Anyone got any examples of grievance letters?

[RachelTulips]

Hi, this is my first post, but I?ve read lots on here so I know there are people out there having the same problems. What I need is some examples of (preferably successful!) grievance letters as I have absolutely no idea how to structure one, or what detail to include/leave out. I have lots of ammo I want to use but don?t know what to do with it.

I don't want to bore you with too many details but the short version is that i would like to work 4 day weeks, for the foreseeable future at least. I have a 9 month old who i don't really want to be in childcare full time yet. My mother has MS, my father is undergoing cancer treatment for recurring bowel cancer so they both need a fair bit of looking after. I too have MS and am finding the pressure of working and looking after everyone else a bit much and a recent relapse left me almost unable to look after myself, never mind any of them.

I applied for flexible working and was rejected, and again on appeal. The company i work for are not interested and say that "there is too much work" to allow me to go part time. They "allowed me" to work 3 day weeks for three months while they tried to recruit a job share partner for me, except they advertised it (in their words) "discreetly" (invisibly as far as I can tell, and believe me i was looking). I?m sure this was to fob me off so they could force me back full time.

An added complication is that, initially i was told by my line manager (whose wife works 2 days a week...) that he had no problem with me working 4 day weeks, so we interviewed childminders on that basis and now have the most wonderful one who we couldn't be happier with. Sadly she only works 4 days a week, which leaves us the problem of what to do if i have to go back full time. Find another childminder for the1 day a week, or for all 5 days, either way unsettling our daughter? Finding time to do this with everything else going on is impossible

Anyway - I am determined to take this further as they seem to routinely turn people down for flexible working, and from an ?Investor in people? company I don?t think this is acceptable. Recently they have started declining my leave requests for days i requested off to take my father for his cancer treatment(days when no other staff are on leave). I have been told that staff are not allowed to ?dictate? when their leave is taken. Trying to find people to take him is taking up all my time.

Enough ranting ? sorry - should i just shut up and be glad to have a job at all? :-(

Any help gratefully received

bumping this for the evening

What do you actually want to achieve Rachel? When you say you are determined to 'take this further' what do you plan to do?

I just ask because whether a grievance is worth it and/or what should go in it and how it should be phrased may depend on your ultimate goal.

Flowery, god love you for answering. I guess my personal aim has to be to get my hours reduced, even temporarily until the end of my fathers current treatment plan (july ish), to protect my own current levels of health. If while doing that i can help other people on our contract to get taken seriously when they request flexible working all the better. It does leave me with the dilemma of pursuing the disability side of things or the sexual discrimination.

If i get ill i'm no use to anyone, including work, though they seem determined to work me into the ground regardless of the consequences. I have asked for their help and understanding in this matter and their attitude to me has been callous and inconsiderate - to not allow me time off to take my father to hospital is very distressing.

Incidentally, they also refused my offer of working 5 days hours in 4 days. (It would mean long days but if i had the extra time during the day to help out at my parents it would make my life much easier. There's only so much i can do in the mornings before work and once my daughter's in bed in the evening, otherwise it starts to impact on our family/relaxing time at weekends)

You need to be aware that in terms of taking it further, the Employment Tribunal does not have the power to decide whether the employer's decision was reasonable. The Tribunal can force the employer to hear the flexible working request again if it is found that they didn't follow the correct procedure, or based their decision on incorrect facts.

You should also bear in mind that you don't have the right to request a temporary change to your hours. Flexible working requests are permanent changes to your contract.

You can potentially claim indirect sex discrimination, but I've no idea from your posts how good a case you'd have for this, or indeed whether you would actually be prepared to go to those lengths or not.

I wonder if the fact that there are actually several reasons for your request might be clouding the issue a bit? Just making it more complicated.

You obviously have the right to request flexible working to care for your daughter and if the situation meets certain requirements, you also have the right to request it to care for one or both of your parents. Also, if you are disabled you have the right to request adjustments be made to your job if necessary.

Have a read here for more about flexible working, and taking it further if necessary. In terms of what to put in your grievance, plenty of stuff about how the procedure was not followed correctly is crucial; that will probably be the easiest way to get them to hear your request again.

I would also ensure if part of your request is an adjustment because of your own disability, if you consider yourself disabled, then get a medical recommendation to that effect, a letter from your GP saying that if your hours are not reduced you will have to go off sick, or something, obviously I don't know the details.

Separate out the different reasons rather than mixing them up, one paragraph about your daughter, one paragraph about your caring responsibilities for adults, and one about yourself.

Hehe, flowery - welcome to the big pile of stuff that is currently my head (and i suppose if i can't get it clear i can't expect them to!). To be fair the document i read to them (and gave them a copy of) at my appeal hearing started "My reasons" which were 1) to care for my daughter, 2) to care for my parents and 3) to care for myself, with a little bit of info after each.

As i was in hospital last week for treatment for my recent relapse i spoke at length with my MS nurse and she has written me a letter to give to work saying that due to recent exacerbation of symptoms, probably due to having to work full time in addition to my family duties, she would advise a reduction in hours, but as i have been told the decision of the appeal is final where does that leave me? I cannot apply for flexible working again until November.

I want a permanent change but i have been told it's absolutely not an option due to the current workload, if a temporary change is all i can get i'll take it. God i hate to sound so pathetic about all this.

I'm going to citizens advice (again) this morning but so far have not managed to speak to anyone as they are so busy. Would you be available privately for assistance writing the grievance? I've written 3 completely different versions so far and don't know which, if any of them, is most appropriate.

An appeal may be final but you can still raise a grievance/tribunal claim about the process followed if that's appropriate, and if you have a claim of indirect sex discrimination and/or disability discrimination, a grievance is the first step in that.

Yes I can help you privately but there would be a cost I'm afraid.

If you look at my profile (click on my name) there is an email address for me, so do drop me a line if you think that may be useful.