Stage 1

In the first instance grievances will be reported to you, unless the grievance is directly related to you.  As the first point of contact it is your responsibility to:

• take any complaints raised by the employee seriously;
• seek to resolve complaints as quickly as possible by meeting with the employee and looking for an appropriate resolution, informally in the first instance if the employee is agreeable;
• be prepared to adjourn meetings and do further investigation if necessary;
• support all employees involved in the process;
• refer the matter to Personnel Services if there could be a potential Disciplinary implication;
• issue documentation on the process to affected employees (this may include some disclosure to employees who have had a complaint made against them);
• outline any timescales for dealing with the grievance in agreement with all parties.

If you cannot accept the legitimacy of the complaint, or provide a remedy, you should reply orally as soon as possible and in any event within 2 working days, advise the aggrieved employee of the next step available and keep a written record on file.  It is expected that this will be the best way forward as it often results in an immediate solution and may make it unnecessary to use the formal stages of the procedure.

In some circumstances it is inappropriate i.e. where the matter is too serious, there are council wide implications, or you do not have the authority to provide a resolution, to deal with the grievance informally.  It may be more appropriate to go straight to the formal stages of the procedure.