Disciplinaries and grievances on the rise

The number of disciplinary and grievance cases dealt with by employers has nearly tripled in the space of a year, according to IRS research.

The IRS research, based on responses from 155 organisations, asked employers how many times their grievance and disciplinary procedures had been used in the past two years.

Employers have handled a total of 9,231 disciplinary cases, which equates to an average of 66 per employer. This compares with an average of 23 recorded one year previously. They reported 2,519 uses of their organisation's grievance procedure - an average of 19 cases for every employer in the survey (compared with seven in 2005).

Asked about the new statutory dispute procedures introduced in October 2004, employers give a tentative thumbs-up. A narrow majority (58%) of employers agree that the new procedures have made it easier for them to settle disputes effectively, while 42% disagree with this point of view.

The survey also reveals a high level of good practice, with every employer having a written disciplinary policy and all but one having a written grievance procedure.

  • Grievances and discipline: taking a proactive approach    Sarah Welfare presents the complete findings of the research, based on responses from 155 organisations, together employing 321,772 staff. From IRS Employment Review.

    Also

    Tribunal legislation needs a quick fix    Writing in Personnel Today, Richard Fox of Kingsley Napley looks at the latest tribunal monitoring survey from the Employment Lawyers Association.

    Tribunal reforms may not have improved dispute resolution   Reforms of the employment tribunal system introduced 18 months ago may not have achieved the government's key aim of more effective dispute resolution, reports Paul Suff .

    Case study: Dispute resolution at Hillingdon PCT    Hillingdon Primary Care Trust encourages a preventative approach to dispute resolution, settling workplace differences informally wherever possible, with the majority of employee complaints not proceeding to a formal grievance hearing.

    Handling disputes takes up 10% of HR's time   Read the findings of the previous IRS study on this issue, conducted in 2005.

    Statutory minimum dispute resolution procedures: (1): The dismissal and disciplinary procedures; (2): The grievance procedures; (3): Automatically unfair dismissal case study; and (4): Questions and answers   From XpertHR's series looking at hot topics in employment law.

    Model policies and documents: Discipline and grievance and Termination of employment   From XpertHR's policies and documents service.

    Grievance procedures and Disciplinary rules and procedures: the basics   From XpertHR's employment law reference manual.