When a dispute breaks out between an employee and their manager, how it's handled says a lot about an organisation — and gets remembered long after the issue itself is resolved. Employee relations work sits at exactly that point: defining staff duties, setting a fair legal and human approach to conflict, and keeping performance on track across the organisation. This course from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy looks at that role in full.

Even as HR functions have matured, the employee relations role often remains loosely defined, even though officers in this position are expected to manage and report on key performance indicators, handle complaints, enforce policy, manage performance, run internal communication and support the organisation's social side. The course was built to map out that full range of activities, equip managers with the judgement to handle staff grievances soundly, and cover the practical ground participants need — from labour market dynamics, conflict management and positive engagement, through the latest labour legislation, grievances and dismissal, to collective bargaining structures and processes, conciliation and arbitration, strikes, and negotiation skills.

What Participants Will Gain

• The ability to open genuine two-way dialogue between management and staff around motivation and development, and to take the disciplinary action a situation calls for.
• A working understanding of how the employee relations system functions, so participants can read the interactions within it and use that understanding to improve performance.
• The basic skills to spot problems in the workplace and identify practical solutions.
• Familiarity with the key guidelines in labour legislation and how environmental factors shape labour relations day to day.
• The tools to set up and maintain effective communication, representation and grievance-handling structures, and to manage discipline and dismissal fairly.
• Confidence in handling disputes that arise during negotiation, and in managing strike situations.

Who Should Attend

• Executives and senior managers.
• HR officers and union representatives.
• Labour union representatives.
• Students in related disciplines, graduates, and owners of private and public companies interested in the field.

Module 1: Foundations of Labour Relations

• The nature and importance of labour relations, and the labour relations management system and its role.
• Key principles: legitimacy, rights and duties, fairness and equity.

Module 2: The UK Legal and Market Context

• Essential labour law and labour relations law, and equality legislation.
• A brief overview of the UK labour market.

Module 3: People Skills for the Workplace

• Interpersonal and communication skills.
• Conflict management skills.

Module 4: Handling Complaints and Grievances

• Legitimacy, fair treatment, and non-discrimination.
• Grievance procedures under labour relations law, and an introduction to conciliation, mediation and arbitration.

Module 5: Discipline, Dismissal and Disputes

• Principles of discipline, and handling poor performance and misconduct.
• A brief look at redundancy and ill-health dismissal, and disputes and termination.

Module 6: Collective Bargaining in the UK

• Collective bargaining structures and processes.
• Collective agreements.

Course Format

• In-house training
• One-on-one training
• Group training
• Practical training

Note
We can offer this course at the location and time that suits you. This course is provided at a high standard for important individuals. For more information, contact the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy.