Accrington – Independent Grievance Investigation

An Independent Grievance Investigation: a Neurodivergent Employee

I was asked by a manufacturing organisation in Accrington to independently investigate a formal grievance raised by an autistic employee.  The grievance raised concerns that the employee's neurodivergence wasn't properly understood or supported within the workplace.  Because of the nature of the allegations, the employer wanted someone independent to investigate the facts rather than asking an internal manager who was already involved in the situation. 

Before starting the investigation, I arranged a pre-investigation meeting with the employee.  Part of that was simply about introducing myself, explaining my role and making the process a little less unknown.  But I also wanted to understand whether there were any reasonable adjustments that could help the employee participate in the investigation more effectively.  This is something I think is often missed.  It's very easy to ask:“Do you have any reasonable adjustment requests?” and leave it there.  But that assumes the person knows what they need, knows what adjustments are available and feels comfortable asking for them.  Sometimes you need to have a proper conversation about what might make the process easier.  When I then interviewed the employee about their grievance, I used a clear structure to work through each allegation.  We looked at what had happened, when it happened, who was involved, what had been said or done, what evidence might exist and what the impact had been.  I was particularly careful to separate what the employee had personally experienced or witnessed from information they had been told by someone else.  That isn't about challenging someone's account because they're autistic.  It's simply good investigation practice, and a clear structure can make it easier for someone to give their evidence.  I then interviewed the other people involved and considered the available evidence before reaching findings on each allegation. 

The investigation ultimately contributed to a successful resolution.  The employer retained a very good employee and reduced the risk of the situation escalating further.  Just as importantly, the employee could see that their concerns had been taken seriously and that the organisation was willing to put appropriate support in place.  For me, this is what good employee relations should look like.  You can investigate something properly, challenge evidence where you need to and still treat the people involved with dignity.  It doesn't have to be one or the other.

​If a grievance has landed on your desk  and you're weighing up how to tackle it,  book a free discovery call. Getting the process right the first time is what stops one complaint turning into a crisis.