Blog
Managing workplace conflict
"Most conversations with him are a negotiation, it's never straightforward" "There are times when I have to tell her to be quiet, she's quite a demanding colleague" "There was a clash of personalities and it might have been difficult to be in a close space with...
Managing Performance or Harassment?
"Their performance is not up to standard" "My manager is bullying me", "I'm being micro-managed", "I have unachievable targets" As a Workplace Investigator over many years I have witnessed the negative impact of flawed performance management all too often. The lack of...
Can unconscious bias training generate change?
Discussions around the relevance of unconscious bias training rightly highlight longstanding issues with equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace, including the challenges of creating an open workplace culture and the limitations of the one-off training...
L&D strategy in the hybrid workplace
Hybrid working, a fiercely competitive labour market, the world economic stage and ever-tightening budgetary requirements, how can we reconfigure organisational learning and development (L&D) opportunities in the reshaped workplace? Serious inflation, rising fuel...
The employee voice in your workplace
“I ask people that have been here a long time, but what if they don’t get it in the first place, or it’s been changed since they were told.” “You follow the leader, but what if the leader doesn’t know and isn’t doing it right?” Without a workforce voice,...
How can we avoid the unnecessary resource-consuming formal grievance?
While some formal grievances are certainly justified, others could have been avoided yet they can become a disruptive and even potentially devastating force in the organisation concerned. A cold spotlight on the negative aspects of the business, demotivated employees,...
Learning about the term bully from Meghan’s lawyers
Remarks by Meghan Markle's lawyers about the use of the term bully may resonate for those working to prevent, resolve or investigate workplace conflict. The term bully -"gets used very, very casually" and "is used very freely and it's a very, very damaging term as we...
Training and development in the flexible workplace
As we embark on a new year, it is safe to say there will be important challenges ahead for the everyplace workplace, the hybrid of on-site and remote working. Longer working hours caused by working from home versus the advantages of not commuting to and from the...
Banter in your workplace – easy rapport or discrimination?
A perfect storm: behaviours at odds with publicly stated corporate values, immense individual distress, leadership that didn’t intervene, gravity of findings from independent investigation downplayed, resignations and enormous damage to brand, reputation and...
Let’s have some banter about banter
Is your workplace ‘banter’ at risk of turning into allegations of discrimination, harassment, unfair treatment and victimisation? With multi-layered nuance and infinite differing viewpoints, freedom of speech is a hot topic, with the right to express an opinion, and...
Handling allegations at work
BBC Newsnight's recent report on the Palace of Westminster, a public institution that should be setting the standard for exemplary practice, serves as an ideal case study to demonstrate how not to deal with allegations at work. The approach to handling complaints,...
The cost of a flawed workplace investigation
"The Tribunal found that the investigation into these allegations was deeply flawed." Robinson v Combat Stress UKEAT/0310/14/JOJ is a conduct at work case that would appear to have been undermined by "very deep flaws in the totally inadequate process which the...
Benefits of a reasonable workplace investigation
Investigations at work are commonplace, from the routine such as gathering information with regard to customer concerns as incorporated into a worker’s daily role, to the more out of the ordinary and complex, such as exploring the facts in respect of alleged gross...
Workplace investigations – Scope
24 July 2014 Recent Employment Appeal Tribunal (UKEAT) cases again highlight the importance of ensuring that a reasonable investigation is carried out, to ensure that decisions affecting workers' employment are based on consideration of sufficient information. South...
Preventing costly conflict at work
21 November 2013 Personnel Today recently reported Five costly employment tribunal awards and how to avoid similar claims. Citing the "ability of organisations to follow the Acas code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures" as a common theme, the issues...
Poorly handled concerns in the workplace
Carrying out workplace investigations over the past ten years I've regularly encountered cases where the poor handling of an earlier concern was cited in support of allegations claiming unfair treatment, these have included: The investigation into an earlier concern...
The value of open dialogue
15 July 2013 Cafe owner Martha-Renee Kolleh put up a sign informing customers that she is a black woman, sparking wide ranging debate, including Guardian Comment is Free (1948 comments). Comments appeared covering perspectives on racism in the UK overall and Ossett,...
Allegations at the Department of Education
14 February 2013 A lengthy grievance process, senior members of staff "perceived as intimidating", bad language, a reported £25,000 pay out and potential Government select committee questions for the Education Secretary. Reports of events at the Department for...
The importance of a fair and reasonable workplace investigation?
Internal investigations are now an everyday feature in the workplace. This may be in the context of anything from alleged misconduct, grievances and capability to a customer complaint and more. Many of us have experience of internal investigations, perhaps as an...
Cyber-bullying in the workplace
A recent survey conducted by academics from the University of Sheffield and Nottingham University, Punched from the screen: workplace cyber-bullying, highlights the on-going importance of this aspect of workplace behaviour. The variety of ways which workers can...
