THE managing director of a Glasgow-based employment law consultancy is urging companies to check their HR policies, to ensure they are watertight ahead of any possible employment tribunals.
Alan Price, MD of of Peninsula Scotland, said: “An employment tribunal is won in the workplace and not having watertight HR policies and procedures will not be seen favourably if you are taken to tribunal.”
He continued: “There is no use implementing HR rules if you are not going to follow them and ensure they are lawful and sadly we do see this – it’s a waste of resources, time and effort.
“A tribunal will also want to know if you have procedures in place and whether you followed them; if not, why not? You also need to ensure that your policies are followed by all management, they need to be aware and the culture needs to be embedded throughout the company – this is very important.”
Price continues: “I also suggest that you check on a regular basis that your policies are reflective of recent changes in employment law; so, review every six months and if unsure – get a professional to assess. Make any changes and once again communicate to all staff and ensure management are aware of the rules and adhere to them.
“One last piece of advice – always ensure that there are appeal procedures in place that outline a course of action should an employee disagree with a decision made.
“This should stipulate a timetable of what will happen and outline a contact of appeal. Make sure that all communication between yourself and the employee is documented and the employee receives in writing the outcome or course of action.”
Price concludes: “Employers need to remember that having watertight HR policies and procedures will help; however, you need to ensure that policies are followed in order to significantly reduce the risk of employment tribunal.”
Notes to editor:
Alan Price is managing director of Peninsula Scotland.
Peninsula Scotland is an employment law consultancy based at Skypark, Glasgow. It is also a subsidiary of Peninsula Business Services.
Peninsula Scotland spoke with 737 businesses across Scotland from a wide range of industries throughout December 2014 and January 2015.
For further clarification, please contact Sammual – James McLoughlin on 0161 827 8511
SJMC
Sammual – James McLoughlin
Peninsula Group, director of Communications
T: +44 (0)161 827 8511
M: +44 (0) 7791 898512
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Peninsula Scotland contact details…
Contact: Sammual James McLoughlin
Phone: 01618278511
Email: sjmc@peninsula-uk.com
