Grievance Letter Example Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace

Steps on how to write a grievance letter on workplace bullying and harassment to your employer

This page last updated 7.7.26.

This webpage will assist you in establishing the steps to take on how to write a grievance letter for unfair treatment, bullying and harassment in the workplace.

Amy & I have created some new webpages for 2026 for you to look at:

My wife Amy & I are employment consultants with 26 years combined experience helping employees like you to know your employment rights in the UK. Amy & I can assist you in obviating the common mistakes, which we often see employees make when writing a grievance compliant letter for unfair treatment at work, workplace bullying and harassment, and discrimination. You only get one chance to get your grievance complaint letter for workplace bullying and harassment right, so make sure that you do just that!

Amy & I know firsthand the stress, anxiety, and distress, which you feel due to working in a toxic work environment, because we ourselves went down the grievance, capability, performance, sickness absence route, and eventually ended up taking our own employers to the Employment Tribunal. We realised that like ourselves, you can’t reasonably afford £350 an hour for a solicitor to walk you through your employer’s grievance procedures, so we created this website to assist you in doing just that!

If you can’t face this alone and would like to discuss your workplace problems with us, please reach out to us. Sometimes, just talking through your employment issues can give you a new perspective on what to do, and furthermore, how to go about doing it. We can write your grievance letter for you. We can hold your hand throughout the grievance process from beginning to end. We can assist you in avoiding the common mistakes which we see employees make when writing a grievance letter, and moreover, when going through the grievance process with their employer. You don’t have to be alone in this process. Reach out to us on 07775943414 or email us at myrightsuk@protonmail.com

We work 7 days a week 9-5 UK time. We know your employment problems don’t just end on a Friday afternoon! Go on, pick up the phone and call us! 

Word of Caution:

These are the steps, which we suggest you think about before submitting a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment:

Step 1 – writing a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment:

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Under s.136 of The Equality Act 2010, the ‘burden of proof’ is on you, (as the complainant), to establish that on the balance of probabilities, you have been subjected to either harassment or discrimination.

For the avoidance of doubt, to furnish your employer with actual ‘evidence’ of bullying, harassment or discrimination is not necessary when writing your letter of grievance, albeit your employer will likely ask you to facilitate ‘evidence’ that bullying, harassment and/or discrimination has taken place.

However, it is very rare that an employee will have ‘actual evidence’ of bullying, harassment, or discrimination.

The grievance complaint letter for bullying and harassment, which you send to the HR Department needs to accomplish three things:

Firstly, the employee grievance letter for bullying and harassment in the workplace or unfair treatment at work needs to bring to the HR Departments attention its (i) acts (ii) omissions, and (iii) breaches of statutory duties under UK employment laws. Furthermore, where possible, which Statutory Acts or Regulations your employer has contravened. Some of these Employment Acts and Regulations are already encompassed within the free grievance letter example.

Secondly, the letter of grievance which you write to your employer’s HR Department for workplace bullying and harassment ought to outline a chronology to highlight the ‘facts and information’ germane to your grievances, viz: the what, the who, the where, and the when. Please see our 20 tips on writing a grievance letter.

Thirdly, we suggest asking questions within your letter of grievance for workplace bullying and harassment. ACAS have endorsed submitting questions to an aggrieved party’s employer in order to obtain answers to their grievances. Notwithstanding, ACAS have provided clear advice of how an employer should go about answering an aggrieved employee’s questions. If your employer omits to answer your questions outlined within your letter of grievance for workplace bullying and harassment, the Employment Tribunal can draw an ‘adverse inference’. In this regard, we draw your attention to the authority of Dattani v Chief Constable of West Mercia Police [2005] IRLR 327:

“A respondent, asked a direct question in writing by an aggrieved person, who fails to respond, or does so evasively, ought to be treated in the same way irrespective of whether a question has been asked under the statutory procedure.”

