Our Women in Leadership met this week to get to grips with one of the HR professional’s least favourite subjects – disciplinaries and grievances – with expert advice from Cas Carrington, partner at KLC Employment Law. We had some lively discussions and Cas, as always, was able to guide us through this sensitive area of legislation, providing some invaluable insights. This group has really become established now, with email addresses being swapped so members can stay in touch between meetings to share knowledge and experience.
It is essential that leading HR executives like our Women in Leadership members are current with best practice as they navigate difficult potentially tricky topics, so opportunities like this to ask for expert advice in both theoretical and actual scenarios, are absolutely invaluable.
Together, we looked at the principles and best practice of this subject, including:
- Avoiding common mistakes
- Dealing with reluctant witnesses
- The requirements of fairness and natural justice
- What to say in outcome letters
- Handling appeals
This was the second of our Women in Leadership workshops this year, sessions which are such an asset to those who attend. Since the group’s formation, we’ve learned a lot and pooled a great deal of knowledge about a wide range of HR topics from mental health awareness and employee engagement, to dismissals, inclusivity, and now, disciplinaries and grievances. As well as participating in the group, our members get to set the agenda, so that we can facilitate their discussions in the topics that are exercising and challenging them in each season.
As usual, our group enjoyed a stimulating morning and gained a lot of knowledge both from our expert, Cas, and from sharing experiences.
In contrast to our wider Employment law seminars, Women in Leadership, as a smaller group of senior professionals with HR responsibilities allows the discussion to address live matters and provides an opportunity to ask advice on particular situation.
As always, everyone went back to the office with practical tips to start putting into practice. Our thanks to everyone who came, for making it another great success.