Employers are being given expert legal advice to manage a surge in formal workplace grievances drafted using artificial intelligence (AI).
More than half of HR professionals in the UK have reported growing numbers of employees using AI to produce grievances, workplace complaints and appeals.
Tim Lang, Partner within the nationally recognised Employment team at mfg Solicitors, said the documents are often too lengthy and complex, filled with legal jargon and references to irrelevant or outdated legislation and case law.
He said: “We are seeing many more employers coming to us for advice on grievances that read as though they may have been drafted by a legal professional but in reality have been drafted using an AI tool.
“AI does not know or understand the full extent of the law or the individual issues of the complaint, so can only be guided by what a person puts in. This can make complaints appear more serious at first glance.”
Tim said that in some cases, AI-drafted grievances exaggerate the significance of relatively straightforward workplace concerns, meaning employers spent unnecessary time responding to the wording of a complaint rather than addressing the root problem.
“My advice to employers is not to get distracted by the terminology,” he said. “The important thing is to identify the core concern rather than the language used, investigate the facts and follow established grievance procedures to ensure the issues are dealt with fairly and consistently. Meet with the employee, ask them to explain what their main issues are and don’t reply to grievances on a point-by-point basis. Whatever you do, don’t use AI to generate a response.
“Although AI-generated grievances may contain unnecessary or irrelevant information, sometimes even waffle, they cannot be ignored. Every grievance must still to be taken seriously.”
The issue comes amid the biggest overhaul of employment law in a generation, with the Employment Rights Act allowing employees to bring unfair dismissal claims much earlier in their employment from January 2027.
Tim added: “For smaller businesses, in particular, this is likely to increase the importance of how workplace concerns and grievances are handled. As employees gain access to rights much earlier in their employment, businesses need robust grievance processes in place from day one that are followed consistently.
“If a complaint is unclear, don’t be afraid to ask questions.
