Artificial intelligence tools can produce a polished grievance letter in seconds. For an employee dealing with a difficult situation at work, that can be appealing. A tool can organise events, improve wording and turn a collection of notes into something that looks like a formal workplace complaint.

However, recent cases and commentary have highlighted some problems that can arise when employees rely too heavily on AI when raising a grievance at work.

In one recent case in Australia, a worker was reportedly barred from using AI to draft further complaints against her employer after her submissions became lengthy, repetitive and difficult to follow. Importantly, some of her underlying complaints were ultimately upheld, illustrating how AI-generated documents can obscure a legitimate workplace concern.

So, should employees use AI when filing a grievance? There is no simple answer. AI can potentially assist with aspects of drafting and organisation, but employees should understand its limitations and remain responsible for ensuring that what they submit accurately reflects what actually happened.

What Happened in the Australian AI Grievance Case?

The case that prompted recent discussion involved an Australian worker who used artificial intelligence extensively when preparing complaints against her employer.

According to reports, the Fair Work Commission criticised the worker’s submissions because they were lengthy, wide-ranging, repetitive and contained broad generalisations and accusatory language. The volume and presentation of the complaints made it more difficult to identify the genuine issues at the centre of the dispute.

This is particularly significant because some of the worker’s complaints were ultimately upheld.

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In other words, the problem was not necessarily that she had nothing legitimate to complain about. Instead, her genuine concerns risked becoming buried beneath an excessive amount of material.

Although this was an Australian case and therefore does not determine how a UK workplace grievance should be handled, it illustrates a potential problem with relying heavily on generative AI for workplace complaints.

A grievance does not necessarily become stronger because it is longer, sounds more legal or contains numerous references to possible legal breaches.

Often, clarity is more useful.

Can an AI-Generated Grievance Letter Cause Problems?

One attraction of using AI is that it can transform relatively straightforward facts into professional-sounding language. But that ability can also create difficulties.

Employment lawyers have identified several potential problems with AI-generated grievances, including excessive length, unnecessary complexity and “scope creep”, where a relatively narrow complaint becomes expanded into numerous allegations. There can also be a disconnect between the employee’s actual experience and the language used in the document.

An AI tool works from the information it is given. It did not witness what happened and does not know what the employee experienced unless that information is accurately provided.

As a result, an AI-generated grievance letter might use terminology that the employee does not fully understand or make assertions that go beyond the underlying facts. In some circumstances, AI tools can also generate inaccurate or misleading information. That can become particularly problematic during a grievance meeting.

An employer will normally want to ask questions about the allegations. If an employee cannot explain an allegation in their own words, identify the evidence supporting it or explain why a particular legal term was used, this could distract from the genuine complaint.

Can AI Be Useful When Writing a Grievance Letter?

There are also reasons why an employee might consider using an AI tool.

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Someone who is upset about what has happened at work might find it difficult to organise events chronologically or explain their concerns clearly. Others may lack confidence in formal writing.

In those circumstances, technology could potentially be used as a tool to help organise information, improve readability or identify areas of a draft that need clarification. However, there is an important distinction between using AI as a drafting aid and allowing AI to determine the substance of the complaint.

An employee considering AI assistance may want to ask themselves whether every statement is factually accurate, whether they understand every allegation being made and whether they could comfortably explain the contents during a grievance meeting.

Be Careful With Confidential Workplace Information

There is another issue employees should consider before putting workplace information into an AI system: confidentiality and data protection.

A grievance can contain highly sensitive material.

It might include internal emails, employment contracts, workplace policies, salary information, medical information or personal information concerning colleagues, managers and witnesses.

Uploading this information to an external AI service can create confidentiality and data protection concerns. Kingsley Napley specifically warns that employees could potentially input confidential company documents or sensitive personal data into open AI tools while asking them to prepare a grievance.

Employees should therefore think carefully about what information they provide to any third-party AI service and consider their employer’s policies on confidential information and use of AI.

What Should Be Included in a Grievance Letter?

Whether a grievance is written entirely by the employee, prepared with professional assistance or created with some technological support, the most important consideration is usually its substance.

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According to Redmans Solicitors’ guidance on raising a grievance at work, employees should provide the relevant factual background, clearly identify what they are complaining about, provide supporting evidence where appropriate and explain how they would like the issue to be resolved.

A useful grievance letter will generally address the following areas.

1. Explain What Happened

Start with the facts. Explain the events giving rise to the grievance, including relevant dates, locations and the people involved. Where there have been several incidents, presenting them chronologically can make the complaint easier to understand.

For example, instead of simply stating that a manager has “constantly bullied” you, it may be more useful to identify specific incidents, when they occurred, what was said or done and who witnessed them.

Specific facts can be investigated. Broad accusations can be considerably more difficult to assess.

