Overlapping Grievances And Disciplinary Procedures

What should employers do if the subject of a disciplinary process raises a grievance?

The subject matter of a disciplinary and grievance may overlap, and therefore it is not uncommon for an employer to find that an employee will raise a grievance during a disciplinary process.

This might be done for a variety of reasons. It may be that there is a genuine concern about the way the process is being conducted or about someone involved in it, or it could be a mechanism used by an employee to delay the outcome of a disciplinary decision, particularly if they are facing dismissal. Failure to deal with a grievance before concluding a disciplinary could result in an unfair dismissal.