Bullied at Work? How to Raise a Grievance

Being bullied at work can make every shift hard, and it can feel like there is nothing you can do. There is. Most problems like this are dealt with through your employer's grievance procedure, and this post takes you through it step by step. It covers England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has different laws and is covered at the end.

Is bullying against the law?

Bullying on its own is not against the law. Harassment is.

Under the Equality Act 2010, harassment is unwanted behaviour linked to your age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, where it violates your dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for you. Unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature counts as harassment too.

If the bullying is linked to one of those, it may be unlawful harassment, and our Workplace Harassment Complaint Letter is written for that.

If it isn't, you can still raise it as a grievance. Employers are responsible for preventing bullying and harassment at work.

Step 1: Keep a record

Write down each incident as soon as you can: the date, what was said or done, who did it and who saw it. Keep copies of emails and messages. A clear record makes your grievance easier to follow and harder to brush aside.

Step 2: Try to sort it out informally

If you can, try sorting it out informally first. You could talk to your manager, your HR department or a trade union rep.

If that doesn't work, or the person bullying you is your manager, go straight to a formal grievance.

Step 3: Raise a formal grievance in writing

The Acas Code of Practice sets out how grievances should be handled. Under it, you should:

• put your grievance in writing
• raise it without unreasonable delay
• send it to a manager who is not the subject of the complaint
• say what has happened and how you would like it resolved

Our Formal Grievance Letter covers each of these.

Step 4: The grievance meeting

Your employer should hold a meeting without unreasonable delay after they get your grievance. You can explain what has happened and how you think it should be put right.

You have a legal right to bring someone with you. They can be a colleague, a trade union official, or a union rep the union has certified as trained to do it. The person can put your case and talk to you during the meeting, but cannot answer questions for you.

If they can't make the date, your employer must move the meeting to a reasonable time within five working days of the date first set.

Step 5: The decision and your right to appeal

Your employer should give you their decision in writing without unreasonable delay and tell you that you can appeal.

If you are not happy with the outcome, appeal in writing without unreasonable delay. Where possible, the appeal should be heard by a manager who was not involved before. You can bring someone with you to the appeal meeting too.

What if your employer doesn't follow the Code?

If your case later goes to an employment tribunal, the tribunal can increase any award by up to 25% if your employer unreasonably failed to follow the Acas Code. It works the other way too: an award can be cut by up to 25% if you unreasonably failed to follow it. That is one more reason to put your grievance in writing.

Time limits for tribunal claims are short. Our Employment Tribunal Guide explains them.

Acas consulted on an updated Code in 2026. Until a new version takes effect, the 2015 Code applies.

If it gets so bad you want to leave

Do not resign before you have read our post on constructive dismissal. Resigning in the wrong way can cost you the right to claim.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has its own laws. The Equality Act 2010 and the Acas Code do not apply there.

You cannot make a legal claim directly about bullying, but you may be able to complain under Northern Ireland's discrimination and harassment laws.

The steps are much the same: keep a record, try to sort it out informally, then make a formal complaint under your employer's grievance procedure. If the person bullying you is your manager, put your complaint in writing and ask for another manager to deal with it.

The Labour Relations Agency and Advice NI give free advice.

Sources: legislation.gov.uk (Equality Act 2010, section 26; Employment Relations Act 1999, section 10; Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, section 207A), Acas (Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures, 2015, paragraphs 32 to 45; draft updated Code consultation), GOV.UK (Workplace bullying and harassment), nidirect (Bullying in the workplace).