Grievance against me

[Hrissues]

I’ve had a grievance raised against me, after I had acted on HR advice to communicate something to a colleague. colleague wasn’t happy, and has lodged grievance against me.

hr Are now fully supporting colleague. Nearly a month in, have heard nothing formally re this but know there have been many, many meetings

where do I stand?

thanks

I don't think anyone can really tell you, can you ask for a meeting with HR?

What did they say you did?

What were you asked to communicate and how did you communicate it?

Do you have the instruction from HR for you to communicate whatever it was in writing?

Did you communicate whatever it was in a respectful manner? There is a difference between ‘Fucking hell Sally, you reek like a polecat, would it hurt you to shower and use deodorant’ vs ‘Hi Sally, this is a bit sensitive and I apologise in advance but wanted to check everything is okay. I’ve noticed a strong body odour lately and hope it’s not due to anything serious, and just wanted to let you know as I’d be appreciative if I was told’.

That’s so stressful - so sorry this is happening to you.

definitely document everything and keep any emails etc.

do you have your managers support or a union? i think you need to discuss with someone internally.
If you’ve heard nothing formally could you call or email the person who asked you to communicate news and ask them what’s going on?

They have a duty of care to you as well - who is your HR manager? You need to ask them for an update and explain that this protracted process is causing you stress

Hopefully you have the dealings with HR before you ‘communicated’ with your colleague, in writing.

@Hrissues use the time to write a time line and gather evidence.

Familiarise yourself with the grievance process and timelines. If they haven’t followed the process or timelines advise them in writing you would appreciate an update as the delay is causing you stress.

If you are in a TU contact your rep and ask them to assist you including getting an update from HR.

First off, they have to investigate if there is a actual grievance to be put before you.
You should be informed if there is and interviewed as part of the investigation. Perhaps it's at this first stage?

I had to investigate a grievance once. The accused had been a bit shitty and the one who raised the grievance didn't like it. It wasn't part of a larger picture of bullying, it didn't have an impact on the individual who raised the complaint etc. - so it did not meet the definition of grievance in our policy.
We never told the accused about it. That would only serve to raise tensions.

As you are aware of it maybe ask for a chat with HR. Email trails are handy but a face to face might serve you better (you know the circumstances best to decide!)