Step 2 of writing a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment:

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You have to think about what the outcome is, that you actually want before you submit your grievance complainant letter for workplace bullying and harassment. Put shortly, you need to think about what you want to achieve, and the end game. Is it that you want the person who is subjecting you to workplace bullying and harassment to be removed or disciplined, or is it that you want the prohibited conduct to stop?

It may be that you just want to reach a settlement agreement to leave your employment and have your employer pay you off. To this end, you have to consider what is realistic before you submit your grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment.

Step 3 of writing a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment:

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Don’t write anything in anger. My wife Amy & I see all too often that the aggrieved employee fires off a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment in anger. Never rush to submit your grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment. This is a common mistake we very often see.

Step 4 of writing a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment:

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Don’t write anything libelous, which could expose you to being sued for defamation of character. If you want to do a ‘hatchet job’ on your line manager, co-worker, boss or supervisor, we suggest getting in contact with us to write your grievance letter for you. Put shortly, we can frame your grievance letter in a way which mitigates your liability. In fact, we can write your grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment in a way, which would make it an act of ‘unlawful victimisation’ for your employer to punish you for your statements within your grievance complaint letter for workplace bullying and harassment.

Amy & I charge only £35 for a telephone consultation (up to one hour). During the telephone consultation, we can assist you in articulating your case, and if you want us to, assist you in writing your grievance letter for you. Reach out to us on 07775943414 (9-5) or email us at myrightsuk@protonmail.com

Step 5 of writing a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment:

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Don’t waffle when writing your grievance complainant letter for workplace bullying and harassment. We often see employees vent their anger on their co-worker or line manager in their grievance complaint letter for workplace bullying and harassment. Ranting or venting will only work against you, and undermine your own credibility as the complainant. Moreover, ranting in your grievance letter makes [you] look ‘unreasonable’.

It is a common mistake, which we often see, that the grievance letter becomes too emotional, and that the grievance letter loses its structure. We can assist you in writing a structured grievance letter outlining the points of law to assist your employer in articulating the contraventions of your statutory rights. We can take the emotion out of your grievance letter for you, keeping your grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment concise.

Step 6 of writing a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment:  

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Think very carefully about how you raising a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment will affect your future relationships with your line manager and co-workers. In this regard, you have to look down the road and consider the impact raising a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment will have upon your workplace relationships with your workplace colleagues. For example, Amy & I see all too often that workplace colleagues don’t want to get embroiled in your spat with your line manager or co-worker, either through fear of job security, retaliation, or promotion. Forewarned is forearmed!

Step 7 of writing a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment:

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Consider what Acts or Regulations the person/s who are bullying and harassing you have broken. My wife Amy & I can assist you in identifying the contraventions of the Statutory Acts and Regulations to give your grievance letter greater punch. This is very important, because if you bring your grievance letter to the points of law, and furthermore, outline case law within your grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment, it lets your employer know that your grievance letter is not just a ‘knee jerk reaction’ on your part, and moreover, that your grievance letter for bullying and harassment has been well researched.

Amy & I work 7 days a week, so I am sure we can slot you in for a consultation to guide you through the grievance process.

We can also hold your hand throughout the entire grievance process from start to finish in order to obviate the common mistakes, which we often see employees make. Reach out to us on 07775943414 (9-5) or email us at myrightsuk@protonmail.com

Step 8 of writing a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment:

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Remember, the HR Department are not your friends! The HR Department are insitu to protect your employer, not you! You only get one chance to get your grievance letter right, so reach out to us on 07775943414 (9-5) or email us at myrightsuk@protonmail.com

Amy & I charge £35 for an initial consultation up to one hour, and £50 an hour thereafter (£400 per day). We can assist [you] in obviating the need to pursue the litigative route. Nobody wants to end up going to the Employment Tribunal, or for that matter, endure all the stress and anxiety of having years of litigation. Thus, by obtaining our involvement at an early stage during the grievance process, we can assist you in obviating the common mistakes, which we often see. Notwithstanding, we can assist you in outlining your grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment in a structured way, which puts the onus on the employer to act upon the concerns raised within your grievance letter. Put shortly, the grievance letter is the ‘carrot’ for your employer to put things right. The ‘stick’ is that if your employer does not put things right, it runs the risk of litigation in the Employment Tribunal.

