Case Study: Employee Relations

A major transport provider, formerly publicly owned, asked us to conduct a thorough review of their employment policies and procedures. Over several decades, policies had been written or adopted that were now obsolete, illegal or simply irrelevant given changes in ownership, legislation and the world of work. A clearly defined set of polices and procedures were needed that were compliant with current legislation, and which reflected best practice and the needs of the organisation. The organisation had active unions and they needed to be included in the process where appropriate.

Our consultants worked with the HR team to scope the project and agree priorities in terms of which policy changes were required. We put together a detailed project plan with clear milestones and deadlines for everyone to follow.

Working meticulously through every document, we analysed each one and worked out if it was required or needed updating. This formed the basis for many further discussions concerning the amount of work required to complete the project. We then worked on drafting the required policies and procedures into a format that could be presented to the unions, in advance of the consultation discussions. This included the rationale for removing the outdated policies and detailing any changes. We also worked with the HR team on the negotiating strategy.

A number of policies were no longer required as they were deemed out of date; other policies were amalgamated, streamlined and updated to reflect best practice. We recommended an inclusive approach with the unions so they felt fully involved and were not suspicious of motives. Our recommendations on policy content were adopted in full.

A set of common employment policies and procedures were agreed between the company and the unions that significantly simplified the employment framework and which were far easier to administrate. Employees felt much clearer about what they could expect and what was expected from them, and effective sickness and absence management policies were introduced.