- First, the employee must send you details of the grievance in writing.
- Second, you must invite the employee to a meeting, at a reasonable time and place, to discuss the grievance and give yourself reasonable time to investigate. The employee must attend, and may bring a colleague or employee representative. Afterwards, inform the employee of your decision and offer a right of appeal.
- Third, if the employee is dissatisfied and appeals, he or she must inform you (this need not be in writing) and you must arrange an appeal meeting, preferably chaired by a more senior manager, after which the final decision is communicated to the employee.
NB. Where employment has ended, the parties can agree in writing to dispense with the meeting and instead apply a two-stage procedure (former employee's written complaint, followed by employer's response in writing).
Information supplied by the British Hospitality Association. Go to www.dti.gov.uk/resolvingdisputes for more details.