Grievance Policy Generator
Generate a three-stage grievance procedure with defined timelines, the right to be accompanied, a non-retaliation clause, and clear routing of POSH complaints to the Internal Committee instead.
Free · No sign-up · Nothing leaves your browser · Figures reviewed 22 September 2026
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Leave blank to route it to a senior manager not previously involved.
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Still to fill, shown as [square brackets] below: Company name, Effective date, Policy owner
[COMPANY NAME] EMPLOYEE GRIEVANCE POLICY Version: 1.0 Effective from: [Effective date] Owner: [Policy owner] Applies to: All employees ================================================================ 1. PURPOSE A grievance is a concern, problem or complaint about your work, your working conditions or your treatment at work. This policy sets out how to raise one and what will happen. Raising a grievance is not an act of disloyalty. A problem raised is a problem that can be fixed; an unraised one becomes an exit. 2. WHAT THIS COVERS Working conditions, workload, pay and benefits administration, the application of a policy, the behaviour of a colleague or manager, health and safety, and any other matter affecting your employment. Complaints of sexual harassment are dealt with under the policy on prevention of sexual harassment at the workplace, by the Internal Committee constituted under the 2013 Act, not under this procedure. Concerns about wrongdoing such as fraud or a breach of law are dealt with under the code of conduct. 3. INFORMAL RESOLUTION Most concerns are resolved fastest by raising them directly with your manager. If the concern is about your manager, or you would rather not, go straight to stage one below. 4. STAGE ONE — WRITTEN GRIEVANCE Put the grievance in writing to human resources, setting out what has happened, when, who was involved and what outcome you are seeking. Human resources will acknowledge within two working days and will meet you within 7 working days. You may be accompanied by a colleague. A written outcome will follow within 7 working days of the meeting. 5. STAGE TWO — REVIEW If you are not satisfied, ask in writing within 14 working days for the matter to be reviewed by a more senior manager who has not been involved so far. The review will be completed and a written outcome given within 14 working days. 6. STAGE THREE — FINAL A final appeal may be made in writing to the head of the function or a director not previously involved, within 21 working days. That decision concludes the internal process. 7. NO RETALIATION Nobody will be treated detrimentally for raising a grievance in good faith, or for acting as a witness in one. Retaliation is itself a disciplinary matter, separate from the outcome of the grievance. 8. CONFIDENTIALITY A grievance is disclosed only to those who need to know in order to investigate and resolve it. Records are kept confidentially and are not placed on the employee's personnel file unless the outcome requires it. 9. TIMELINESS Raise a grievance as close to the event as possible. A concern raised long afterwards is harder to investigate fairly for everyone involved. REVIEW This policy is reviewed annually and whenever the law changes. Where anything in it falls below a statutory entitlement, the statute applies and this policy is to be read as amended accordingly. Questions about this policy should be raised with the human resources team at [Company name].
A starting point, not legal advice. Policies interact with your employment contracts and with the Shops and Establishments Act of every state you operate in — have this reviewed before you publish it.
A grievance procedure is judged on two things: whether the timelines are real, and whether raising a grievance is safe. A procedure with no dates is a procedure with no obligation, and one with no non-retaliation clause is one nobody will use.
The routing clause matters as much. Sexual harassment complaints go to the Internal Committee under the 2013 Act, not through a general grievance procedure, and a policy that does not say so sends them to the wrong place.
Frequently asked questions
- What should a grievance policy include?
- What counts as a grievance, how to raise one informally and formally, the stages with defined timelines, the right to be accompanied, confidentiality, a non-retaliation clause, and what is dealt with elsewhere — POSH complaints in particular.
- Should sexual harassment complaints go through the grievance procedure?
- No. They go to the Internal Committee constituted under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2013, which has its own statutory process and timelines. A grievance policy should say so explicitly so complaints are not misrouted.
- Is a grievance procedure mandatory in India?
- Industrial establishments above a threshold are required to have a grievance redressal mechanism under the Industrial Relations Code. Beyond the legal requirement, a documented procedure is what turns a concern into something that can be resolved rather than something that becomes an exit.
About this tool
Built by the ViniOffice team. Figures and rules last reviewed 22 September 2026 against the statutory reference this team maintains. Indian statutory rates are date-effective and change by notification — confirm against the current one before running payroll or filing. A starting point, not legal advice. Policies interact with your employment contracts and with the Shops and Establishments Act of every state you operate in — have this reviewed before you publish it.
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