case studies

Holt Jackson Book Co. Ltd

Being taken to an employment tribunal is not usually the most rewarding experience for an HR Manager, but Holt Jackson’s Lesley Cairns has found a constructive way for her entire management team to find out what tribunals are all about – and how to protect her company from learning the hard way.  Unless managers are consistent about following the right procedures, it might not be long before something untoward happens that would be difficult or even impossible to defend.

The answer came in the form of the Accompanied Tribunal Visits directed by Malcolm Martin of Employer Solutions.  Three managers at a time were taken to see an actual Tribunal in action – a slice of real life rather than the mock tribunals offered elsewhere. First of all Malcolm briefs the trainees about the process they are about to view.  After the morning session there is an explanation of what had been witnessed, along with an informed discussion over lunch as to what might happen next .

As Lesley put it, “Malcolm set the scene, you watched a real-life scenario, and then he explained what you’d actually just watched and how you can get yourself into that situation - or out of it before you get there.” Managers gained an especially acute appreciation of how easily a company might fail through lack of appropriate documentation and inadequate adherence to the correct procedures. It brought into sharp focus the possibility that they might one day be up there defending their actions or lack of them. 

Feedback from the managers after their training day was peppered with comments such as “excellent” and “absolutely brilliant”, and for days afterwards they talked about how good it was. “I’ve never got that excitement from them before in any training session!” observed Lesley.

Managers are now acutely aware of the need for proper documentation and procedures and Lesley also finds that they are more proactive in conflict management, “If there’s a situation in someone’s department now, I know that it’s being dealt with. I have a much easier life!”