Grievance Letter Unfair Treatment at Work UK

Unfair Treatment at Work Grievance Letter:

This page last updated 7.7.26.

Do you need a grievance complaint letter for unfair treatment at work or want to know how to write a grievance complaint letter to your employer for unfair treatment at work UK?

  • Read This First!
  • Please visit our webpage on 15 things to do before you write your grievance letter to your employer.
  • Please visit our webpage on 20 tips on writing a grievance letter to your employer.
  • Please visit our webpage on how to appeal a grievance outcome letter.

Unfair treatment at work leads to a toxic work environment and a toxic workplace. This webpage will assist you in knowing about how to complain about unfair treatment at work, and furthermore, unfair treatment at work law UK.

Unfair treatment at work examples UK:

  • Being subjected to a toxic work environment creating a toxic workplace.
  • Being demoted.
  • Being sidelined for promotion.
  • Being divested of access to equal opportunities at work.
  • Being bullied.
  • Being ridiculed and subjected to workplace mobbing.
  • Being ignored and sent to Coventry.
  • Being micromanaged.
  • Being subjected to overbearing supervisions.
  • Being called out in front of your workplace colleagues.
  • Being made an example of.
  • Being made to feel worthless.
  • Being given trivial tasks to do.
  • Being given too much work in comparison to your workplace colleagues.
  • Unfair designation of workplace tasks.

Each of the above are signs and examples of being treated unfairly at work and being subjected to unfair treatment at work or victimisation in the workplace.

My wife Amy & I are employment consultants with 26 years combined experience helping employees like you needing to know how to complain about unfair treatment at work. We know firsthand the stress, anxiety, and distress, which you feel, because Amy & I have already trodden the path, which you now tread having ourselves experienced unfair treatment at work. Thus, is you want to know how to complain about unfair treatment at work, this webpage will assist you in knowing how to complain about unfair treatment at work UK law.

Amy & I were ourselves subjected to a toxic work environment. Unfair treatment at work created a toxic workplace for both of us. We took our own employers to the Employment Tribunal. We realised that there was insufficient support and assistance for people like us who can’t afford a solicitor, but need help and guidance to navigate the grievance and disciplinary procedures when needing to know about how to complain about unfair treatment at work. Hence, we created this website to assist you in knowing your employee rights UK and UK law for unfair treatment at work.

This web site will assist you in writing a better letter of grievance to your employer for unfair treatment at work UK, including the law, and the case law.

These are the steps to take if you are being subjected to unfair treatment at work UK:

Step 1 = Raise a formal letter of grievance to your employer.

Step 2 = Name the individuals within your formal grievance letter who are subjecting you to unfair treatment at work.

Step 3 = Outline within your formal grievance letter the date/s the unfair treatment at work has occurred.

Step 4 = Outline within your formal grievance letter the detrimental impact, which the unfair treatment at work is having on your physical and psychological health and wellbeing.

Step 4 = Outline within your formal grievance letter the injury caused to your feelings caused by the unfair treatment at work.

Step 5 = Outline within your formal grievance letter for unfair treatment at work, the outcome which you want.

Step 6 = Send the grievance letter to the HR Department via email.

Word of Caution:

  • Do NOT use AI to generate your grievance letter.
  • See why by clicking here.
  • For the avoidance of doubt, there are many free AI detectors online, which can be used quickly to detect whether a grievance letter has been AI-generated.
  • The Employment Tribunal Service is receiving an uptick in AI generated grievance letters, which are frowned upon.
  • Notwithstanding, AI can cite case laws which do not exist, apply legislation from other jurisdictions, or outline legal principles that have absolutely no bearing on your particular circumstances.

If you have been subjected to a flawed disciplinary investigation, unfair disciplinary investigation and/or an unfair disciplinary procedure, then click here.

If you need to raise a letter of grievance for bullying, harassment, or discrimination click here.

If you need to raise a letter of grievance for victimisation click here.

If you have been suspended from work and need to raise a letter of grievance for suspension click here.

If you need to blow the whistle to your employer (UK) click here.

