Employee Representation threshold reduced

Employers and Employees alike benefit from employee representation when it is set up and implemented professionally.   The Governments Good Work Plan – December 2018 – recognised this and brings the legal entitlement to employee representation to far more companies

The legal threshold for a request to set up information and consultation arrangements is reduced from 10% to 2% of the workforce. However The 15 employee minimum threshold for initiation of proceedings remains in place.

Of course where employers and employee agree arrangements can be set up in any organisation. 

Effective employee representation
Information and consultation are essential for continued growth and success in all organisations.  For any operation, business, project, initiative to succeed people need to talk to each other, they need to

·         exchange ideas, view and opinions

·         discuss problems and more importantly, possible solutions

·         consider new initiatives, developments and changes

Managers should not rely on the grapevine to pass on news and information accurately.

It is however vital the employee representation does not become a moans and groans channel or a route that used to address issues that are better managed through other methods.

An effective consultation process might include cascading information and taking employee feedback on a wide range of issues including:

Organisational Issues

·         Profit & loss

·         Sales Performance

·         Organisational structure

·         Market development plans

·         Strategic plans.

·         Merger and acquisitions

Employee Focused Issues

·         Working time and practices

·         Training & Development

·         Equal Opportunities

·         Health & Safety

·         Pension & Welfare issues

·         Employment plans

·         Collective Redundancies

·         Restructuring & re-organisation

·         Data protection and security issues

Additionally in some organisations Employee Representatives might assist in HR matters such as mentoring staff in grievance and disciplinary matters and often defusing issues before they have time to escalate. Remembering of course, that individual issues usually fall outside the scope of the wider representation committee.

How Concrew Training Can Help

Contact Concrew Training if you are looking for help in setting up an employee representation process or looking to training new or existing representatives in their key responsibilities.  We can also provide skills development training in areas such as, public speaking, facilitation (meetings, dissemination/feedback sessions), training, negotiation, mentoring, assertiveness etc and/or providing underpinning knowledge training for them in areas such as employment legislation, pay negotiation, redundancies, staff mentoring/grievance/disciplinary support.

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