UK Government Launches Consultation on New Acas Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures

Acas has published a consultation on a revised draft Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures with a view to “fixing the friction” and promoting better early resolution of concerns in the workplace. The current proposed draft is a much expanded and materially reworked version of the existing Code and is described as playing a “critical role in a wider reset to build good workplace relations.”

The consultation is open for feedback until 23 September 2026.

Overview of the Consultation

The Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures (the ‘Code’) has long been a cornerstone for navigating workplace disputes in the UK. While a failure to follow the Code does not by itself give rise to legal liability, employment tribunals must take the Code into account in relevant cases and can adjust compensation awards by up to 25% for unreasonable failure to comply with it. This means that if a tribunal feels that an employer has unreasonably failed to follow the Code, they can increase any award they have made by up to 25%. Conversely, if they feel an employee has unreasonably failed to follow the Code, they can reduce any award they have made by up to 25%. The Code therefore effectively operates as the minimum standard of fair process that employers are expected to follow when dealing with employee grievances and disciplinary matters.

On 30 July 2026, Acas published a draft revised version of the Code for public consultation. The consultation notes that the Code was last fully revised in 2009 (although some revisions were made in 2015), so it has been some time since it was last looked at in detail. The consultation comes “at a time of broad social, economic and demographic shifts in the workplace”, and will play a “critical role in a wider reset to build good workplace relations.”

As a result, the draft Code is a considerably more detailed document, reorganising the guidance around a broader concept of ‘concerns at work’ and expanding its coverage to a wider scope of workers. It uses the language of ‘must’ to indicate legal requirements, ‘should’ for strongly recommended expectations and ‘good practice’ to indicate what Acas considers to be good employment practice.

Continue reading here for a discussion of some of the key changes proposed.