Witness Statement Sample: How to Write One

What a witness statement actually is

A witness statementA written account of the facts as someone experienced or observed them, used as evidence in an employment tribunal hearing. Each party usually prepares statements in advance and exchanges them with th... is a written account from someone who saw or heard something relevant to a grievanceA formal complaint raised by an employee against their employer, triggering a legal obligation to investigate and respond. or disciplinary at work. It is not your statement about what happened to you. It is someone else’s account, given to support (or sometimes challenge) what you are saying.

If you are raising a grievance or facing a disciplinary, a good witness statement can be the difference between “he said, she said” and a case an employer can actually act on.

When you need one

Witness statements usually come up during:

• A grievance investigation, where a colleague saw the behaviour you are complaining about
• A disciplinary investigation, where someone can confirm what did or did not happen
• A bullyingRepeated, unreasonable behaviour towards you at work that undermines you or damages your dignity, such as persistent criticism, exclusion, humiliation, or intimidation. Bullying on its own is not auto... or harassmentUnwanted behaviour related to a protected characteristic, such as your sex, race, disability, age or religion, that violates your dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile or humiliating environment... complaint, where other people were present
• An incident at work: an accident, a confrontation, a policy breach

If your employer is investigating either a grievance you raised or a disciplinary you are facing, they may ask witnesses to provide a statement, or you can ask a colleague to write one to support your account.

Get statements early, before things become formal

Memories fade fast. A colleague’s account of something that happened weeks or months ago will be far less sharp than one written down at the time, once a grievance is submitted and a formal investigation is underway.

Where possible, ask a witness to note down what they saw as soon as possible after the incident, before you have decided whether to raise a formal grievance at all. This protects the accuracy of the account and gives you something solid to refer back to if you do decide to act.

It matters practically too. Once a grievance becomes formal, colleagues can feel more cautious about getting involved, worried about taking sides or drawing attention to themselves. An informal note written before any process has started is often easier to get, and more candid, than a statement requested once an investigation is already underway.

You do not have to decide to raise a grievance straight away. Capturing witness accounts early simply keeps your options open if you do.

Who should write it

The witness, in their own words. Not you, and not on their behalf. A statement written by someone else and simply signed by the witness carries far less weight, and can be picked apart if it ever needs to be relied on later. A colleague helping you should describe their own recollection of events, in their own words.

What to include

A witness statement should be short, factual, and specific. Include:

• The witness’s name and their role (so it is clear who they are and why their account matters)
• What they personally saw or heard, in their own words
• When and where it happened, as precisely as they can recall
• Only the facts, not opinions about who was right or wrong

Leave out:

• Guesses about what someone else was thinking or intending
• Anything the witness did not personally see or hear (this is hearsay, and it weakens the statement rather than strengthening it)
• Character judgements about the people involved

A worked example

Here is what a clear, factual witness statement looks like:

I am Sarah Chen, Customer Service Team Leader.

On 14 July 2026, at approximately 2:30pm, I was sitting at the desk next to James Wilson in the open-plan office on the second floor. I heard our manager, David Price, raise his voice at James and say “you’re useless at this job, aren’t you” in front of three other colleagues. James did not respond. David then walked away.

I have worked with James for two years and have not previously seen him raise his voice or act unprofessionally.

I am willing to discuss this further if needed.

Signed: Sarah Chen
Date: 15 July 2026

Notice what this does: it identifies the witness and their standing to comment, gives a specific date, time, and place, quotes what was actually said rather than paraphrasing loosely, and sticks to what the witness personally saw, with nothing borrowed from anyone else’s account.

Statement of truth

Some employers ask witnesses to add a short declaration confirming the statement is true to the best of their knowledge. It usually reads something like this:

I confirm that the above statement is true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

This is not a legal requirement for an internal workplace investigation (unlike a statement prepared for an employment tribunalAn independent court that hears disputes between employees and employers. It is free to bring a claim as a claimant, and most hearings take place in public., where a formal statement of truth is expected), but it is good practice and makes clear the witness understands the statement should be accurate.

Common mistakes that weaken a witness statement

• Vague timing. Give an actual date wherever possible, even an approximate one, since vague terms like “a while ago” or “recently” leave too much room for doubt.
• Secondhand information. “Someone told me that…” is not what the witness saw, and it should not be presented as if it were.
• Taking sides. A statement that reads as an argument for one person over another looks less credible than one that simply states what happened.
• Too much detail on irrelevant things. Stick to what is relevant to the complaint being investigated.

What happens to the statement next

Once given, a witness statement usually becomes part of the investigation file. Depending on your employer’s process, it may be:

• Read out or summarised at a grievance or disciplinary hearingA formal meeting at which your employer sets out the allegation against you and gives you the opportunity to respond before any decision is made. You have the right to be accompanied by a colleague or...
• Shared with the person the complaint is about, so they have a fair chance to respond (this is a standard fairness requirement, not a discretionary choice, per the ACAS Code of PracticeOfficial guidance issued by ACAS on how disciplinary and grievance procedures should be run. It is not law, but tribunals take it into account, and a failure to follow it can result in any award being...)
• Kept on file even if the case does not proceed further

If a witness is worried about repercussions for giving a statement, this is worth raising directly with HR. Most employers have a process for protecting witnesses from retaliation, and doing so is part of running a fair investigation.

Where this fits in the wider process

A witness statement rarely stands alone. It is one piece of evidence in a bigger process. If you are at the start of that process, our guide to raising a grievance at work covers everything from the first letter to the appeal, and our grievance letter builder helps you put your own account into a properly structured letter.