The legislation governing how businesses deal with disputes with their employees has changed. The new simpler and more flexible system is intended to save you time and money.
Acas, the employment relations service, has issued a new Code of Practice, which lays out the principles and provides practical guidance on procedures for handling disciplinary and grievance matters in the workplace.
This:
- Repeals the mandatory three-step process for discipline/grievance issues.
- Allows employment tribunals to adjust awards by up to 25 percent if an employee or employer has acted unreasonably in not following the principles in the new code.
For further guidance and advice, you can contact the enhanced Acas helpline on 08457 474747, open 8am-8pm Monday-Friday and 9am-1pm on Saturdays. You can also access the new early conciliation service through the helpline, to help resolve seemingly impossible workplace problems.
The Government is providing additional help for all employers to get the maximum benefit out of this new system by working with Acas.
So as an employer, what changes should you be considering?
- Review your disciplinary and grievance procedures so they are compatible with the new law.
- Identify where a more relaxed and informal approach to dealing with problems at work may be appropriate.
- Include a mediation stage in your internal processes.
Train your managers in how to deal with problems at an early stage to stop them from escalating.
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