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Employee Relations Escalation Matrix

An employee relations escalation matrix is a one-page chart that tells employees and managers who handles each type of issue at each level, how long each level has to respond and when a matter moves up. It makes the grievance route transparent and shows separately where POSH and whistleblower matters go.

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[Company Logo][Company Name]

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS ESCALATION MATRIX

Company:: [Company Name]
Applicable to:: [All locations / Work Location]
Effective from:: [Date]
Owner:: [HR Head]

Case Type	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Escalate When
Pay, leave, attendance	[HR Executive], respond in [Number] days	[HR Manager], [Number] days	[HR Head], [Number] days	No response or unresolved at level
Work conditions, shift, facilities	[Reporting Manager], [Number] days	[Department Head], [Number] days	[Grievance Redressal Committee]	Unresolved or affects many employees
Interpersonal conflict, behaviour	[Reporting Manager]	[HR Business Partner]	[HR Head]	Repeated incidents or manager involved
Bullying, discrimination, retaliation	[HR Business Partner]	[HR Head]	[CHRO / Ethics Committee]	High risk or senior person involved
Code of conduct, ethics	[Compliance Officer]	[Ethics Committee]	[Audit Committee]	Financial or legal risk

Separate Routes

Matter	Contact	Details
Sexual harassment	Internal Committee: [IC Presiding Officer Name]	[IC Email / Phone]
Whistleblower disclosure	Vigilance Officer: [Name]	[Vigilance Email]
Safety emergency	Safety Officer / Security	[Phone]

Rules

You may go directly to the next level if your issue involves the Level 1 owner.
Each level will acknowledge your issue and respond within the time shown.
If there is no response in time, you may escalate without anyone's permission.
All matters are handled confidentially and no one will be treated unfavourably for raising or escalating a concern.

Approved by
[HR Head]
[Company Name]
Date: [Date]

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What this template includes

Case types in rows
Level 1, 2 and 3 owners
Response times decided by the company
Escalation triggers
Separate routes for POSH and whistleblower complaints
Contact details

When to use it

Publishing your grievance route on the intranet or notice board
Onboarding new managers on how to handle employee issues
Setting response expectations for HR business partners
After a restructuring when reporting lines and contacts change

How to customise this template

1Fill in your own response times as per your grievance policy
2Insert real names, designations and emails
3Add location-wise contacts for multi-site companies
4Review every six months or after leadership changes
5Display it at each site in the local language

HR tips

Allow employees to skip a level when the issue involves that level's owner
Keep POSH IC details current; outdated contacts discourage reporting
Do not make escalation depend on the manager's approval
Track whether response times are actually being met

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Frequently asked questions

What is an escalation matrix in HR?+

A chart showing who handles employee issues at each level, how long each level has to respond and when the matter escalates.

Can an employee skip a level?+

Yes, a good matrix allows skipping a level when the issue involves the person at that level.

Where do sexual harassment complaints go in the matrix?+

Directly to the Internal Committee under the POSH Act 2013, not through the regular escalation levels.

All 50 employee relations & grievances →

[Company Logo][Company Name]
EMPLOYEE RELATIONS CASE FORM
Case No.:
[Reference Number]
Date Opened:
[Date]
Opened by:
[HR Name]
Classification:
Confidential
A. Case Source
- Employee (written)
- Employee (verbal)
- Manager referral
- Ethics / whistleblower channel
- Exit interview
- Other
B. Case Type
- Grievance
- Conduct complaint
- Bullying / behaviour
- Discrimination
- Retaliation
- Attendance / performance
- Workplace conflict
- Sexual harassment (refer to Internal Committee)
- Other
C. Parties
Form · Word
Employee Relations Case Form
Download .docx

[Company Logo][Company Name]

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS CASE TRACKER

Company:: [Company Name]
Updated on:: [Date]
Maintained by:: [HR Name]
Classification:: Confidential

Case No.	Date Opened	Case Type	Risk	Site / Dept	Owner	Stage	Next Action	Due Date	Days Open	Outcome / Closed On
[Reference Number]	[DD/MM/YYYY]	[Grievance]	[High / Medium / Low]	[Department]	[HR Name]	[Intake]	[Acknowledge and meet employee]	[DD/MM/YYYY]	[Number]	[Open]
[Reference Number]	[DD/MM/YYYY]	[Conduct complaint]	[Risk]	[Department]	[HR Name]	[Investigation]	[Interview witnesses]	[DD/MM/YYYY]	[Number]	[Open]
[Reference Number]	[DD/MM/YYYY]	[Workplace conflict]	[Risk]	[Department]	[HR Name]	[Mediation]	[Review meeting]	[DD/MM/YYYY]	[Number]	[Open]
[Reference Number]	[DD/MM/YYYY]	[Attendance]	[Risk]	[Department]	[HR Name]	[Closed]	[None]	[DD/MM/YYYY]	[Number]	[Outcome, DD/MM/YYYY]

Stage Definitions

Intake: case received, classified and acknowledged
Assessment: route decided and owner assigned
Investigation / Hearing / Mediation: process underway
Decision: outcome decided and communicated
Actions: agreed actions being completed
Closed: closure letter issued and file archived

Weekly Summary

Open cases
New this week
Closed this week
Overdue next actions
High-risk cases needing leadership attention

