By Kalpana Murthy
Handling appeals against grievance decisions is a crucial part of a fair and transparent employee relations process and HR professionals play a central role in getting it right. When an employee challenges the outcome of a grievance, employers must ensure the appeal is managed impartially, consistently, and in full compliance with employment law. A poorly handled appeal can undermine trust, damage employee relations, and increase the risk of an employment tribunal claim.
For HR teams, the key is having a robust, well‑structured procedure that supports fairness and reinforces organisational credibility. This includes appointing an impartial decision maker, reviewing evidence objectively, communicating clearly with employees, and documenting each stage thoroughly.
Our guide provides HR professionals with practical, step-by-step advice on managing grievance appeals effectively helping you uphold procedural integrity, protect your organisation, and maintain confidence in your internal processes.
In this guide, learn about:
- The Acas code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures
- The employee’s appeal
- Format of the appeal hearing
- Arrangements for conducting an appeal hearing
- Failure to attend the appeal hearing
- The appeal hearing
- After the appeal hearing
- Record-keeping
Want to see more?
For full access to our How-to guide:
How to handle appeals against grievance decisions
sign up to a HR and Compliance Centre subscription today.
You may also be interested in…
If an employee is dismissed in the last week of their first six months with a payment in lieu of notice, will they still qualify to claim unfair dismissal?
From 1 January 2027, statutory notice can bring an employee dismissed with PILON within the six-month unfair dismissal …
Does an employer have to give a written statement of reasons for dismissal?
Understand when employers must provide employees with a written statement explaining the reasons for dismissal and the key …
Grievances – how should HR deal with the aftermath?
The growing volume of AI-enabled grievances poses a challenge for resource-stretched HR – but at least organisations will …
About the author
Kalpana Murthy
Kalpana Murthy is employment counsel EMEA at Sophos. She previously worked as a freelance legal consultant and advised employers on all aspects of employment law. She also prepared employment contracts, policies and handbooks as well as writing articles and guidance documents for clients and for publication. She has a number of years’ experience in employment law, having worked in this field since qualifying as a solicitor in 2001. From 2004 to 2009 she worked for city law firm Kemp Little LLP as an employment solicitor.