Employee Relations and Recognition - Human Resources

Establish the foundational principles of employee relations, covering the employment relationship, the psychological contract, the regulatory framework governing employment in the UK and the management behaviours that build positive, productive and legally compliant workplace relationships.

Apply employee relations principles to real situations in your own organisation. Develop the confidence to handle common ER challenges, from absence management and performance conversations to more complex grievance and disciplinary situations.

Work through real employee relations cases, analysing how organisations and managers handled complex situations involving conduct, capability, bullying and harassment, collective disputes and organisational change. Extract the legal, procedural and human lessons from each case.

Learn the structured processes for managing formal employee relations situations: disciplinary and grievance procedures, formal investigation frameworks, appeal processes and the documentation standards that protect both the employee and the organisation.

Build an employee relations strategy for your own organisation, covering the policies, procedures, management development and culture initiatives that will reduce formal ER activity, resolve issues earlier and build a more positive and productive employment environment.

Develop the metrics and review processes for monitoring the health of employee relations in your organisation, including grievance and disciplinary rates, employment tribunal claims, manager capability assessments and employee satisfaction data related to fairness and treatment.

Build skills in identifying, de-escalating and resolving workplace conflict at the earliest possible stage. Learn mediation principles, conflict coaching techniques, how to facilitate difficult conversations between parties in dispute and when to escalate to formal processes.

Learn how to write, review and implement employment policies that are legally compliant, clearly written, operationally practical and aligned with the culture your organisation is trying to build. Covers the key policies every organisation needs and the process for consulting on and communicating policy changes.

Develop the interpersonal and management skills that build the trust, respect and psychological safety at the heart of healthy employment relationships. Covers fair treatment principles, how managers can demonstrate respect through everyday behaviours and the cumulative impact of management style on ER climate.

Learn the full range of dispute resolution options available to organisations and employees, from informal resolution and mediation through to formal grievance and disciplinary processes, ACAS early conciliation and employment tribunal proceedings. Understand when each approach is appropriate and how to navigate each effectively.