Grievances that were once one or two pages now arrive at twenty. They are detailed, structured and comprehensive. They are also often vague and not in the tone of the person raising the complaints.

AI is in the grievance room. And it is creating real problems for investigators.

This isn’t a criticism of employees. Everyone is using AI, so why shouldn’t employees use it to assist them in writing their grievances?

The problem is that the end document does not always set out clearly what the key issues are to the person in their own words. AI tends to overcomplicate situations. It can quote all sorts of possible arguments and legal breaches and doesn’t mind how long it takes to do that.

So what do you do?

First, step back. Read the document and identify what appear to be the core allegations.

Strip away the background, the extra words and perhaps the superfluous legal language. What is the person actually saying happened?

Hold a pre-grievance clarification meeting

This is not a formal hearing. It is a focused conversation.

Go through the document together. Ask the person to explain specific sections in their own words. Where something is vague or unclear, ask for detail.

• Who was there?
• When did it happen?
• What exactly was said or done?

If they cannot give you that detail, ask why not. And ask whether they want to pursue that particular complaint.

Then decide the next step

Once the complaints have been clarified, you have a choice.

If you feel ready, move straight into the grievance meeting. If you need time to consider what you have heard, take it.

Either way, the principle is the same.

You cannot investigate a document. You investigate complaints. Make sure you know what they are before you begin.