If you need to appeal the grievance outcome click here.

Unfair Treatment at Work UK Law:

Under the auspices of the Equality Act 2010 you have either ‘less favourable treatment’ or ‘unfavourable treatment’.

Nowhere in the Equality Act 2010 does it actually have a provision for ‘unfair treatment at work’.

Therefore, when writing your grievance complaint letter for unfair treatment at work UK, you have to establish either ‘less favourabe treatment’ or ‘unfavourable treatment’ i.e. one of the two – or perhaps even both!

Below, we tell you how to write a grievance complaint letter to your employer for unfair treatment at work.

If you want to know how to write a grievance complaint letter for bullying and harassment and being subjected to a toxic work environment click here.

Unfair Treatment at Work Grievance Letter– First Step:

Unfair treatment is less favourable treatment. It is where you have been (or are being) treated ‘less favourably’ or unfairly in comparison to someone else at work by a manager or workplace colleague, then you need to establish the comparator or comparators (plural).

The first steps in submitting your grievance complaint letter for unfair treatment at work is to identify who it is you have been (or are being) treated unfairly / less favourably in comparison to i.e. is it an individual or a group of individuals.

Thus, you need to identify and name the person or persons in your grievance complaint letter who you believe you have been (or are being treated) unfairly / less favourably in comparison to. 

Unfair Treatment at Work Grievance Letter – Second Step: 

You have to outline within your grievance complaint letter for unfair treatment at work the specific grounds and reasons why you believe you have been (or are being) treated unfairly or less favourably in comparison to.

This is really important because you should really establish the ‘motivation’ behind the unfair / less favourable treatment. AS held in the authority of Conteh v Parking Partners Ltd UKEAT/0288/10/SM at paragraph 33:

“A Tribunal to focus upon the motivation – that is the reason why, not the motive but the motivation.”

Signs and examples of unfair treatment at work:

  • You are female working in a male dominated working environment and you are being treated unfairly in comparison to your male workplace colleagues (sex discrimination).
  • You have a disability, and are being subjected to unfair treatment at work because of your disability (disability discrimination).
  • Your face no longer fits.
  • You are not perceived as being a team player.
  • You are being subjected to bullying and victimisation in the workplace.

Unfair Treatment at Work Grievance Letter – Third Step:

When establishing the ‘motivation’ for the unfair / less favourable treatment, you need to establish whether the unfair / less favourable treatment is ‘because of’ a protected characteristic such as your race, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion etc,.

If you believe the unfair / less favourable treatment is because of a protected characteristic, then you need to say so within your grievance complaint letter. This is very important as potentially you are raising a grievance letter for ‘discrimination’ as you have to shift the burden of proof.

Unfair Treatment at Work Grievance Letter – Fourth Step:

You need to outline a timeframe in your grievance complaint letter for unfair treatment how long the unfair / less favourable treatment has been going on for. As such, if the unfair / less favourable treatment has been going on for many months or even a year or so, then you need to outline this course of conduct (unfair treatment) within your letter of grievance.

For the avoidance of doubt, Employment Tribunals look at the ‘cumulative effects’ of the bullying and harassment. In this regard, I draw your attention to the case authority of Green v DB Group Services UK Ltd [2006] IRLR 764 at paragraph 151:

“The question is whether his behaviour amounted to bullying within the ordinary meaning of that term. Bullying can take many forms. As I have already observed, and as was acknowledged by the claimant, the incidents upon which she relies when viewed individually are not of major significance. It is their cumulative effect that is of importance. His behaviour to her was domineering, disrespectful, dismissive, confrontatory, and designed to undermine and belittle her in the view of others. I am satisfied that such a course of conduct pursued over a considerable period amounted to bullying within the ordinary meaning of the term.”

A similar position was also held in the authority of Iqbal v Dean Manson Solicitors [2011] EWCA Civ 123 at paragraph 45:

“The Act is concerned with courses of conduct which amount to harassment, rather than with individual instances of harassment. Of course, it is the individual instances which will make up the course of conduct, but it still remains the position that it is the course of conduct which has to have the quality of amounting to harassment, rather than individual instance of conduct.”

