Work related - grievance

[Holidaymodeon]

Hi, posting here for traffic!
Writing a grievance, ACAS has advised it but won’t read it prior to sending.
Can’t go to citizens advice as it is linked to my work…
is there a legitimate organisation who will read my grievance prior to sending?
it is long and covers so many issues in multiple areas, primarily disability discrimination, bullying and poor, possibly illegal practices but I am conscious I am coming from a place of high stress and emotion as well as sick with pain and don’t want to write a sprawling document that might be overkill and not taken seriously.
I’m neurodivergent and have been told I give too much info and find it really hard to pare down whilst maintaining the importance of the grievance.

thank you

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-to-work-staff-guide/access-to-work-staff-guide

I declared done disability in the interview as it was relevant to the role and then disclosed fully upon being offered the job at which point I was promised ‘x, y and z’ which never materialised.
you absolutely can both move with your existing adaptations and with your recommendations, the ATW waiting list is immense .
this is not the advice I came for though, fortunately posters have advised enough already so I don’t really need further advice from here, thanks.

Access to Work can pay to transfer your equipment to a new job if your employer agrees. If they refuse, you will need to make a new Access to Work application

so did they pay to transfer?

lol @ your questions, feels like you think we’re in court and have made some wild assumptions , I haven’t come here to be cross examined or have my facts ripped apart.
how do any working single parents manage?
I have been disabled my whole working life and more than one employer has allowed me to move with some equipment where appropriate, I have even offered to pay at some points and they have refused.

They aren’t on heavy opiates in general.

it was just a question

If the employer didn’t pay to transfer to new employer the equipment then they have breached the terms of the grant

Sept 2025 is not “just under a year ago”.

It’s really hard to advise you when you aren’t giving any clarity over the AFW support and reasonable adjustments.

If you didn’t inform ATW that you were changing jobs then you appear to be in breach of the requirements. The ATW grant does not transfer between jobs without their sign off.

Obviously I contacted them and am still awaiting assessment.
i know exactly how all of this works, that is not the question i have asked for support with.
I am not answering any more of your or @Winkblingwink questions as they are not relevant and it feels like you are a tag team of wannabe judge , jury and executioners literally demanding I answer questions which would mean me disclosing very personal and identifiable information.

I’m genuinely just trying to ascertain if your perceived disability discrimination is founded or if they could easily dismiss your grievance because the recommendations were not made to them. Because you could be wasting your time if these are your arguments and they may not hold up at tribunal either. Your strongest case, as suggested by another poster upthread, is to have your grievance upheld and a protected conversation with settlement process started.

But crack on. No skin off my nose. 🤷🏻‍♀️

ATW waiting lists are long, but they prioritise anyone already in the system and/or starting a new job within 4 weeks. So if you contacted them when you accepted the job in July/Aug 2025, there’s no way you should still be waiting now.

Are you getting sick pay? Have you been signed off?

Union rep here. In reply to some of the points raised:

• You can't claim constructive dismissal if you're still employed by them

• You must have followed the company's complaint procedures fully and in the correct order

• Most grievances are not upheld so be prepared for that

*Approx two pages for grievance so you need to reduce yours significantly

Hi, Have you asked for a reassessment from Access to Work? Have you spoken with Acas, been allocated a Concilliator yet? A friend is using Valla.

Thank you, that’s really clear. I am following the procedures and being ignored at every turn, it is indicative of the culture there though, things have been allowed for years that I couldn’t imagine being allowed in most workplaces.

Acas have said I need to continue with the processes and complete the grievance before progressing with conciliation etc .
I applied to ATW as soon as I started the role, all I’ve had is a holding email but I’m in regular meetings with the disability employment adviser from my local jcp and she has confirmed the current wait times.
i have never heard of Valla, thank you , I am going to take all the constructive suggestions on here and work through it this week.
its like a full time job in itself!

Well, it’s over 40 weeks since the start of September, so with a waiting list of 38 weeks (which doesn’t apply if you’re already receiving a grant)………

I applied to ATW as soon as I started the role

Do you mean you reapplied from scratch? That’s not the process for existing claimants.

And what happened with an occ health referral on the way in? When was your last one?

No unions won't deal with a preexisting problem. It could end up costing them a fortune. You could ask an employment lawyer, or just ask a friend to edit it for you.

Hi Holidaymodeon.

Very relatable thread. I had an awful experience working for a Citizens Advice Bureau and as a result wasn’t able to get advice or help from them. It was so early on in my career and there is no way they would have treated an older employee in the ways I was.

My experiences were what prompted me to go and work for Acas. Unfortunately because of the whole public funding/statutory body thing, Acas is not the most helpful option other than giving you an overview about your options, which to be fair you can establish from reading the Gov website.

They will tell you that you need to compete internal processes i.e. raise a grievance, then grievance appeal if you disagree with the outcome first. The truth is, as others have mentioned, your time limit for bringing claims could be running against you. It really doesn’t pay to go through the grievance process unless a legal adviser has said it is the best course of action. I’ve read about too many tribunal cases where the claim was brought too many months/weeks out of time.

You could be doing the Acas Early Conciliation now, If you compete the online notification form, you’ll be assigned a conciliator. Yes, there is a possibility your employer could refuse to engage with the process if you haven’t raised a grievance but in my experience a lot of employers are more aware now that it’s a risky strategy to adopt because the employee then gets their certificate, which enables them to go and put a tribunal claim form in.

I’ve spent the last 10+ years working as an HR (employee relations) specialist.
I know you’ve had offers already of someone looking over your draft grievance. I think you really should consider speaking to an employment law solicitor.
I’ve been in a similar position to you and believe me I’d tried all other avenues including seeking help from a union I’d been paying subs to for 5 years, which proved to be as helpful as a chocolate teapot in the Sahara desert!

In the meantime I am happy to give my take on anything.

Christ, what's the matter with you? You're like a dog with a bone!

I’ve 20+ years of HR experience including reasonable adjustments, grievances and tribunals. I’m also ND. All of my questions are relevant.

(But this is AIBU where feelz matter more than facts……)

Oh, I don't really care about the feelz either tbh, and I'm a fact fan too. I'm just curious why you and others are so invested.