2. Clearly Identify Your Complaint

The person reading the grievance should understand exactly what you are complaining about. That might concern bullying, harassment, discrimination, pay, working conditions, workload, treatment by a manager or the outcome of another workplace process.

Redmans advises employees to make the nature of their complaint clear and provide sufficient detail about the problem. If several issues are involved, separating them under individual headings can make the grievance easier to follow.

3. Include Relevant Evidence

Where possible, identify the evidence supporting your account.

Depending on the circumstances, this could include emails, messages, letters, meeting notes, payslips, workplace documents or witness evidence. The objective is not necessarily to attach every document you possess. The evidence should help the employer understand and investigate the allegations being made.

Employees should also preserve potentially relevant documents rather than relying solely on memory, particularly where an employee dispute has developed over a longer period.

4. Explain the Impact on You

It may also be appropriate to explain how the situation has affected you. For example, workplace treatment might have affected an employee’s ability to perform their duties, their working relationships or their wellbeing.

The impact should be described accurately and in the employee’s own terms rather than exaggerated for effect.

5. Explain What Outcome You Want

A grievance should not necessarily focus exclusively on what has gone wrong. Employees should also consider what they want their employer to do about it.

The desired outcome might include investigating particular conduct, correcting pay, changing working arrangements, addressing the behaviour of another employee, providing an apology or taking steps to prevent the problem from happening again.

Redmans recommends making the desired resolution clear so the employer understands what the employee is seeking through the grievance procedure.

Avoid Turning a Grievance Letter Into a Legal Essay

One potential problem with using AI is the temptation to make a grievance sound like court proceedings.

For example, an AI tool given details of workplace conflict might introduce terms such as “constructive dismissal”, “victimisation”, “breach of contract”, “discrimination” or “whistleblowing”. Those terms can have specific legal meanings.

Including them does not automatically strengthen a grievance, particularly if the employee does not understand why they apply or if the underlying facts do not support them. Hence, employees should therefore focus primarily on explaining what actually happened.

Moreover, it is advisable to contact an employment law professional rather than relying on an AI tool when determining whether a particular legal claim exists.

What is the Grievance Procedure?

Employees considering filing a grievance should first check their employer’s grievance policy.

A workplace grievance procedure will commonly begin with an attempt to resolve an issue informally where appropriate.

If the matter cannot be resolved informally, the employee can generally raise a formal written grievance. The employer should then arrange a grievance meeting, investigate the complaint as appropriate and provide an outcome. Employees should normally also have an opportunity to appeal an outcome with which they disagree.

At formal grievance meetings, workers have a statutory right to be accompanied in qualifying circumstances by a fellow worker or trade union representative.

The Acas Code of Practice also plays an important role in how disciplinary and grievance matters should be handled. An unreasonable failure to follow the Code can, in relevant Employment Tribunal cases, result in compensation being adjusted by up to 25%.

Remember That You Are Responsible for Your Grievance

Perhaps the most important consideration when using AI to prepare a grievance letter is responsibility.

Whatever tool is used to help prepare the document, it is the employee who submits the grievance. Therefore, they may subsequently need to explain and support its contents.

Before sending an AI-assisted grievance, it can be sensible to read it carefully and ask:

• Is every factual statement accurate?
• Have any events, quotations or dates been invented or altered?
• Do I understand all the terminology used?
• Does the letter reflect what I actually experienced?
• Can I provide evidence for the important allegations?
• Could I explain every part of the grievance in my own words?
• Is anything important missing?
• Has unnecessary or exaggerated material been added?
• Have I protected confidential and personal information?

If the answer to any of those questions raises concerns, the draft may need further work before it is submitted.

So, Is It Okay to Use AI to Write a Grievance Letter?

AI is increasingly becoming part of everyday working life, so its use in workplace disputes is unlikely to disappear.

For some employees, AI may provide useful assistance with structure, grammar or turning disorganised notes into a clearer first draft. For others, the risks of inaccurate wording, unnecessary allegations, confidentiality issues or losing their own voice may outweigh those benefits.

The Australian case demonstrates that more content does not necessarily produce a more effective complaint. Some of the worker’s underlying complaints succeeded, yet the way her submissions were prepared made the genuine issues harder to identify.

When raising a grievance at work, the central objective should remain the same regardless of how the letter is produced. Clearly explain what happened, provide relevant evidence and tell the employer what you would like them to do about it.

AI may be able to assist with the presentation of that information. It cannot replace the employee’s knowledge of what actually happened or professional legal advice tailored to their circumstances.

Get Help with Redmans

If you are raising a grievance at work and need specialist advice about preparing your grievance letter or following your employer’s grievance procedure, contact Redmans Solicitors today. Our employment law experts can assess your circumstances, explain your legal rights and advise you on the best way to approach your workplace dispute. If you have grounds to bring a claim, we can guide you through every stage of the process.

• Give us a call on 020 3397 3603
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