Template · Word

Employee Relations Case Tracker

Download .docx

[Company Logo][Company Name]
NOTICE OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS MEETING
Ref. No.:
[Reference Number]
Date of Notice:
[Date]
Committee:
[Works Committee / Grievance Redressal Committee / Employee Forum]
All members of the [Committee Name] of [Company Name], [Work Location], are informed that meeting no. [Number] will be held as follows:
Particular Details
Date [DD/MM/YYYY]
Time [Time]
Venue [Conference Room / Canteen Hall / Video Link]
Chairperson [Name, Designation]
Agenda
1. Confirmation of minutes of the previous meeting held on [Date]
2. Action taken report on earlier decisions
3. [Agenda item, e.g., revision of shift timings from next month]
4. [Agenda item, e.g., canteen and drinking water facilities]
5. [Agenda item, e.g., safety observations from the last quarter]
6. Review of pending grievances (summary, without names)
7. Any other matter with permission of the Chair
Members Invited
Notice · Word
Employee Relations Meeting Notice
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Particular	Details
Date	[DD/MM/YYYY]
Time	[Time]
Venue	[Conference Room / Canteen Hall / Video Link]
Chairperson	[Name, Designation]

[Company Logo][Company Name]

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS TRACKER

Company:: [Company Name]
Period:: [Month / Quarter, Year]
Prepared by:: [HR Name]
Classification:: Internal – anonymised

1. Cases by Category

Category	Opened	Closed	Open at Month End	Avg. Days to Resolve
Grievances (pay, leave, conditions)	[Number]	[Number]	[Number]	[Number]
Conduct and behaviour complaints	[Number]	[Number]	[Number]	[Number]
Bullying / discrimination / retaliation	[Number]	[Number]	[Number]	[Number]
Ethics / whistleblower (count only)	[Number]	[Number]	[Number]	[Number]
POSH referrals to IC (count only)	[Number]	[Number]	[Number]	[Number]

2. Cases by Location / Department

Site / Department	Headcount	Cases Opened	Cases per 100 Employees	Top Theme
[Work Location]	[Number]	[Number]	[Number]	[Theme]
[Work Location]	[Number]	[Number]	[Number]	[Theme]
[Department]	[Number]	[Number]	[Number]	[Theme]

3. Outcomes

Template · Word

Employee Relations Tracker

Download .docx

[Company Logo][Company Name]
EMPLOYEE RELATIONS AUDIT CHECKLIST
Company / Site:
[Company Name] / [Work Location]
Audit Period:
[Date] to [Date]
Auditor:
[Name]
Audit Date:
[Date]
A. Policies and Documentation
- Grievance management policy approved and current
- Code of conduct communicated to all employees
- Anti-harassment and POSH policy in place
- Whistleblower / vigil mechanism policy (where applicable)
- Standing orders or service rules available and displayed as applicable
- Policies available in languages employees understand
B. Grievance Mechanism
- Grievance Redressal Committee constituted where applicable
- Escalation matrix displayed with current contacts
- Complaint register maintained in serial order
- Acknowledgements issued within policy timelines
- Appeal route defined and used
C. POSH Compliance
Checklist · Word
Employee Relations Audit Checklist
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[Company Logo][Company Name]
EMPLOYEE GRIEVANCE FORM
Company:
[Company Name]
Grievance Case No.:
[Reference Number]
Date of Submission:
[Date]
Use this form to formally raise a work-related grievance. Please write clearly and attach any supporting documents. Complaints of sexual harassment must be submitted to the Internal Committee under the company's POSH policy and not on this form.
Section A: Employee Details
Employee Name
Employee ID
Designation
Department
Work Location
Reporting Manager
Mobile Number
Official Email
Section B: Nature of Grievance
- Salary, wages, overtime or deductions
- Leave or attendance
- Working conditions, shift or safety
- Transfer, promotion or appraisal
- Interpersonal issue with a colleague or manager
- Application of a company policy
- Other (please specify)
Form · Word
Employee Grievance Form
Download .docx
[Company Logo][Company Name]
EMPLOYEE COMPLAINT FORM
Company:
[Company Name]
Complaint No.:
[Reference Number]
Date:
[Date]
This form is used to report conduct that you believe breaches company rules or the code of conduct. All complaints are treated confidentially. If your complaint relates to sexual harassment, please approach the Internal Committee directly as per the company's POSH policy.
1. Complainant Details
Employee Name
Employee ID
Designation
Department
Work Location
Contact Number
Preferred mode of contact
2. Person(s) Complained Against
Name
Designation / Role
Department or Organisation (if vendor/customer)
Relationship to you (colleague, supervisor, vendor, other)
Form · Word
Employee Complaint Form
Download .docx
[Company Logo][Company Name]
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GRIEVANCE
Ref. No.:
[Reference Number]
Date:
[Date]
To,
[Employee Name]
[Designation], [Department]
Employee ID: [Employee ID]
[Work Location]
Subject: Acknowledgement of your grievance dated [Date]
Dear [Employee Name],
We acknowledge receipt of your grievance submitted on [Date] regarding [brief neutral description of grievance]. It has been registered under case number [Reference Number]. Please quote this number in all future communication on this matter.
Your grievance has been assigned to [Reviewer Name], [Reviewer Designation], who will review the matter in line with the company's Grievance Redressal Policy. The next steps are:
Letter · Word
Employee Grievance Acknowledgement
Download .docx

Employee Name
Employee ID
Designation
Department
Work Location
Reporting Manager
Mobile Number
Official Email

Name
Designation / Role
Department or Organisation (if vendor/customer)
Relationship to you (colleague, supervisor, vendor, other)

Employee Relations Escalation Matrix

Preview of the template

Separate Routes

Rules

What this template includes

When to use it

How to customise this template

HR tips

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Frequently asked questions

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