Formal grievances are increasingly being written with the help of AI tools, often creating a much larger issue than the employee originally intended to raise. Consequently, this can cause a lot of miscommunications, wasted time and unnecessary strain for both the employer and employee.

In this blog, Kate Matthews, Director at CoLab HR, considers how employers can navigate AI grievances that can feel overly complex.

AI generated grievances

It is becoming an increasing trend where employees are turning to AI for help with their HR queries or employment concerns.  While this can be useful in helping an employee to put their concerns into writing, we are seeing a theme where a written grievance that might previously have been a couple of pages long, becoming eight pages…or in some cases much longer! 

AI grievances often include overly legalistic language and references to employment law (not always UK employment law unfortunately – we see all sorts of legal jurisdictions being referenced)!  The tone can be very formal and litigious, which can increase the pressure on HR teams and managers to decipher the core issues that the employee wants addressed.

AI is now being used in everyday life, so it is no surprise to see this happening and it is not necessarily a bad thing – Brightmine, a global human resources data, analytics, and compliance provider, found that around half of HR professionals believe that AI can help support employees who may be unsure how to raise concerns.

Therefore, the issue isn’t necessarily about discouraging AI use in this context, rather that there isn’t enough guidance on how to raise concerns without needing to rely on AI, or how to use AI appropriately.

What you can do:

• Strip back the language: AI generated grievances can be littered with legal jargon that isn’t necessary in order to add volume or sophistication to the grievance. Ultimately, you want to understand what has happened, why the employee is unhappy, and what the desired outcome is.
• Talk to the employee: If you feel their grievance is extremely different to their usual language and you are struggling to understand the true root of their grievance, use the grievance hearing as an opportunity to ask the employee to explain their concerns in their own words. This must however be done with sensitivity and the understanding that this employee may be experiencing heightened emotions.  Summarise the grievance back to them to ensure that you have understood the main points.  Giving the employee the opportunity to explain their concerns fully will help ensure that the grievance is understood accurately and that the process is fair and meaningful.
• Update your Grievance Procedure: It is a good idea to give employees guidance on suggested length of grievances (while recognising that complex cases may require more detail so a specific word count limit will not be appropriate).
• Consider implementing an AI policy: Providing guidance to employees on the appropriate use of AI and how to get the best out of it or adding a section to your Grievance Procedure to deal with AI-generated grievances can help to ensure that where AI is utilised, it is done in a more constructive way.  Be clear about what confidential or sensitive information can and cannot be entered into external AI systems, as doing so may create data protection or confidentiality risks.
• Employee support: The use of technology to raise workplace concerns may reflect more than simply a shift towards digital communication. It could suggest that employees do not always feel sufficiently informed or confident to express their concerns directly. Explaining the grievance procedure to employees, how to use it and what tools are at their disposal will help them feel more empowered to approach you as the employer directly, rather than behind the shield of AI written essays.
• Remain patient: Above all, don’t assume that the employee is trying to be difficult or overly ‘clever’.  They may believe that using an intermediary or technological platform provides greater assurance that their views will be communicated clearly and given appropriate consideration.  Don’t lose sight of the fact that the purpose of a grievance process is to understand and resolve the issue; during the grievance process, take the time to understand why the employee has chosen to raise their concerns in this way, what they are seeking to communicate, and what support they may need.

• Talk to your HR provider: Most importantly, talk to us! We will be able to give you the advice you need to ensure that you follow your procedure correctly and address the employee’s concerns. We also have all the expert knowledge to help you decipher what legal references need to be taken seriously, and which may not be relevant to the circumstances.

How we can support you

Instead of tackling AI-generated grievances yourself, it is much safer to contact us for advice and support. We can help you navigate the grievance process, ensure that all the points raised by your employee are properly addressed, and provide guidance to help you act in a legally compliant way, reducing the stress and workload involved.

We can also be engaged to hear a grievance on your behalf, providing an independent and experienced HR professional to manage the hearing and help ensure that the process is handled appropriately.

Ultimately, the aim should be to create a process that is clear and human enough so that neither side needs to rely on AI to understand the other. By following your grievance procedure with the support of qualified HR professionals, and communicating clearly with your employees, you can help ensure that concerns are dealt with fairly and appropriately. And if issues cannot be resolved informally, there is a clear and understandable process which can be followed.

Get in touch with us: info@colabhr.co.uk for further help with your grievance procedure, or to manage any grievances you may receive (AI or not)!