Employment matters are best dealt with before they become a problem. A concern left unresolved can pass the point of no return where an employment relationship breaks down. No one wins in that situation.
Bringing us in early to support your business can help avoid pain later on. We can:
- review incidents or situations to recommend possible next steps.
- conduct independent workplace investigations.
- conduct independent reviews of workplace practices and procedures
- work collaboratively with parties to work to a resolution on issues
- assist and provide guidance through investigation and disciplinary processes
We have experience from the most minor issues to the most serious, including:
- bullying & harassment
- theft
- drug & alcohol policy breaches
- assaults, including sexual assaults
- fraud
- breaches of policy & procedures
- Product failures and write-offs
Adding Value:
Thing will and do go wrong. People make mistakes. We look to see our investigations add value to your organisation by looking into the underlying cause of issues. We will look at all aspects in the process, not just the human element. We then make fact based recommendations regarding next steps, whether it be changes to your process and procedures or taking employees through HR processes. Because we understand business, manufacturing and employment, you can be sure all elements are properly assessed.
What does success look like?
For us, success is where all parties believe there has been a fair and thorough process with sound conclusions and outcomes appropriate to the facts and individual circumstances.
What does that look like?
Case 1: A small business working with the business owner and employee who was struggling to meet job requirements. Worked collaboratively with all stakeholders to establish an objective measure of job requirements, with both the owner and employee agreeing the plan and expectations were fair and reasonable. Created a development and assessment plan for the employee with regular reviews between all of us. During one of the reviews the employee determined they simply did not have the necessary expertise for the job and sought help to change careers. With the support of the business owner, they found a new job that better matched their skillset and have continued with their new career.
Case 2: In a facility which makes numerous products at the same time, an employee put the wrong ingredient mix into one of the product streams resulting in a significant loss. The employee was facing potential disciplinary action, however the investigation revealed every person who had carried out that role had made similar mistakes due to the similarity of ingredients and no mechanism in place to confirm which product was having the ingredients added to it other than the ‘memory of the operator’. With several products all running at once, it was inevitable an error would be made at some stage. Disciplinary action was dropped and the employee was included in the team put in charge of changing the operational procedures to fix the issue.
Case 3: Employee faces serious misconduct allegations and is facing disciplinary action that may result in dismissal. Employee does not dispute the allegations but claims it was in response to previously unreported events involving several other employees which they had been the victim of. An extensive investigation eventually substantiates the claims with several people involved leaving the business. The original employee still faced disciplinary action related to their actions and accepted the consequences. All parties accepted the outcome of the investigation with neither employees nor unions representatives challenging the process, findings or the consequences for the individuals involved.