London, 30th October - The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) is contributing to a rise in longer and more complex workplace grievances, according to new research released today by Brightmine, a leading global HR and data insights provider.
The survey of UK HR professionals found that nearly nine in ten organisations (87%) have seen an increase in grievances written with AI assistance in the past year. Of those receiving them, 92% report overly complex or exaggerated submissions, 83% longer complaints and 82% unrealistic expectations about outcomes.
Most common types of grievances being raised:
Relationship with manager (67%)
Bullying or harassment (52%)
Relationship with a colleague (49%)
The findings suggest AI is accelerating a broader shift in how workplace concerns are written, managed and escalated. In the last two years, 71% of organisations have experienced an increase in the number of grievances received, alongside marked changes in their form and complexity:
88% of organisations have seen an increase in the use of formal or legal language in grievances
82% have seen an increase in the level of detail included in formal complaints, while 81% say more issues are now being raised within a single grievance
Nearly three-quarters (73%) report that the issues being raised have become more complex, while 71% say grievances are taking longer to resolve
Together, these trends are creating a significant administrative burden for HR teams and making it harder to isolate the underlying concern. More detail and legal language do not necessarily bring greater clarity: one in three HR professionals (33%) say the clarity of grievances has decreased over the past two years.
“Employers should not look to ban AI from the process, but they do need to provide clearer guidance on its appropriate use, while keeping the underlying workplace concern at the centre of grievance conversations.”
— Sheila Attwood, Senior Content Manager at Brightmine
Sheila Attwood, Senior Content Manager at Brightmine, said: “The desire to use AI to draft grievances is completely understandable. It gives employees an opportunity to consolidate their experiences and concerns, reference legal frameworks they believe have been breached and present their complaint more formally, often in the belief that this adds authority and credibility.
“The challenge for employers is that AI can also introduce unnecessary legal complexity and create unrealistic expectations about outcomes and timeframes.
“What is clear from the research is how quickly the gap between employee adoption and workplace policy has developed. Employers should not look to ban AI from the process, but they do need to provide clearer guidance on its appropriate use, while keeping the underlying workplace concern at the centre of grievance conversations.”
Most organisations have yet to respond formally to this shift: 94% do not currently have guidelines or expectations in place governing the appropriate use of AI when submitting a grievance. The policy gap is compounded by limited capacity for early resolution. Although 66% of HR professionals say employees tend to raise formal grievances rather than address concerns informally first, just 36% believe line managers have the skills required to handle grievances informally. Only 11% believe recent technological changes have had a positive overall impact on the grievance process.
With AI-assisted complaints becoming more common, employers need to update grievance policies, equip managers to resolve concerns early and set clear expectations for appropriate AI use—before more issues are drawn unnecessarily into lengthy formal processes.
About Brightmine
With more than 10,000 customers, Brightmine is a leading, global provider of people data, analytics and insight – empowering HR leaders to deliver brighter business outcomes. For more than two decades, Brightmine (formerly XpertHR) has helped HR leaders confidently navigate the evolving world of work. Through a unique combination of critical people data, AI-enabled technology and trusted HR expertise, the Brightmine product suite transforms how organisations use data, analytics and insight to reduce risk, improve talent strategies and increase HR impact.
Brightmine is a part of LexisNexis® Risk Solutions, a RELX (NYSE: RELX) business, which provides information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. RELX serves customers in more than 180 countries, has offices in about 40 countries and employs more than 36,000 people worldwide.
