It's All About People - 6th February 2025

READ TIME - 4 minute read

Last week saw a very special day in our household - our daughter Lynley turned 18. As many of you will know, I started Gateway HR the year Lynley was born - as I wanted to be able to have more time with my family and watch them grow up.

Well, with University place offers coming in and now both my “children” being able to buy me a drink in the pub - I am as grateful as ever that I made that decision to start Gateway HR and enjoy seeing my children grow and flourish.

My daughter did ask me how we will cope when we have an empty nest - which scarily is only 7 months away. I was unsure what my answer was, but we do plan to test the concept of running the business from anywhere and travelling more…watch this space.

So, on to this week’s topic - grievances. As a team we managed more grievances for clients in 2024 than we had done in the 5 years previously (combined).

Similarly when we asked all our Hub members and HR clients what topics they would like covering at a lunch and learn - managing grievances was the 2nd most popular. Hence it being the topic for February’s lunch and learn (next week).

Let’s go 👇️ 

Employee grievances are a fact of business life. Whether it’s about workload, management, or workplace behaviour, how you handle them can make or break team morale—and keep you legally compliant.

✅ What is a grievance?
A grievance is a formal (or informal) concern raised by an employee about their treatment at work. If ignored, it can escalate to a much bigger problem and potentially lead to legal action, so handling it properly is essential.

⚖️ Why does it matter?
UK employment law requires businesses to have a clear process for handling grievances. Failing to follow the right steps can lead to tribunal claims, reputational damage, and an unhappy workforce.

📌 How to handle grievances well:

• Acknowledge concerns early – Don’t wait for a formal letter before acting. Ideally grievances will be resolved with a conversation and action taken to resolve. HOWEVER, if it is written and asked to be treated as a grievance you must follow your grievance policy (if you have not got one, grab one from the HR Hub)

• Follow a clear process – Your grievance procedure should be fair, transparent, and legally compliant. As a minimum make sure that your policy includes all the areas required by ACAS.

• Investigate properly – so that you can get to the true root of the issue and take action to resolve. This makes it much less likely that the issue will re-occur as you have found the true cause - rather than a symptom.

• Communicate the decision - your policy should ensure you do this, but do not forget to communicate the decision and action taken to the person who raised the grievance.

✨ Want fewer grievances? Build a great culture.
The best workplaces prevent grievances by fostering open communication, trust, and fairness. If employees feel heard and respected, they’re far less likely to raise formal complaints.

They are also much more likely to raise any concerns in a constructive manner and as soon as they become aware - rather than not feeling able to and waiting until it is a much bigger problem

If you are seeing an increase in grievances, whether formal or “just” people seeming unhappy - don’t ignore this. Take a look at any common causes, ask your team how they are feeling at work and how you can improve the atmosphere and morale.

With so much negativity in the news and world at large, it may be that people are being affected by this - and so it is not work’s “fault” but it is impacting work. So, think about what you can do to improve positivity and make sure that work can become people’s happy place - away from the doom and gloom, and enjoy coming to work.

🎟️ This is a hot topic—our Lunch & Learn next week is filling up fast! Many of your fellow subscribers have already booked their place. If you haven’t yet, grab your spot now! Remember all Hub members and HR clients come for free - why not sign up for free this month just to try out the lunch and learn and have a good look at our resources for grievances and engagement? Details all below.

🚀 A well-managed grievance process keeps your business safe and your team happy. If you’re not sure your approach is up to scratch, now’s the time to act.

Until next week….
Emma

P.S. If you're a member of our HR Hub, there are LOADS of resources to help you with all of the above topics.

P.P.S.  If you are not a Hub member why not give it for FREE for a month. You can do that here.

Events to Join in the coming weeks (click on the links to join us)

^{HR Clinic (free to all, come and ask your HR questions) - TODAY 6th February 12-1pm}

^{Lunch & Learn: Handle Grievances with Confidence - free to all clients, £35+VAT for non-clients). 13th February 12-1pm}

HR Masterclass: Redundancy, Practical Guidance from an Expert - free to all clients (£150+VAT for non-clients). 25th February 9.30am-12.30pm.

🌟 Our Referral Program!

Do you know someone who would benefit from reading this weekly newsletter? Refer them and you could win a £250 voucher! The more referrals you make, the higher your chances of winning – let’s spread the word and help even more people navigate HR with confidence. 💌🎁