be accompanied.At a formal grievance meeting you may be accompanied by a colleague or a trade union representative. They can address the meeting and confer with you, but not answer questions for you.
7. Take your own notes, and keep the evidence.Notes made at the time carry weight. Keep copies of relevant emails and documents you already have lawful access to — do not remove confidential material or covertly record meetings, both of which cause more problems than they solve.
8. Appeal if the outcome is unsatisfactory.Almost every procedure has an appeal stage, and using it is part of exhausting the internal process. Appeal in writing, on stated grounds, within the stated time limit.
9. Watch the external time limits in parallel.Tribunal claims generally must start within three months less one day of the act complained of, notifying Acas for early conciliation first. That clock does not stop while an internal grievance runs. Get free advice from Acas, Citizens Advice or your union early.

Common mistakes

• Writing the grievance while angry — Tone becomes the subject. Draft it, leave it a day, then strip out everything that is not a fact or a requested outcome.
• Assuming the internal process pauses the tribunal clock — It does not. People lose valid claims by waiting politely for an appeal outcome.
• Covertly recording meetings — It is often itself a disciplinary matter, admissibility is uncertain, and it shifts the focus onto your conduct rather than the complaint.

Questions people ask