You  would usually speak to your manager first about any problems you have. It’s best to raise concerns promptly, rather than delay.

If the problem is actually with your manager, find someone else in your organisation who is in a position to deal with the situation and has authority to make recommendations and decisions. That might be the person who has responsibility for human resources (HR), a health and safety officer, a trade union representative (if you are a member of a trade union), or your manager’s manager. 

Sometimes your work’s grievance procedure will include the details of who you should talk to informally about a problem, and other parts of the informal process. 

Whoever you decide to talk to, plan what you are going to say first and write it down. 

You will need to stick to the facts and provide specific examples (if possible, with dates ). 

Briefly explain the impact it has had on you. 

If you can, suggest a solution, or at least what you would like to happen next.

If they suggest action that they will take, ask them when this is likely to happen, so you know when to follow up, if necessary.

You will need to stay calm and polite so you don’t lose control of the situation. Practise what you are going to say with a friend first.

You could also ask your employer if a friend, colleague or union rep can come with you to the meeting, to give you support and take notes for you. Your employer may allow this, but at this stage of the process, they don’t have to  (unless your employer’s policy allows it).

Immediately after you have talked to them, make a note of what was said by both of you, date it and keep it safe. 

It is particularly important to keep a note of the outcome – did your manager say they’d get back to you by a particular date with a decision? Your note will also help you if you should need to take more formal action later.

If nobody does get back to you, you will need to follow it up. Ask for an update.

If the problem continues, you feel your problem is not taken seriously, or there is an unreasonable delay in getting back to you, you may have to make a formal complaint using your employer's grievance procedures.

What's the difference between an informal and formal complaint at work?

Raising a problem with your manager or another relevant member of staff informally is just having a chat and making them aware of the problem. It can be a really useful first step, if they will take it seriously. It is quicker and less daunting than making a formal complaint.  

Making a formal complaint using your employer’s grievance procedure is a slightly more serious step. You might do this if: 
•    raising it informally didn’t work, or
•    it is a more serious problem (like potential discrimination, or a health and safety issue), or 
•    you don’t have time to raise it informally first because you think you might want to take the issue to an employment tribunal  and time is running out. 
 

For more information on when and how to make a formal complaint see How to use the grievance procedure to deal with problems at work.
 
You usually have to have tried to resolve the issue using the grievance procedure before you can start a case with the employment tribunal  (unless you won’t have time to do so before the 3 or 6 month deadline passes). Any award of compensation you are given by the employment tribunal may be reduced by up to 25% if you failed to raise a grievance first and the tribunal find it would have been reasonable for you to do this.

Can I be fired for making an informal complaint?

No, not as long as you had made the informal complaint honestly and in good faith – that would be unfair dismissal.  If the complaint you made (or supported) is related to discrimination, you are legally protected from being treated badly for it (this is called victimisation).  If a complaint amounts to a protected disclosure under the whistleblowing legislation, your employer must ensure that it does not treat you badly as a result (what the law calls ‘unlawful detriment’). This includes things like harassment, having your hours reduced, facing unfair disciplinary action, or being denied training opportunities.  

What counts as a 'problem' at work?

A problem at work can be anything you are experiencing which is a problem for you. It might be something serious like potential discrimination, bullying or harassment, inadequate health and safety procedures, or victimisation. Or it might be that your shift pattern has changed or you want to change your hours? 

The information in this guide applies to England and Wales.

The law is complicated. We recommend you try to get advice from the sources we have suggested.

The cases we refer to are not always real but show a typical situation. We have included them to help you think about how to deal with your own situation.

Acknowledgements

This guide was written by Advicenow and updated thanks to funding from the Ministry of Justice under the Online Support and Advice Grant.  

We would like to thank all those who provided advice and feedback on this guide, particularly Rebecca Thomas from 42BR Barristers, and editorial teams at Thomson Reuters who kindly peer reviewed this updated version.