Purpose
This procedure sets out how to issue a formal grievance meeting invitation letter after receiving a written workplace grievance. It covers pre-meeting checks, statutory accompaniment rights, administrative steps, and includes the standard letter template.
Working through related paperwork at the same time? See also our Grievance Outcome Letter Template, Disciplinary Hearing Invitation Letter Template and Grievance Policy & Procedure Template.
Scope
This procedure applies to all written formal grievances from employees. Resolve informal workplace concerns through standard informal resolution processes before starting this formal procedure.
Responsibilities
- [Role / Human Resources]: Verifies the scope of the grievance, selects an impartial chair, checks policy timelines, issues the invitation letter, and maintains confidential records.
- [Role / Grievance Chair]: Reviews grievance details, runs the formal meeting, ensures clear notes are taken, and decides if further investigation is needed.
- [Role / Employee]: Confirms attendance, gives advance notice of any companion or required reasonable adjustments, and submits supporting evidence ahead of the meeting.
Pre-Issuance Checklist
Before issuing the letter, [Role] must complete these checks:
- Review the written grievance to ensure it falls under this policy. Discrimination, harassment, or whistleblowing issues may require specialized or concurrent procedures.
- Appoint a meeting chair who is independent of the grievance and has had no prior involvement.
- Check policy timelines to ensure all internal deadlines are met.
- Secure a private physical meeting room or set up a confidential video call link.
- Set a meeting date that gives the employee sufficient time to prepare and arrange representation without causing unnecessary delay. Aim to respond within five working days of receiving the grievance.
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Invitation Procedure
- Open and populate the standard Grievance Meeting Invitation Letter template.
- Write a neutral summary of the grievance issue without commenting on its merits.
- Confirm the meeting chair and note-taker, listing their full names and job titles.
- Set the date, time, expected duration, and location (or video link details) for the meeting.
- Attach or enclose a copy of the formal workplace grievance policy.
- Send the completed letter via a verifiable delivery route: hand delivery, email with delivery receipt, or tracked post.
- Record the date and delivery method in the confidential grievance file.
- Add the meeting date and internal response deadlines to your calendar.
Right to be Accompanied Guidelines
Employees attending a formal grievance meeting have a statutory right to be accompanied. The following rules apply:
- Permitted Companions: A workplace colleague, a trade union representative, or an official employed by a trade union. Non-employed union representatives must carry written union certification of their competence to accompany a worker.
- Role of the Companion: The companion may present and sum up the employee’s case, respond to points raised during the meeting, and confer privately with the employee. The companion cannot answer direct questions on the employee’s behalf.
- Rescheduling: If the chosen companion cannot attend at the scheduled time, the employee may propose a reasonable alternative within the statutory window. Reschedule the meeting accordingly.
Record-Keeping and Document Handling
- Store all invitation letters, proof of delivery, original grievances, meeting notes, and outcome letters in a dedicated confidential file managed by [Role].
- Keep grievance records completely separate from standard personnel files.
- Confirm any rescheduled meeting details in writing by letter or email.
- Retain all records in accordance with [Organisation Name] data retention policies.
Grievance Meeting Invitation Letter Template
[On [Organisation Name] letterhead]
Private and confidential
[Date]
[Employee Name], [Job Title]
[Delivery route. By hand / by email / by post to [Address]]
Dear [Employee Name],
Invitation to a Grievance Meeting
Thank you for your letter of [Date] raising a formal grievance regarding [neutral summary of the subject]. [Organisation Name] has received your grievance and will handle it in accordance with our formal grievance procedure and relevant statutory codes of practice.
You are invited to attend a formal grievance meeting on [Date] at [Time] in [Location / Room, or Video Call Details]. [Name, Job Title] will chair the meeting, and [Name, Job Title] will attend as note-taker. Please set aside up to [Duration, e.g., one hour] for this meeting.
This meeting gives you full opportunity to explain your grievance, its impact on you, and the outcome you are seeking. We may ask questions to ensure we fully understand the matter. No decision will be taken during the meeting. If we need to investigate further, we will adjourn the meeting and confirm the outcome to you in writing at a later date.
You have the right to bring a workplace colleague or a trade union representative to the meeting. If you plan to bring a companion, please inform [Role] of their name before the meeting. If your companion is unavailable at the scheduled time, inform us promptly so we can set a reasonable alternative.
Please bring any documents or evidence you want us to consider, and let us know in advance if you want us to speak to specific witnesses. You may submit supporting material to [Role] by [Date] so we can review it before the meeting.
If you require any reasonable adjustments for this meeting due to a disability or communication requirement, please contact [Role].
A copy of our grievance procedure is [enclosed / available at [Location]]. If you have questions regarding this letter, contact [Role] on [Contact Details].
Yours sincerely,
[Name] [Job Title], [Organisation Name]
FAQs on the grievance meeting invitation letter
What is a grievance meeting invitation letter?
A grievance meeting invitation letter sets out how to issue a formal grievance meeting invitation letter after receiving a written workplace grievance. It covers pre-meeting checks, statutory accompaniment rights, administrative steps, and includes the standard letter template.
Having it written down means the same rules apply to everyone, so managers are not making judgement calls case by case under pressure.
What does a grievance meeting invitation letter include?
This template covers pre-issuance checklist, invitation procedure, right to be accompanied guidelines and record-keeping and document handling.
Every section is written to be filled in. The bracketed placeholders mark the decisions that are yours to make, such as timescales, approval owners and retention periods.
How to use a grievance meeting invitation letter with Whale
Copy this template into Whale and work through the bracketed placeholders so it reflects how your organisation actually operates.
Assign it to the teams it applies to so it sits where people work rather than in a shared drive, and set a review date so it gets revisited on schedule instead of quietly going out of date.
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Customize this template and 100s of others for free in Whale, the fastest way to get your team aligned.
