Do you know what to do if your employer isn’t addressing your safety grievances? At some point, you might feel discontented because of some issue related to your work, which might lead to misunderstandings between you and your employer, in case the issue isn’t resolved. Employee grievances are part of any workplace.
If grievances aren’t handled, they can lower your morale, affect your performance at work, or even cause you to resign. But if you want your grievance to get addressed instead of leaving your workplace, there are some steps you need to take.
Informal meeting and a formal letter
First, you must discuss the issue with your manager first before you file a grievance. This informal conversation might be all you need to settle your workplace issue or complaint. Your manager must acknowledge your grievance and listen actively to your concerns as an employee.
After this, you can write a formal letter about your complaint. Make sure to write down as many relevant details as possible, especially dates and the names of everyone involved. Another alternative is to make a verbal complaint then have your manager write down your statement. But this will depend on what your company’s grievance policy stipulates. Whichever method you choose, make sure to put your grievance in writing.
File your grievance
You should customize your filing method based on the size of your company and needs. If you need help with this, you can hire an employment lawyer in LA. You can directly file a grievance with your company’s HR department or contact your manager about it first. In either case, you need a formal, grievance letter with a date. Another way is to file your grievances through an online portal.
You can do this if your company has an online system in place. Generally, employers require their employees to file their grievances no later than 30 days after the most recent incident. By hiring an employment lawyer from XYZ, you can learn more about this.
Grievance meeting
After conducting an investigation regarding your grievance, your employer should set a meeting with you. This will give you the chance to explain your complaint. In this meeting, your employer should ask you how you think your complaint should get resolved and the outcome you expect. As an employee, you deserve a statutory right to have a companion at this meeting. Tribunals consider this code when going through relevant cases. It can increase compensation awards by up to 25%, should there be any failure to comply with it.
Decision and further action
After the grievance meeting, your employer will come up with a decision. This can go two ways: to uphold your grievance (either in part or in full) or to reject it. In the case of upholding it, your employer needs to identify the actions to take. Through a letter addressed to you, your employer will state their decision, explain the reasons for this decision, and give you advice in terms of what will happen next.
If you don’t accept your employer’s decision, you can still make an appeal. If you don’t appeal, the company’s policy will outline the process to follow if you want to take your grievance further. From the first step, you should know what steps you must take if your employer isn’t addressing your safety grievance.
