Grievance Procedure

Purpose of the procedure/Introduction

Sapphire Accounting’s aim is to ensure that employees with a grievance relating to their employment can use a procedure that can help to resolve grievances as quickly and as fairly as possible.

Informal discussions

If an employee has a grievance about their employment they should discuss it informally with their senior manager. We hope that the majority of concerns will be resolved this way.

Stage 1 – statement of grievance

If the employee feels that the matter has not been resolved through informal discussions, they should put your grievance in writing to their senior manager.

Stage 2 – the grievance meeting

Within 2 working days, the senior manager will respond, in writing, to the statement, inviting the employee to attend a meeting where the alleged grievance can be discussed. This meeting should be scheduled to take place as soon as possible and normally 5 working days’ notice of this meeting will be provided to the employee and they will be informed of their right to be accompanied.

Employees must take all reasonable steps to attend the meeting, but if for any unforeseen reason the employee, or the employer, can’t attend, the meeting must be rearranged.

Should an employees companion be unable to attend then the employee must make contact within 2 days of the date of the letter to arrange an alternative date that falls within 5 days of the original date provided. These time limits may be extended by mutual agreement.

After the meeting, the senior manager hearing the grievance must write to the employee informing them of any decision or action and offering them the right of appeal. This letter should be sent within 5 working days of the grievance meeting and should include the details on how to appeal.

Stage 3 – appeal

If the matter is not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction they must set out their grounds of appeal in writing within 5 working days of receipt of the decision letter.

Within 2 working days of receiving an appeal letter, the employee should receive a written invitation to attend an appeal meeting. The appeal meeting should be taken by a more senior manager not involved in the original meeting.

After the appeal meeting, the senior manager must inform the employee in writing of their decision days of the meeting. Their decision is final.