What should a board or executive team do when employees go public with a grievance?

For senior leaders, few issues feel more personal or harder to manage than an employee taking a workplace grievance into the public domain.

Industrial action is an established feature of some sectors. Teachers, doctors and transport workers regularly use collective action to raise concerns about pay and conditions. Organisations in these sectors often have processes in place to manage employee engagement and communications during periods of disruption.

The challenge is different when an employee goes public in a sector that largely operates outside traditional union structures. Employee grievances are stakeholder management matters as much as HR issues. Handled poorly, they can quickly become significant reputational risks.

In the first 24 hours

When a grievance becomes public, the natural instinct is to defend the organisation and challenge the allegations. Factual corrections may be needed, but organisations should resist entering a public argument before they understand the full picture. It can look aggressive, inflame the situation and draw further attention to the grievance itself.

The first priority is establishing the facts. Leadership teams should quickly determine:

• What specific allegations have been made?
• Have these concerns been raised internally before?
• Are there ongoing HR, legal or regulatory processes linked to the issue?
• Is there evidence that other employees share the concerns?
• Which stakeholders are likely to need reassurance or further information?

Communications, HR and legal teams should be aligned from the outset. If the employee could be treated as a whistleblower, a combative public response can create legal exposure on top of the reputational damage.

Navigating competing stakeholder demands

Different stakeholders often want very different things. Employees want reassurance that concerns are being taken seriously. Managers need guidance on answering questions from their teams. Clients and partners want confidence that services will not be affected. Journalists will be looking for a story, and regulators may require information on compliance.

These audiences cannot all be treated the same way.

The principle holds in unionised settings too. During recent teacher strikes in the UK, unions focused on workload, bureaucracy and pay. Many parents focused instead on disruption to their children’s education and wellbeing. An effective response speaks to each of these perspectives. Public statements and stakeholder-specific communications must take every group into account.

Responding to the press

Media enquiries can begin the moment an employee goes public, especially if they have gone straight to journalists. This often happens before the organisation has established the facts or spoken to key stakeholders.

Internal pressure can build quickly, and fears of front-page condemnation can spiral. A calm, measured and confident tone matters all the more in these moments.

The most effective media responses:

• Acknowledge that concerns have been raised.
• Show the organisation is taking them seriously.
• Outline any review, investigation or governance process underway.
• Avoid personalising the dispute or attacking the individuals involved.

Looking beyond the immediate crisis

Employees have more ways than ever to share their experiences publicly and find others who relate to them. When former BrewDog employees published an open letter in 2021 criticising a culture of fear at the company, it showed how quickly a grievance can grow into a company-wide culture crisis if it is not handled with patience and sincerity.

Resilient organisations create accessible channels for speaking up, respond proportionately when concerns arise and show a genuine willingness to learn from difficult situations.

FAQs

Who should we communicate with first once an employee goes public with their grievance?

Your own staff and the employee concerned, before any external audience. Acknowledge the grievance and make sure the employee feels listened to. Avoid saying too much before the facts are established internally, as over-communicating can inflame the situation.

What are the main reputational risks when an employee grievance goes public?

This depends on the nature of the grievance, but a common risk is an overly defensive stance. The instinct to defend your organisation and its people is natural. It should not come at the expense of compassion, meaningful engagement and nuance. Once a grievance is public, the reputational consequences of your response matter as much as the formal HR process.

What are the most important communication principles when an employee grievance goes public?

Listen before you respond. Be proportionate in what you say and who you say it to. Show a genuine commitment to learning while standing by your values. Together, these help maintain stakeholder trust during and after the crisis.

For senior leaders, few issues feel more personal or harder to manage than an employee taking a workplace grievance into the public domain.

Industrial action is an established feature of some sectors. Teachers, doctors and transport workers regularly use collective action to raise concerns about pay and conditions. Organisations in these sectors often have processes in place to manage employee engagement and communications during periods of disruption.

The challenge is different when an employee goes public in a sector that largely operates outside traditional union structures. Employee grievances are stakeholder management matters as much as HR issues. Handled poorly, they can quickly become significant reputational risks.

In the first 24 hours

When a grievance becomes public, the natural instinct is to defend the organisation and challenge the allegations. Factual corrections may be needed, but organisations should resist entering a public argument before they understand the full picture. It can look aggressive, inflame the situation and draw further attention to the grievance itself.

The first priority is establishing the facts. Leadership teams should quickly determine:

• What specific allegations have been made?
• Have these concerns been raised internally before?
• Are there ongoing HR, legal or regulatory processes linked to the issue?
• Is there evidence that other employees share the concerns?
• Which stakeholders are likely to need reassurance or further information?

Communications, HR and legal teams should be aligned from the outset. If the employee could be treated as a whistleblower, a combative public response can create legal exposure on top of the reputational damage.

Navigating competing stakeholder demands

Different stakeholders often want very different things. Employees want reassurance that concerns are being taken seriously. Managers need guidance on answering questions from their teams. Clients and partners want confidence that services will not be affected. Journalists will be looking for a story, and regulators may require information on compliance.

These audiences cannot all be treated the same way.

The principle holds in unionised settings too. During recent teacher strikes in the UK, unions focused on workload, bureaucracy and pay. Many parents focused instead on disruption to their children’s education and wellbeing. An effective response speaks to each of these perspectives. Public statements and stakeholder-specific communications must take every group into account.

Responding to the press

Media enquiries can begin the moment an employee goes public, especially if they have gone straight to journalists. This often happens before the organisation has established the facts or spoken to key stakeholders.

Internal pressure can build quickly, and fears of front-page condemnation can spiral. A calm, measured and confident tone matters all the more in these moments.

The most effective media responses:

• Acknowledge that concerns have been raised.
• Show the organisation is taking them seriously.
• Outline any review, investigation or governance process underway.
• Avoid personalising the dispute or attacking the individuals involved.

Looking beyond the immediate crisis

Employees have more ways than ever to share their experiences publicly and find others who relate to them. When former BrewDog employees published an open letter in 2021 criticising a culture of fear at the company, it showed how quickly a grievance can grow into a company-wide culture crisis if it is not handled with patience and sincerity.

Resilient organisations create accessible channels for speaking up, respond proportionately when concerns arise and show a genuine willingness to learn from difficult situations.

FAQs

Who should we communicate with first once an employee goes public with their grievance?

Your own staff and the employee concerned, before any external audience. Acknowledge the grievance and make sure the employee feels listened to. Avoid saying too much before the facts are established internally, as over-communicating can inflame the situation.

What are the main reputational risks when an employee grievance goes public?

This depends on the nature of the grievance, but a common risk is an overly defensive stance. The instinct to defend your organisation and its people is natural. It should not come at the expense of compassion, meaningful engagement and nuance. Once a grievance is public, the reputational consequences of your response matter as much as the formal HR process.

What are the most important communication principles when an employee grievance goes public?

Listen before you respond. Be proportionate in what you say and who you say it to. Show a genuine commitment to learning while standing by your values. Together, these help maintain stakeholder trust during and after the crisis.

At Alder, we help boards and executive teams prepare for, manage and recover from reputational crises, including employee grievances that become public. To arrange a discreet, no-obligation conversation about your organisation’s preparedness, call us on 020 7692 5675 or email [email protected].