Suspended from Work – Employee Rights UK Law:

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These are the steps to take if you have been suspended from work, including a free grievance letter example if you have been suspended from work in the UK.

• The free grievance letter example for suspension from work is applicable in the UK, and includes UK case law.

Do NOT use AI to write an objection to your suspension from work. Read This First!

Question – Suspended from work pending investigation what are my rights UK Law?

• Answer – the very first thing to do is to use the suspension from work template below to object, protest and challenge the decision by your employer to suspend you. If you do not object, protest, and challenge the suspension from work, then you affirm and acquiesce the suspension.
• In the event that matters escalate to the Employment Tribunal the Employment Tribunal will want to ascertain whether or not you objected, protested, and challenged your suspension from work.
• Put shortly, the Employment Tribunal will hold the position that if you felt the suspension from work was unfair, unjust or unreasonable, that on the balance of probabilities you would have objected to being suspended by your employer.
• Thus, it is incumbent upon you to raise a grievance letter to protest the suspension. We can help you write a custom grievance letter if you have been suspended from work.

Question – Suspended from work, will I get fired? 

• Answer – only if your conduct amounts to ‘gross misconduct’.
• Put shortly, if the employer believes that you have acted in a manner calculated to ‘fundamentally destroy’ the implied term of mutual trust and confidence, then yes, you could be fired.
• I suggest you contact us at – myrightsuk@protonmail.com

Question – What to do when you are suspended from work UK?

• Answer – Ask your employer for further and better particulars regarding the allegations, which led to your suspension from work.

You need to establish with your employer via email the allegations against you. For example:

• What is the name of the person who has made the allegations against you?
• In what format or under what auspices were the allegations made against you i.e., verbally or in writing?
• The date the allegation/s were made against you?
• What it is you allegedly said or did?
• You need to ask your employer the date/s, the time/s the alleged incidents occurred.
• You need to establish with your employer what policy and procedures are being used to manage your suspension.
• You need to read through the policies to ensure you do not breach your employer’s policies when suspended from work UK.

Thus, don’t simply be a lap dog. You need to be proactive in determining the ‘facts’ for yourself, and furthermore, to ensure that the allegations against you are factual and not spurious or vexatious.

• We suggest if you have been suspended from work that you contact us at- myrightsuk@protonmail.com or reach out to us on 07775943414 9-5 UK time.
• We charge £35 for an initial telephone consultation up to one hour. Pick up the phone and call us on – 07775943414 (9-5 UK).
• We work 7 days a week because we know your employment problems don’t just end on a Friday afternoon!

Question – I have been suspended from work should I resign?

• Answer – No. Just because you resign does not mean that the employer will just simply drop the investigation or disciplinary against you.
• More often than not, my wife Amy and I see that the employer will continue to investigate the employee even if the employee resigns.
• Best to fight your corner and clear your name. Reach out to us on – 07775943414 (9-5 UK).

Question – How long can you be suspended from work pending investigation?

• Answer – As long as the employer needs to assimilate the information, usually weeks or even a month or two.
• However, the longer the suspension goes on for, the greater the risk is to your employer that you resign and repudiate the contract of employment, viz: constructive unfair dismissal.

Question – What are my rights when suspended from work?

• Answer – To be treated with dignity and respect by your employer and the people involved in the investigatory process.
• To ensure that the suspension period is not longer than is absolutely necessary.
• To ensure a fair and equitable investigation.
• To ensure that your employer follows its suspension procedures.
• To ensure that you are kept informed of work-related matters during your suspension period.
• To ensure that you are not divested of access to opportunities during your suspension period such as promotion or applying for available roles or any other benefit, service or facility.

Question – Has anyone returned to work after suspension?

• Answer – Yes, the majority of our clients return to work after suspension from work.
• Have you been suspended from work to allow your employer to undertake a workplace investigation?
• Do you need to know how to beat a disciplinary hearing?

My wife Amy & I are employment consultants with 26 years of combined experience helping employees like you who have been suspended from work. We know firsthand the stress, anxiety, and distress, which you now feel having been suspended from work.

Amy & I both took our former employers to the Employment Tribunal. We have created this website to help employees like you to arm yourself with the knowledge and information, which you need to challenge your employer and to exercise your employee rights UK if you have been suspended from work.

