After a grievance procedure has finished, employers might want to give some information about it to individual staff. It's also important to keep records.
Talking to staff
The grievance outcome and details must remain confidential. However, where appropriate, it can be a good idea for the employer to talk privately with any staff who were directly involved in the grievance.
Usually this would be to let them know that the process is finished and to remind them not to talk about it with colleagues.
Employers could also tell them about any changes that will be introduced as a result of the process. For example updating a policy or providing training on a particular topic.
This helps to reduce the bad feeling and gossip which can happen when staff are involved in formal procedures.
Keeping a record
No matter what the outcome, employers should keep a written record of all grievance cases to help with any questions or similar cases in the future.
In line with data protection law (UK GDPR), records should be:
- confidential
- only be kept for as long as necessary
You can read a guide to data privacy from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
If the employee needs to take things further
If the employee feels they've tried everything and their problem is still not resolved, they could in some cases make a claim to an employment tribunal.
Get more advice and support
If you need help with a grievance, you can contact the Acas helpline to talk through your options.
Acas also provides: