Grievance Policy - Reviewed: June 2026

5. Roles and Responsibilities

The following is provided as guidance only.  There may be circumstances which require different roles and responsibilities.  All officers who are likely to be involved at informal stages or grievance hearings should be provided with appropriate training and/or support.  Please contact the HR Team for advice.

HR Business Partner (HRBP). To ensure consistency, a HRBP will provide advice at every stage of the procedure and will monitor and report on the application of the Policy.  The HRBP will also be responsible for ensuring that written records are retained on personal files for the appropriate period and following the principles of Data Protection legislation.

Employees should raise their grievance promptly usually to their line manager, clearly explaining the problem or concern and suggesting how it can be resolved at the informal stage, where appropriate. When explaining the grievance employees are reminded to stick to the facts and avoid subjective or inflammatory comments. Employees are encouraged to work with their line manager to try and resolve their grievance informally to maintain positive working relationships. Where the grievance relates to alleged unacceptable behaviour the employee must refer to the Authority’s ‘Behavioural Standards in the Workplace Guidance’. If the grievance relates to the employee’s line manager, then the employee should raise their concern with the next managerial level. 

Line Managers are usually responsible for dealing with the grievance raised by the employee. The line manager is responsible for acting promptly, clarifying the grievance raised, establishing the facts and confirming decisions to the employee (with advice from a HRBP). The line manager should take care to listen to the grievance in a calm, fair and objective manner and explore all reasonable options for informal resolution, where appropriate. Where the grievance relates to alleged unacceptable behaviour the employee must refer to the Authority’s ‘Behavioural Standards in the Workplace Guidance’ If it is considered inappropriate for the line manager to examine the grievance another manager may take the lead (Please speak to a HRBP for advice). Any written records held by the manager should follow the principles of Data Protection Act legislation. 

Companion. An employee may be accompanied at all formal stages of this procedure by a companion which may be a trade union official or representative² , or a work colleague. Please see Role of the Companion Appendix A.

²The TU representative who is not an employed official of a trade union must hold written certification from their Union that they have experience of or have received training in acting as a companion.  This may take the form of a card or letter.