I am fed up with how I’m being treated by my employer and am thinking of resigning. What should I do?

If you feel you are being treated unfairly at work you can take out a formal grievance, setting out why you are unhappy with your employer or your working conditions. The statutory Acas  Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures (PDF, 167KB) explains how a grievance procedure should be followed and you should read this carefully. Many employers will have their own rules on how to raise a grievance and how it should be dealt with, which may be more detailed than the minimum safeguards developed by Acas.  

Speaking to your union is a good idea. They will be able to offer you advice about how to proceed, and to accompany you at a grievance hearing if you choose, where they can raise matters on your behalf and be there to support you. They will also be in a good position to know if the same issue is affecting other employees, in which case they may take it up as a collective complaint. 

Tackling grievances collectively can have many advantages and can help you feel as if you are sharing the burden and are not alone. It is vital, however, to make sure you respect colleagues’ right to privacy and only discuss issues affecting them with their agreement.  

Another idea to consider before resigning might be in-work mediation. The TUC and Acas have jointly written the free guide Mediation: a guide for trade union representatives which is available from the TUC website. . Mediation is informal, flexible, voluntary and confidential, and can be well suited to situations such as relationship breakdown.  

If, ultimately, you feel you have no alternative but to resign because of your employer's conduct towards you, your resignation may amount to a constructive dismissal and you may be able to apply to an employment tribunal, claiming unfair dismissal. Strict time limits apply.  

Before you make a claim, you must go through the Acas Early Conciliation process.  

The first step in any tribunal claim is to submit an Early Conciliation Notification Form to Acas. This step must be taken within three months (less one day) of your resignation date. Otherwise you will not be able to bring your tribunal claim.  

Acas early conciliation is confidential, voluntary and free of charge. Do not leave the claim to the last minute.