Amy & I have created some new webpages for 2026 for you to look at:

• Unfair workplace investigation.
• How to beat a disciplinary hearing.
• Steps to prepare you for a workplace investigation meeting.

Free Grievance Letter Example Suspension from Work UK Case Law: 

This suspension grievance letter example is applicable to the law in the UK.

You can paste what is relevant and cut what is irrelevant.

Personally, we would leave the case law in your letter of grievance, but it is up to you.

Date ??/??/??

Dear Sirs,

RE: SUSPENSION FROM WORK

I am raising a grievance against (name of person who suspended you). Example John Doe.

I was suspended by John Doe on ??/??/??.

The specific grounds and reasons why John Doe suspended me were outlined as follows by him in a letter dated ??/??/??:

“I am suspending you to allow a full investigation to take place due to you acting in a manner to undermine the implied term of mutual trust and confidence.”

Thus, it is clear that the reason for suspending me was to allow a “full investigation” to take place.

It is my position that a “full investigation” could have, should have, and ought to have been undertaken before suspending me. The omission to do so is to my detriment’. The ‘detriment’ is to my professional reputation, viz: stigmatisation.

As such, I am objecting, protesting and challenging John’s decision to suspend me.

Breach of Trust & Confidence:

It is my position that John Doe has acted in a calculated manner to seriously undermine the implied term of mutual trust and confidence by taking the decision to suspend me.

As such, the decision to suspend me has ‘impinged’ on the implied term of mutual trust and confidence. See Kaur v Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust [2018] EWCA Civ 978.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Courts have held that any breach of the implied term of mutual trust and confidence is repudiatory. See Morrow v Safeway Stores [2002] IRLR 9 & Woods v WM Car Services (Peterborough) Ltd [1981] ICR 666, 672A.

I am not repudiating the contract of employment. However, I continue to accept my pay under protest. In so doing, I do not affirm and/or acquiesce to the erosion of the implied term of mutual trust and confidence. See Harrison v Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust [2019] EWHC 3507 (QB).

For the avoidance of doubt, the Court of Appeal has held that suspension is not a ‘neutral act’ by reason that suspension changes the employee’s position from work to no work.

In the authority of Simone Agoreyo v London Borough of Lambeth [2017] EWHC 2019 (QB) paragraph 24, the Justices made the following observation:

“Whilst views generally might reasonably differ as to whether suspension is a “neutral act”, the view of the courts is that it is not.”

In the authority of Prospects for People with Learning Difficulties v Harris [2012] UKEAT 0612_11_2704, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled the following-

“On the one hand, suspension ought never to be routine: it ought to be imposed only where it is necessary to do and after careful consideration; and it should be kept under review to ensure that it is not unnecessarily protracted: see the ACAS Code, para 8, and the Guide, para 4.15” 

Specifically, I require to know what “careful consideration” (if any) was given before taking the decision to suspend me, not least given the fact a “full investigation” had not yet taken place at the material time?

Moreover, it is my position that the decision to suspend me changed the status quo from work to no work.

In this regard, I draw your attention to the authority of Mezey v South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust [2007] EWCA Civ 106:

“Suspension changes the status quo from work to no work, and it inevitably casts a shadow over the employee’s competence. Of course this does not mean it cannot be done, but it is not a neutral act.”

Investigation:

It is my position that it was neither a legitimate reason nor a reasonable decision to suspend me in order to enable a “full investigation” to take place.

In this regard, I draw your attention to paragraphs 26 & 27 of Simone Agoreyo v London Borough of Lambeth [2017] EWHC 2019:

“A number of initial observations can be made about Mrs Mulholland’s letter: first, the decision to suspend had apparently been taken on the day the letter was written; second, it does not indicate by whom the decision was made; third, no reference is made to any consideration having been given to the Appellant’s version of events prior to the decision to suspend having been taken; fourth, there is no reference to any consideration having been given to whether any alternative to suspension might exist whilst the initial investigation was carried out; fifth, whilst the reason given for the suspension was said to be “to allow the investigation to be conducted fairly”, the letter does not explain why it could not be conducted fairly without the need for suspension…It is well-established that suspension is not be considered a routine response to the need for an investigation.” 

Thus, why did I need to be suspended in order to enable a “full investigation” to take place?

