How to Write a Grievance Letter Against Your Manager

When people raise a grievance about a manager

Not every difficult manager, unwelcome decision or awkward conversation is a matter for a formal grievance, and very little of it is automatically unlawful. Managers are entitled to set expectations, allocate work and manage performance. A grievance is usually about conduct or treatment that goes beyond that. Concerns people commonly raise include:

• • bullying, or behaviour that feels intimidating or humiliating
• • unreasonable behaviour, such as shouting or public criticism
• • treatment they believe is connected to a protected characteristic
• • harassment
• • repeated unfair treatment compared with colleagues
• • inappropriate comments
• • failure to follow the employer's own procedures
• • being treated differently after raising a concern

If what you are describing is a repeated pattern rather than one incident, our workplace bullying grievance guide covers how to set that out without overstating any single event.

Who to send it to

Most procedures tell you to write to your line manager. Where the grievance is about them, look for the alternative route your policy names. In practice that is usually another manager, HR, or a senior manager identified in the policy. Say in your opening line why you are not sending it to your line manager, so nobody assumes you skipped a step. Acas sets out the general shape of this process, and it is worth reading alongside your own handbook.

How to structure the letter

A grievance about a manager is easier to investigate when it reads as a sequence rather than a summary of how things feel. Work through these in order:

• • What happened — two or three sentences of context up front.
• • Specific incidents — numbered, one per paragraph.
• • Dates — exact where you have them, clearly marked as approximate where you do not.
• • People involved — who did or said it, and who else was there.
• • Evidence — a list of what you can provide, not a bundle of attachments.
• • Previous attempts to resolve it — informal conversations, with dates.
• • Impact — a short, separate paragraph on the effect on your work and health.
• • Desired outcome — what you are actually asking for.

Before you send anything, it is worth running through the grievance letter checklist, and if the dates are the part you are struggling with, the free incident timeline builder will put your events into order for you in the browser without saving anything.

Example grievance letter about a manager

The letter below is a made-up illustration to show the shape and tone. The people and events are fictional. Do not copy it across — your dates, names and outcome will be different, and a letter that reads as a template is easy to dismiss.

Priya Raman
14 Wellow Road
Leeds LS8 2QT

3 September 2026

Mr Alan Devlin
Head of Operations
Marden Logistics Ltd

Dear Mr Devlin

Formal grievance — conduct of my line manager, Ms J. Corrigan

I am raising a formal grievance under the company grievance procedure. I am sending this to you
rather than to my line manager because the grievance concerns her.

I have worked as a Scheduling Co-ordinator since 4 March 2024 and report to Ms Corrigan.

1. On 6 June 2026, in the Tuesday planning meeting, Ms Corrigan said to me in front of four
   colleagues that my work was "the reason this team looks incompetent". Sam Whitfield and Leon
   Barry were present.

2. On 19 June 2026, my three regular client accounts were reassigned without discussion. I asked
   about this by email the same afternoon and received no reply.

3. On 2 July 2026, my one-to-one was cancelled 10 minutes before the start. This was the fourth
   consecutive cancellation since 6 June.

On 8 July 2026 I raised my concerns informally with Ms Corrigan. She told me the matter was closed.

Since June I have been sleeping badly and have twice asked to swap shifts to avoid the Tuesday
meeting. I saw my GP on 21 July 2026.

I would like the matter investigated by someone outside my reporting line, an explanation of the
account reassignment, and confirmation of how my one-to-ones will be arranged going forward.

I can provide the emails, meeting invitations and my dated notes on request. Please confirm receipt
and let me know the date of the grievance meeting. I would like to be accompanied.

Yours sincerely

Priya Raman
Scheduling Co-ordinator, staff number 40218

For more variations on the same structure, see our worked grievance letter examples.

What should I avoid putting in a grievance letter?

• • Accusations you cannot connect to a date, a document or something you saw or heard yourself.
• • Strong emotional language. It rarely adds weight, and it gives the reader something to react to other than the facts.
• • Threats — resignation, a tribunal, going to the press. These change the tone of the whole process.
• • Old history that has already been dealt with, unless it genuinely forms part of the same pattern.
• • Speculation written as fact. "She wants me out" is your interpretation; write what was said or done and let the employer draw conclusions.
• • Repeating the same complaint in four different ways. Say it once, clearly, with the dates.

What outcome can I ask for?

What is realistic depends on your workplace, the size of the employer and what happened. Employers respond better to a specific, workable request than to "I want this dealt with". Outcomes people commonly ask for include:

• • an investigation into specific incidents
• • mediation or a facilitated conversation
• • clarification of what is expected of you and how your work is reviewed
• • changes to working arrangements, such as reporting line, rota or meeting attendance
• • the conduct itself being addressed with the person concerned
• • another practical resolution that fits your workplace

Ask for something you are prepared to discuss at a meeting. Whatever you request, keep a copy of the letter and the date you sent it — that record matters if nothing comes back from HR.

Common questions