Step 9 of writing a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment:

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The grievance procedures are not ‘quasi-judicial procedures’. However, by outlining your grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment to the points of law, and furthermore, by providing case law within your grievance letter, which supports your grievances for workplace bullying and harassment, it makes it very difficult for your employer to rubbish what you are complaining about.

Below, we have provided an example of what [you] may write when complaining about workplace bullying and harassment:

I have been bullied and harassed by Jonny. Jonny has made repeated remarks about my performance and keeps threatening me with a performance improvement plan if I do not improve, which leaves me feeling bullied and harassed. I don’t agree that my performance is an issue. I feel that Jonny is just using my performance as an excuse to get rid of me. I feel Jonny is grooming Heather to take my role. The stress of constantly criticizing my performance is making me feel ill and impacting my ability to perform my role.   

Our example grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment brings the grievance letter to the points of law:

My line manager Jonny Bloggins has continued to pursue a ‘course of conduct’, which has created a hostile, oppressive and intimidating working environment, viz: harassment in contravention of s.26 of The Equality Act 2010. The harassment is ‘unwanted, uninvited and unwelcome’ to me as the complainant. For the avoidance of doubt, the harassment exposes Jonny Bloggings and my employer to the risk of litigation, which litigative route is in all parties’ best interests to obviate. Notwithstanding, the alleged performance issues are misconceived and erroneous; orchestrated with an ulterior agenda to seek my dismissal from the Company by foul means. Being bulled and harassed is having a profound and detrimental impact upon my physical and psychological health and wellbeing. This information is raised as an ‘assertion of a statutory right’ on grounds of health and safety in accordance with s.44(1)(c) of The Employment Rights Act 1996. To this end, I am asking my employer to take ‘reasonable steps’ in accordance with s.109 of The Equality Act 2010, to prevent the on-going bullying and harassment, and furthermore, to articulate the magnitude of the risk of harm, and the gravity of that harm to my physical and psychological health and wellbeing. In this regard, I draw my employer’s attention to the case authority of Waters (A.P.) v. Commissioner of Police For The Metropolis [2000] 1 WLR 1607; [2000] UKHL 50; [2000] IRLR 720 – “If an employer knows that acts being done by employees during their employment may cause physical or mental harm to a particular fellow employee and he does nothing to supervise or prevent such acts, when it is in his power to do so, it is clearly arguable that he may be in breach of his duty to that employee. It seems to me that he may also be in breach of that duty if he can foresee that such acts may happen and, if they do, that physical or mental harm may be caused to an individual.”

Over the past fifteen years, Amy & I have assisted thousands of clients in resolving their employment issues with their employer. Please visit our testimonials page.

 Step 10 of writing a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment:

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Don’t caveat what you say within your grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment. You must make what you say in your grievance letter iron clad. For example, don’t say “I think Jonny has subjected me to bullying and harassment, and may have breached The Equality Act.

Using wishy washy words within your grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment like “I think” and “may have” undermines your own credibility. It also weakens your own grievance letter. To this end, it is incumbent upon you as the complainant, to make sure that there is ‘no ambiguity’ in what you are saying within your grievance complaint letter for workplace bullying and harassment. To this end, keep your grievance letter ‘factual’ and to the ‘facts’.

Step 11 of writing a grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment:

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Make sure that in your grievance complainant letter for bullying and harassment in the workplace, that you provide your employer with ‘information’. It is incumbent upon you as the ‘complainant’ to provide ‘information’ in support of your grievances for workplace bullying and harassment. Please see our free grievance letter example.

To this end, Amy & I suggest that you submit a chronology as part of your grievance letter. For the avoidance of doubt, we suggest your grievance letter should be to the ‘points of law’ outlining the contraventions of the relevant Acts and Regulations, including any relevant case law.

