Unfair treatment at work: Your rights

If you have a problem (grievance) at work, it’s usually a good idea to raise it informally first. Getting things sorted out as quickly and as close to the problem as possible is often the best way for all concerned. But what if you’ve tried your best and nothing’s changed?

A grievance procedure is a formal way of raising a problem or complaint to your employer. There will be a formal policy, procedure and guidance for you to follow so first steps are to get hold of copies to find out:

• How to raise a formal grievance
• Who you should send it to
• What the full grievance procedure is

If you’re not sure how to get this information, we can help you with that.You can raise a formal grievance if:

• You feel that raising it informally hasn’t worked
• You don’t want it dealt with informally
• It’s a very serious issue, for example sexual harassment or ‘whistleblowing’

We've created an interactive guide, which will provide you with guidance on:

• the grievance & harassment resolution policy
• an introduction to equality law - what it is and what it means for you
• understanding what discrimination and harassment are
• the informal and formal options that are available to you to resolve work-related issues
• the help you can get from the union on tackling workplace issues, including how to write a complaint letter when things can't be resolved
• additional support and services which may help you

Play our interactive eBite or review the available support.