WRC recommends €2,000 after grievance policy left no independent route

The WRC recommended that an employer pay a worker €2,000 after finding its grievance policy offered no independent way to examine a complaint about the chief executive. Adjudication Officer David James Murphy dated the recommendation 2 May 2024. The worker said she heard that negative comments had been made about her while she was on protected leave. The chief executive disputed the account and said he wanted to resolve the issue and retain her. Murphy found that the policy did not provide an independent route for a complaint involving the chief executive, who was also the worker’s supervisor and the most senior manager. He said the chief executive should have offered an alternative, and that the policy gap contributed to the breakdown in the relationship. He also said the worker resigned too quickly.