Unfair Treatment at Work Grievance Letter – Fifth Step: 

You need to establish examples of the unfair treatment / less favourable treatment within your letter of grievance.

Put shortly, you need to outline in a chronological order the dates when you believe your employer or line manager has treated you unfairly or less favourably in comparison to your workplace colleague/s.

Unfair Treatment at Work Grievance Letter – Sixth Step:

You need to put your employer on the hook and ask the HR Department questions within your grievance letter to explain the specific grounds and reasons why you have been treated unfairly / less favourably in comparison to your comparator/s. The ACAS Code provides advice on how an employer should answer any questions, which you raise within your grievance letter.

Example Letter of Grievance for Unfair Treatment / Less Favourable Treatment at Work:

Dear Sirs,

I am raising a letter of grievance for unfair treatment / less favourable treatment at work. It is my reasonable and genuine belief that I have been subjected to unfair treatment / less favourable treatment in comparison to Dave Smith & Andy Jones. I believe the unfair treatment / less favourable treatment is because of my disability. My employer is palpably aware that I suffer from anxiety and depression, which impairments have a substantial adverse effect on my day to day activities, and furthermore, which impacts upon my cognitive abilities, thought processes and memory function. The unfair treatment / less favourable treatment has occurred over the last three months. On 5.6.24 I was informed by my line manager Michael Hartley that my pay would be commensurate with my output. This applies a discriminatory effect on protected grounds of disability. For the avoidance of doubt, by reason that my disability effects my cognitive abilities (especially when under excessive pressure and duress) I am unable to produce the same output of work in comparison to Dave Smith & Andy Jones. My employer should have articulated this fact and made reasonable adjustments. Thus, it is my position that my employer has discriminated against me, and furthermore, is continuing to discriminate against me on protected grounds of disability by treating me less favourably in comparison to Dave Smith & Andy Jones. To this end, I require to know the following:

  • Why has my anxiety and depression not been taken into consideration germane to my performance and output?
  • How do you say my performance and output would not be affected by my anxiety-related disorder and depression?
  • How do you say reducing my pay does not amount to less favourable treatment in comparison to Dave Smith & Andy Jones?
  • I require to know how you say docking my pay does not apply a discriminatory effect in comparison to Dave Smith & Andy Jones?
  • What steps are the Company going to take to remedy the situation?

The above grievance letter example for unfair treatment / less favourable treatment establishes the facts.

However, before you raise a grievance letter for unfair treatment at work, we would suggest you visit the following two webpages:

  • 20 Tips on writing a grievance letter.
  • 15 Steps to take before you write your grievance letter.

Unfavourable Treatment:

Unlike less favourable treatment as outlined above, unfavourable treatment is predominately used in cases where you do not need a comparator.

Put shortly, all you have to establish in your letter of grievance is that your employer or manager has treated you ‘unfavourably’ or unfairly.

Unfavourable treatment would normally be used in only two situations i.e. either for disability or pregnancy discrimination.

If you need to raise a grievance for ‘unfavourably treatment’ for pregnancy, then please visit the page on my web site headed under ‘Pregnancy and Maternity‘.

The only other time you can use ‘unfavourable treatment’ is where your employer (or one of its employees such as your line manager or workplace colleague) has treated you (or is) treating you unfairly or unfavourably because of a mental or physical impairment you have;

Example:

What most of my clients don’t realise is that if you suffer from a medical condition such as anxiety or depression or have some other mental or physical impairment, such as asthma, diabetes, hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia, IBS, a bad back, migraines, heavy menstrual cycles, menopause etc, then you could very possibly fall under the auspices of the Equality Act 2010 as having a ‘disability’. For the avoidance of doubt, cancer and HIV are a disability on diagnosis.

