Should I Raise a Grievance Before Resigning?

Why people raise a grievance first

• • it gives the employer a genuine opportunity to investigate and put something right
• • it documents the concerns while the detail is still fresh
• • it creates a written record with dates, rather than a set of conversations nobody minuted
• • it forces the issues to be identified clearly, sometimes for the first time
• • it occasionally resolves the matter, or changes the arrangement, without anyone leaving

None of that is a rule, and none of it guarantees an outcome. Circumstances vary enormously — a small employer with no HR function, a large organisation with a formal procedure, and a situation involving your own line manager are all quite different positions to be in.

Timing can matter

When you raise something, how long you wait afterwards, and when you resign can all be relevant later, in ways that are fact-specific. That is one reason it is generally better to take advice before resigning than after. Please do not make a major employment decision on the strength of anything you read in an online article, including this one.

Constructive dismissal, in general terms

Constructive dismissal is the term used where an employee resigns in response to a fundamental breach of their employment contract by the employer. Whether any particular situation meets that description depends on the facts, the contract, the seriousness of what happened, how the employee responded and how quickly, and eligibility requirements that apply to the claim itself. It is assessed case by case by an employment tribunal.

Nothing here says that has happened to you, and this page does not assess your position. Raising a grievance does not by itself establish or preserve any legal claim, and time limits can apply to employment claims independently of what stage an internal process has reached. That is a question for a solicitor, a union representative or Acas. Our related guide on resignation letters and constructive dismissal covers the same ground from the letter-writing side.

If you decide to raise concerns formally

The letter does the same job whether or not you later leave: it identifies the issues, fixes the dates, and asks for something specific. Start with how to write a grievance letter for the structure, and gather what supports it using our guide to evidence for a workplace grievance while you still have access to your work systems.

What if I am currently signed off work?

Employers frequently deal with grievances raised during sickness absence, sometimes in writing or with adjustments to how a meeting is held. Say what you are able to manage and ask how they propose to proceed. Do not push yourself through a process your GP has advised against; ask for it to be paused or handled in writing instead.

What if I have already handed in my notice?

Many employers will still consider a grievance during a notice period, and some procedures allow former employees to raise concerns after employment ends — often in a modified form, and the outcome may simply be a written response. Check the procedure and ask. Whether raising it at that stage helps your position is fact-specific and is a question for advice, not for an article.

What if the problem is my manager?

The route changes rather than the substance — most procedures name someone else to receive it. See writing a grievance letter against your manager. If the behaviour has been a repeated pattern, our workplace bullying grievance guide covers how to record it, and if you have already complained and heard nothing, see what to do if HR ignores your grievance.