EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
Building workplaces where everyone belongs
At P²HR, we believe that a truly successful workplace is one where everyone feels valued, respected and able to thrive.
Cutting through the HR jargon
WHAT IT ACTUALLY MEANS
The words ‘employee relations’ is jargon used by HR professional, so what does it actually mean? It refers to problems, conflicts, or concerns that arise between employees and their employer (or among employees themselves) in the workplace. The issue can be raised by the employee, e.g. where they raise a grievance, or the employer e.g. where they need to put an employee through a disciplinary process.
A simple way to think about it is that it is anything that negatively affects the working relationship between employees and employers
Why it matters
If these issues aren’t handled properly, they can lead to:
Low Productivity
Legal problems
High staff turnover
Poor workplace culture
We are an HR consultancy based in Bristol and the Southwest and simply put, we support small businesses with all people-related matters. Whether assisting you or attending meetings on your behalf, we can support your business for absence, disciplinary or grievance matters to manage these sometimes tricky situations.
Where we've supported clients through employee relations issues
IN PRACTICE
THE PROBLEM
Absence
Employee sick days put a strain on the rest of the workforce as other team members need to take on extra work, and this affects everyone’s morale. Fair enough if someone is on long-term sick, with Fit Notes for their reasons for absence, however more frequently than not, short term absences fall under the radar (until they become too frequent).
THE ACTION
Managers have benefited from having us by their side to hold meetings with the employee to discuss their absence; we know what to ask and are not afraid to tackle ‘sensitive’ probing to find out why their levels of absence are too high. Managers are coached by us to ensure employees leave those meetings knowing the company expectations and possible consequences for persistent short-term absence.
THE RESULT
In most cases, the employee’s absence lessens, improving productivity (and morale) across the team. In addition, managers feel better equipped and more confident to deal with similar situations in the future. Sometimes however, it doesn’t improve and we can be on hand to talk you through implementing your disciplinary procedure for absence cases, as yes, you can hold a disciplinary for sickness absence.
THE PROBLEM
Disciplinary and grievance
2 Sides of a coin - the employee with a complaint about their employment (the grievance) and the employer with a complaint about the employee (the disciplinary) - no matter which side of the coin, they are a headache. They eat up time, stir up emotions and add stress to a team. These situations can make staff members feel awkward and like they are walking around on eggshells.
THE ACTION
Having external HR support to handle the grievance or disciplinary, coupled with our no-nonsense approach, keeps matters straightforward and fair. Alternatively, coaching managers through either of these processes once again produces upskilled managers capable of remaining legally compliant (and in turn protecting your business).
THE RESULT
Acting on your behalf takes the pressure off, so you can focus on running your business and maintaining relationships effectively. Upskilling your managers empowers them to be confident in handling complaints (whether from or about their team member) going forward. We all know disciplinaries and grievances can be tough, but knowing you are remaining legally compliant, whilst also doing right by your employee, will stand you in good stead for being an employer of choice.
Experiencing employee relations issues?
If you would like to discuss any employee relations issues you are experiencing, please do get in touch, we would love to help.