Do you agree that a “full investigation” could have taken place without suspending me? If you disagree, on what grounds and for what reasons do you disagree that a “full investigation” could not have taken place without first suspending me?

Specifically, what risk (if any) did I pose?

Specifically, what alternatives (if any) were discussed before taking the decision to suspend me?

In answer to the above, what are the name/s of the person/s who discussed alternatives to my suspension, and on what date/s did these discussion/s take place?

What consideration (if any) was given to my version of events before taking the decision to suspend me?

Conclusions:

I require answers to each of the aforementioned questions within 7 days of the date of this letter.

The allegations outlined within the suspension letter are defamatory in accordance with s.1(1) of The Defamation Act 2013.

Notwithstanding, I draw your attention to the fact, that in accordance with s.2(1) of The Defamation Act 2013, it is a defence to an action for defamation for the defendant to show that the imputation conveyed by the statement complained of is substantially true.

To this end, my employer will need to prove that the allegations made against me are ‘substantially true’ failing which, I reserve my right to serve upon my employer a Pre-Action Protocol for defamation in accordance with The Civil Procedure Rules.

It is my position that it is John Doe who has acted in a manner, which was calculated to seriously undermine my trust and confidence in both him and my employer, not least as no doubt John sought advice from the HR Department before taking the decision to suspend me. To this end, I am also raising grievances against the HR Department. It is my position that the decision to suspend me was a ‘knee jerk’ reaction. See Gogay v Hertfordshire County Council [2000] EWCA Civ 228 (26 July 2000).

In light of the content of this letter of grievance, it is my position that neither the HR Department nor John Doe should have any further involvement in the investigatory process, by reason that both the HR Department and John have a palpable conflict of interest due to having been named within this letter.

Please confirm receipt of this letter.

Yours faithfully,

—–

Medical Condition:

If you have a disability or a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial adverse effect on your day-to-day activities such as diabetes, asthma, migraines, cancer, anxiety, depression or an over or under active thyroid, you would be within your rights to raise a grievance for ‘unfavourable treatment’ on the grounds that the decision to suspend you has significantly influenced your medical condition.

In the authority of Private Medicine Intermediaries v Hodkinson & Ors UKEAT/0134/15/LA, The Employment Appeal Tribunal made the following observation – “where the complaint is of discrimination arising in consequence of disability it may be enough if the disability was a significant influence on the treatment or a cause that was not the main or sole cause but that was an effective cause.” 

Therefore, if the stress and anxiety of being suspended has ‘significantly influenced’ a medical condition, then you may want to consider contacting me to assist you in raising a grievance letter for disability discrimination. In the authority of Crawford v Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust [2012] IRLR 402, the Court made the following observation:

“It appears to be the almost automatic response of many employers to allegations of this kind [mistreatment of a vulnerable patient] to suspend the employees concerned, and to forbid them from contacting anyone, as soon as a complaint is made, and quite irrespective of the likelihood of the complaint being established… It [suspension] should not be a knee-jerk reaction, and it will be a breach of the duty of trust and confidence towards the employee if it is. I appreciate that suspension is often said to be in the employee’s best interests; but many employees would question that, and in my view they would often be right to do so. They will frequently feel belittled and demoralised by the total exclusion from work and the enforced removal from their work colleagues, many of whom will be friends. This can be psychologically very damaging. Even if they are subsequently cleared of the charges, the suspicions are likely to linger, not least I suspect because the suspension appears to add credence to them…”

Thus, if you suffer from a mental health impairment, you could raise a grievance due to the suspension causing you “psychological damage”.

See our testimonial page.

Amy & I have two websites with differing content. Our other website www.letterofgrievance.com answers each of the following questions regarding suspension from work:

• Suspension from work pending investigation what are my rights UK?
• Has anyone returned to work after suspension?
• Suspension from work pending investigation.
• Suspension grievance letter.
• How to respond to a suspension from work?
• Rules for suspending an employee?
• How long can you be suspended from work pending investigation?
• Unfairly suspended from work UK.
• Can my boss tell other employees about my suspension?
• What are my rights after being suspended from work?
• Can I be suspended without an investigation?
• Does suspension always lead to dismissal?

Please also visit our suspension page at www.letterofgrievance.com