The increasing use of AI in drafting workplace grievances is presenting new challenges for employers and HR teams. Unlike traditional complaints, AI-generated grievances are often lengthy, confusing, and difficult to interpret, making it harder to identify the key issues and respond appropriately. This complexity can lead to significant demands on HR and management resources, as properly investigating and addressing these grievances requires substantial time and effort.
From a legal perspective, AI-generated grievances frequently contain inaccuracies or contradictions, and may reference legislation or case law incorrectly. It is not uncommon for these documents to be filled with legal jargon that is either irrelevant or misapplied.
Not only are employers dealing with more complex grievances, but also a greater volume of grievances, as AI is making it much easier for employees to bring grievances.
What steps can employers take to help?
There has been no change in the law relating to the process of dealing with grievances. Therefore, the same legal principles still apply of independent investigation, hearing and appeal. However, on the ground, dealing with unwieldy grievances requires more than these basic legal steps. When faced with such a grievance, the best practical solution is to try to sit down with the complainant and get them to talk through the main points of their grievance. Being able to distil the key points, issues or allegations is vital, to enable the employer to deal with them in a constructive and manageable way.
However, employers may encounter resistance when trying to clarify the substance of AI-generated grievances with the complainant. This could be for a number of reasons, including misplaced confidence in the validity of AI-drafted documents, a language barrier or the complainant’s own uncertainty about the nature of their complaint.
If your organisation is facing challenges with AI-generated grievances, our team is available to provide advice and practical support.
The above summary is based on comments made by our Andy William in an article in People Management – available for you to view here.