However, a separate chronology document should outline both ‘facts and information’ as to what happened, the date/s the incident/s of bullying and harassment occurred, how the bullying and harassment made you feel, and your perception of the harassment, in addition to the name of any witnesses.

Below is an example grievance letter for workplace bullying and harassment:

I question the ‘motivation’ behind Jonny Bloggins on-going harassment of me, as being ‘consciously’ undertaken with both the ‘purpose’ and also the ‘effect’ to create a hostile, oppressive and intimidating working environment, which the harassment has done, and is doing. My perception of the harassment is that Jonny Bloggins motivation for constantly questioning my performance is to groom Heather to take my role, and furthermore, remove me from my role. By pursing the prohibited course of conduct, which Jonny Bloggins has done (and is doing), I am left feel castigated and denigrated, which in turn has created a toxic working environment in which to work and communicate with Jonny as my line manager.

In the above example, you are questioning the ‘motivation’ behind the bullying and harassment. You are questioning the ‘purpose’ and also the ‘effect’ of the harassment in the above grievance letter example.

For the avoidance of doubt, Employment Tribunals have to establish (1) the ‘motivation’; (2) the ‘purpose’, and (3) also the ‘effect’ of the harassment complained of.

Employment Tribunals also seek to establish whether the harassment complained of was ‘conscious, sub-conscious or unconscious’. Thus, by stating in your grievance letter that the “harassment was conscious’ i.e., undertaken with both the “purpose” and “effect” to put Heather into your job role”, the Employment Tribunal will then seek to establish the “motivation” behind Jonny’s conduct.

As stated above, you only get one chance to get your grievance letter for bullying and workplace harassment right. This is where Amy and I can assist you in writing your grievance letter for you, and furthermore, walk you through the grievance process from start to finish, so that you know what to expect and how to protect yourself when going through the grievance procedures with your employer. Because we are not solicitors we cannot give you legal advice per se. However, we can give you guidance, and support you through the grievance procedures, including writing letters on your behalf for you to send to your employer and assisting you going through the grievance process. Please visit our 20 hot tips which webpage outlines the do’s and dont’s of writing a grievance letter.

Amy and I can assist you behind the scenes to give you the best opportunity to put forth your case, within your grievance letter, so that your grievance letter is taken seriously. So, please reach out to us on 07775943414 (9-5) or email us at myrightsuk@protonmail.com

Amy & I work seven days a week to both assist our clients, and render our clients with the support, which they need when going through the grievance process. The fact is, we have already gone through the grievance process ourselves and know the anger, anxiety, frustration, and sleepless nights, which you have suffered due to workplace bullying and harassment. Over the past fifteen years, we have assisted thousands of clients in obtaining ‘effective remedy and redress’ to their grievances for workplace bullying and harassment. Our testimonials page speaks for itself. We look forward to hearing from you.

We can help you prepare for the grievance meeting and what not to say in a grievance meeting. Having gone through the grievance process ourselves, and moreover, having assisted thousands of customers over the past 15 years, my wife Amy & I know all too well the dirty tricks, which the HR Department play during the grievance meeting. Remember, the HR Department are not your friends. The HR Department’s purpose is to protect your employer, and furthermore, to mitigate your employer’s liability.

You don’t have to go through the grievance process alone! We are here to help you. Amy & I can assist you in avoiding the pitfalls and common mistakes which we see employees make. You only get one chance to get your grievance letter right, so make sure you do just that!

Over the past 15 years Amy & I have helped thousands of clients address their grievances with their employers. Please read our testimonials page.

Amy & I can assist you in writing a grievance letter for any of the following work-related matters:

Go on, pick up the phone and call us to arrange a telephone consultation on 07775943414.

We work 7 days a week (9-5 UK time) because we know that your employment problems don’t just end on a Friday afternoon!

We only charge £35 up to one hour for the initial consultation and £50 an hour thereafter. 

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