Grievance, Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace

A grievance refers to a problem, concern or complaint that an employee raises with you, often through a grievance letter (although sometimes it might be raised verbally), such as a health and safety concern or an allegation of bullying. How you approach a grievance process will very much dictate the outcome and it is important to try to avoid an antagonistic approach in order to avoid the situation escalating and the employee become more aggrieved. 

The first step is to try and resolve the matter informally, which will benefit all parties involved by saving on time, money and stress levels.

However, it is not always possible or appropriate to resolve matters informally and this is where having a grievance policy in place is important. A grievance policy sets out the procedure that will be adopted when addressing a grievance and will ensure complaints are dealt with in a manner that is reasonable, fair and consistent and in accordance with the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievances.

Bullying and harassment is damaging to any workplace and can be difficult to deal with, leading to grievances, absences and increased stress. It is in the interest of every employer to ensure that any instances of bullying and harassment in their business are dealt with swiftly and effectively. Because of this, it is important that any allegations of harassment and bullying are treated seriously.

Having a bullying and harassment policy in place should help employees and managers to identify bullying and harassment and minimise confusion over what is prohibited conduct. It should clearly set out how employees should report an act of bullying or harassment, how this will then be investigated and the procedure to be followed.

You should make it clear that the policy applies to behaviour not only in the workplace but also to conduct during work-related trips and events. You may also decide to extend this policy to require employees to treat customers with the same respect as they would their colleagues.

The Health and Safety Executive defines stress as ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work’. While feeling under some pressure at work is an accepted norm in any workplace, this can turn into stress if the employee no longer feels able to cope with the situation. If the stress is too much for them, it can lead to serious mental and physical illness – a situation no employer wants to see for their employee.

Further, employees being stressed at work or having to take time off work with stress can have a detrimental effect on your business and so should be managed promptly.

Some of the ways you can address and evaluate the levels of stress in your workplace include:

• Stress audit: This will highlight particular areas of your workforce that may be under too much pressure, providing you with an opportunity to improve working practices.
• Return-to-work interviews: These will allow you to identify employees who have been absent due to a stress-related illness.
• Training: The right training will help managers to identify and deal with stressed employees.
• Consultation: Consult employees, employee representatives and trade unions before making significant changes to working practices.
• Realistic productivity targets: Ensure that your expectations of your workforce’s productivity are reasonable.
• Counselling: Provide counselling for employees struggling with stress.

A Stress of the Workplace Policy will explain that you will endeavour to support and assist employees suffering from stress and provide employees with guidance on how they can deal with workplace stress. 

In many situations, alternative methods of resolving disputes such as mediation or facilitated meetings can help resolve workplace disputes effectively without working relationships being irreparably damaged. We will explore with you the most appropriate way of dealing with a dispute and through our network of contacts can put you in contact with accredited mediators.