Employee Relations is a regular part of any business whether it be an issue that an employee has with the employer or another member of staff (Grievance) or an issue that an employer may have with one of its employees (Disciplinary)

Grievances generally arise when an employee has an issue with their employer or one of their employees, this could be for a range of reasons such as Bullying or Harassment by another member of staff, restructuring or changing an employees role etc.

There are statutory requirements that employers need to be aware of with regards to Grievances; An employee should state their grievance in writing to an employer who in turn needs to address the issues raised and investigate the matter thoroughly. If the employee is unhappy with the outcome of their grievance they are then entitled to take the issue up with a more Senior Manager than the one they first raised the grievance with. Employers need to ensure that they at least follow the statutory requirements, but also need to ensure they are following their Company’s policy.

Disciplinaries on the other hand relate to issues employers may have with their staff, these generally relate to any misconduct, poor performance, excessive absences etc. Much like a Grievance there is a statutory process which needs to be followed; An employer needs to inform an employee of the accusations being made against them in writing and arrange a meeting with the employee to allow them the opportunity of stating their case. An employee is entitled to a fellow employee or Trade Union Representative at any of these meetings. Once all the information has been heard the person Chairing the Disciplinary needs go away from the meeting and consider all the information before arriving at a decision. Once the decision has been made the employee needs to be informed in writing. The outcomes may range from the employee being informed that no further action will be taken through to summary dismissal. Every employee has the right to appeal against the decision, so it’s advised to put a limit of no more than 14 days on any appeal.

The above is just a broad outline of some of the issues that regularly arise in the employment relationship, and it’s imperative to ensure that the correct processes are followed, failure to do so can often lead to an employer being taken to an Employment Tribunal which could lead heavy legal fees and compensation payouts.

HR Business Dynamics can help you throughout these processes and guide you each step of the way. Our advice is always driven by current legislation .We can provide you with drafted letters of all the correspondence you may need. Alternatively if you only require someone to Chair a disciplinary for you, we would be more than happy to assist you in a non bias and sound decision being reached.