COM., DEPT. OF ENVIRON. QUALITY v. Wright

In conjunction with the Virginia Personnel Act, Code §§2.1-110 et seq., the General Assembly has established a system for handling state employee complaints arising in the workplace. §2.1-116.05. See Murray v. Stokes, 237 Va. 653, 656-57, 378 S.E.2d 834, 836 (1989). Among other options, employees may bring their concerns to upper management through a formal grievance procedure. §2.1-116.05(B).

As relevant to this dispute, the grievance process generally permits an employee, first, to present a complaint to the employee’s immediate supervisor by filing a written grievance on a specified form.…