Guide
How to write a grievance letter for unfair treatment
Unfair treatment is one of the hardest things to put into writing, because the feeling is obvious to you and invisible on paper. The aim is to turn it into dated events and clear comparisons that someone who was not there can follow. General information about the process — not legal advice.
1. Say plainly that it is a formal grievance
Open with one line: you are raising a formal grievance under the employer's grievance procedure. Without that sentence, letters are often treated as informal feedback and never logged.
2. Describe the treatment, not the label
'Unfair treatment' means very little on its own. Write what was decided or said, by whom, and when — for example a shift pattern changed, an application refused, a bonus withheld, work reallocated.
3. Show the comparison
Unfairness is usually visible in a difference. Who else was in the same position, and what happened to them? Keep it factual: 'Two other advisers in my team were approved on 3 March; my request was refused on 5 March.'
4. Give the reason you were told — and the one you weren't
Record the explanation you received, or note that none was given and that you asked. An unexplained decision is one of the strongest things a grievance can put on record.
5. Separate facts from how it felt
Put the effect on you in its own short paragraph. Employers take it seriously, and keeping it apart stops the factual section reading as opinion.
6. Ask for something specific
Say what would resolve it: the decision reconsidered, the reasons in writing, the arrangement restored, a different reporting line. Vague requests get vague outcomes.
Common mistakes to avoid
- • Sweeping words like 'always', 'never' and 'constantly' — replace each with a dated example.
- • Naming a legal claim. Describe what happened; you do not need to argue the law to raise a grievance.
- • Long email chains pasted into the body. List the evidence and offer it.
- • Insults or speculation about motives. Stick to what was said and done.
- • Raising ten issues equally. Lead with the two or three that matter most.
See a complete example first
Our free sample letter shows the whole thing written out around a made-up scenario.