Should we have a grievance procedure?

It is the law for an employer to have a formal grievance procedure. It is to the benefit of both the employee and the employer as it prevents issues developing into serious, disruptive and expensive problems.

A grievance procedure is designed to give your employees a fair and objective system to raise issues without bias. It may start with a relatively informal process, and should outline your procedure up to a high level and ensure that fairness is maintained throughout. It should outline who employees should contact, how and what time frames should be involved. It should also outline who an employee can contact if the person they would normally report to is involved. In a small business this may be an external person. It should also give details on who an employee can appeal to if they are not happy with the outcome.

Filled Under: Performance Posted on: 1st June 2021

What should I do about poor staff performance?

If a team member is not performing to your satisfaction then it is advisable to bring this up with them in an informal manner in the first instance, rather than immediately instigating disciplinary/capability procedures.

We would advise that this ‘informal’ approach is still documented, but that you clearly communicate the issue to your employee, give them the chance to discuss the problem with you and put in place some clear guidelines for improving performance. You might offer additional support or training and you should give a timescale after which their performance will be reviewed.

If performance continues to be poor you can move on to your company’s formal disciplinary/capability procedure.

Filled Under: Performance Posted on: 2nd November 2020

What can I do about regular staff absences?

Everyone will be ill from time to time, however regular staff absences cause disruption and cost a business money. These are especially disruptive for the small business.

As an employer you have the right to manage staff absences and ensure that employees are aware of the disruption they cause.

You should have a clear policy on how absence will be managed and ensure that everyone is aware of the policy so that it is adopted correctly.

Some of the key points in managing absence are:

• Develop clear and easy to understand procedures for dealing both short and long term sickness
• Ensure your reporting, rules and sanctions are made clear to everyone in your business
• Train your team leaders to conduct return to work interviews in order to establish any underlying reasons for absence
• Encourage a positive, healthy working atmosphere
• Ensure you are acting inline with the Access to Medical Reports Act

Filled Under: Performance Posted on: 5th May 2020