Complex Employee Grievance
The client needed an experienced qualified consultant at short notice. The consultant needed to be able to understand the complexity of the grievance and follow company procedures, reviewing the procedures against best practice.
The client
The client was referred to Guildford HR partway through a complicated employee complaint against a senior manager. The initial process was incorrectly handled and there was a risk of a potential Employment Tribunal claim further down the line.
The company had an HR manager, but there was a need for an independent third party and one that was experienced in employee relations.
The challenge
The initial challenge was to assess the actions to date and determine if the investigation was fair and reasonable. This needed to be handled with sensitivity and as swiftly as possible as some time had already passed from when the original complaint was made.
We advised the client we needed to complete additional interviews to ensure the investigation into the allegations was thorough.
Another consultant managed the hearing, and the employer was pleased with the speed of response.
Why Guildford HR?
The consultant needed to be confident in writing clear reports that, if required, could be used as evidence in an employment tribunal.
Guildford HR have a reputation for being transparent and flexible. We will never commit to an assignment unless we have the right resource available. The consultants are well trained, but perhaps more importantly in this case had commercial experience that could be relied upon and they did not just follow a process or policy.
Our solution
Mediation
Our original brief was to conclude our work, with a report, with clear findings and recommendations.
Due to our experience, we were able to also mediate between the parties to resolve the situation.
Hearing
Due to our team having additional resource, we also managed the hearing.
The results
We were able to bring objectivity to a very difficult situation for the company.
We had the resource to manage many documents and interviews, which most in house HR Managers would not be able to provide.
There was a clear recommendation, written in plain language that both the business and employee accepted.
This meant that the process was fair and considering the amount of witness statements to manage and the stage in the process we were appointed; both parties felt that the original grievance had been properly heard.
The mediation process supported the senior manager and the employee. It was seen positively by other employees in the business.
The business took the opportunity to review their procedures and have adapted the policy to include mediation.