When I was raising a grievance against my own employer back in 2005, I did not know at that time that my asthma was classed as a disability. I never thought of myself as being ‘disabled’. However, the Equality Act 2010 covers impairments as well as disabilities. In this regard, I draw your attention to the authority of Ministry of Defence v Hay (2008), whereas Mr Justice Langstaff reminds us that:

The concept of disability in the Equality Act is not a medical model, but a ‘functional’ model because the definition focuses on ‘impairment’. An ‘impairment’ is not the same as a ‘disability’. It is directed towards what a claimant cannot, or can no longer do at a practical level. Thus, a constellation of symptoms which lasted over 12 months, even though the precise disability on which the claim was based according to expert evidence would have lasted less than 12 months, can be regarded as a combination of impairments with different effects, to different extents, over periods of time which overlapped and which constitutes a qualifying disability.

To put the above into plain English, if you have a mental or physical impairment (say anxiety and/or depression) then you may well be covered under the auspices of The Equality Act 2010.

To this end, you may want to consider contacting us to help you write your letter of grievance for unfair treatment at work UK. If we can bring your letter of grievance under the auspices of The Equality Act, then it gives your grievance letter real punch. Writing a grievance letter for discrimination also gives you leverage against your employer especially if your employer knows of your mental / physical impairment but has not put in place the reasonable adjustments, which YOU need.

Thus, when raising a grievance for unfair treatment / unfavourable treatment at work, you do not need a comparator. All you have to establish in your grievance letter for discrimination is how your employer or line manager has treated you (or is treating you) ‘unfavourably’.

This makes it much easier, especially if you want to later lodge a claim in the Employment Tribunal. Winning a case in the Tribunal for unfavourable treatment is a lot easier than having to explain to the Employment Tribunal how you have been treated ‘less favourably’ in comparison to a non-disabled person, which requires a subjective test.

Therefore, the grievance letter example which is outlined above could be amended to read something like this –

Grievance Letter Example Unfavourable Treatment at Work:

 Dear Sirs,

I am raising a letter of grievance for unfavourable treatment at work. It is my reasonable and genuine belief that I have been subjected to unfavourable treatment because of something arising in consequence of my anxiety and depression. I believe the unfavourable treatment is because of my mental health impairments. My employer is palpably aware that I suffer from anxiety and depression, which impairments have a substantial adverse effect on my day to day activities, and furthermore, which impacts upon my cognitive abilities. The unfavourable treatment has occurred over the last three months. On 5.6.24 I was informed by my line manager Michael Hartley that my pay would be commensurate with my output. This applies a discriminatory effect. For the avoidance of doubt, by reason that my anxiety and depression effects my cognitive abilities (especially when under excessive pressure and duress) I am unable to produce the same output of work in comparison to non-disabled persons. My employer should have articulated this fact. Thus, it is my position that my employer has discriminated against me, and furthermore, is continuing to discriminate against me by treating me unfavourably by reducing my rate of pay commensurate with my output at work. To this end, I require to know the following:

  • Why have my mental health impairments not been taken into consideration germane to both my performance and output?
  • How do you say my performance and output would not be affected because of my anxiety-related disorder and depression?
  • How do you say reducing my pay does not amount to unfavourable treatment?
  • I require to know how you say docking my pay does not apply a discriminatory effect?
  • What steps are the Company going to take to remedy the situation?

Conclusions:

Remember, you don’t have to be alone in going through your employment dispute with your employer. We took our own employers to the Employment Tribunal and know what you are going through. If you feel you need assistance writing your grievance letter Amy & I can write your grievance letter for you.

We only charge £35 for an initial telephone consultation up to one hour. During the initial consultation, we can talk through your employment situation, provide guidance, and support you from beginning to end.

Amy & I can assist you in avoiding the pitfalls that employees often make and help you understand the psychology behind the grievance process so that you get the upper hand. Remember, you only get one chance to get this right, so make sure you do just that!

Go on, don’t hesitate, pick up the phone and call us 07775943414 (9-5 UK) or email us at: myrightsuk@protonmail.com

Over the past 15 years Amy & I helped thousands of clients. Read our testimonials page.

Amy & I can write you a custom grievance letter for any of the following employment issues:

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