From 6th April 2009, there will be a change to the way disciplinary action and grievances are dealt with at work.  This half-day seminar will guide you through the maze so that employers, and also employees, understand their rights when dealing with disputes in the workplace.

The course will answer the following questions:

• Why are the new procedures necessary?
• When do the new procedures come into force, and what are the transitional arrangements for disciplinary action and grievances which have already commenced?
• What are the main changes introduced by the Employment Act 2008?
• What is the Acas Code of Practice, and what are the consequences if an employer or employee does not follow the Code of Practice?
• Which areas should be covered by an organisation’s disciplinary rules?
• How should disciplinary issues initially be resolved?
• How should a disciplinary meeting be conducted?
• Does an employee have the right to be accompanied to a disciplinary meeting?
• Which types of disciplinary penalty may be imposed, and how should they be communicated to an employee?
• Does an employee have a right of appeal?
• What is gross misconduct?
• How should an employer handle frequent short-term absences?
• What about longer-term absence through ill health?
• How should grievances be handled?
• Which rights are available to an employee who believes that a grievance has not been satisfactorily resolved?
• How might the Data Protection Act and the Disability Discrimination Act interact with the new procedures?

The course notes will include sample disciplinary and grievance procedures for large and small organisations and suggested letters to be sent at each stage of the disciplinary or grievance process.