SILC PA Finder -

Additional Information

Sample Adverts
Job Descriptions, Person Specifications & Application Forms: What is a Job Description?; What do you use it for?; How do you create a job description?; What do you include in a job description?; Sample Job Description; What is a Person Specification?; What should I include in a Person Specification?; Sample Person Specification; Sample Application Form
Interviews: Remember that at the interview you want:; General Interview Tips; Finishing the Interview; Sample Interview Questions; Concluding the interview; Selection
Employment Contracts and Procedures: Sample Contract of Employment; Sample Optional Contract Clauses; Sample Disciplinary and Dismissal Procedure; Sample Grievance Procedure
Guide for New Employers

Sample Adverts

Personal Assistant Required
To assist lady in Egham with general household chores.
PC literacy useful.
Up to 20 hours per week, flexible by arrangement.
£8.00 per hour.

For further information and an application pack,
please call SILC on 01483 306017 quoting reference *** .

Live - In Personal Assistant Required

To assist disabled woman in Bletchingley
with housework, shopping and general health care needs.
Driver with clean licence essential and somebody who enjoys art an
advantage

Hours of work Mon - Fri. £1,500 per month (gross)
For further information please contact SILC on
01483 306017 quoting reference ***

PERSONAL ASSISTANT REQUIRED

Young Disabled Woman living in Leatherhead, Looking for a
Personal Assistant to help her live independently.

Including some personal care and domestic tasks.

You will be required to work a total of 25 hrs a week on a job share basis
times and days to be discussed.

Rates of pay are £7.87 per hrs Mon/Fri £11.79 per hrs Sat/Sun
For more details please contact SILC on 01483 306017 quoting ***

Job Descriptions, Person Specifications & Application Forms

Here is some further information about Job Descriptions and Person Specifications. We would strongly recommend that you have one for each of your employees.

What is a Job Description?
It sets out exactly what work is required and the qualities and skills needed to do it.

It is, in effect, a combination of the lists you drew up in the recruitment process. Although it might seem like a lot of work to make one you should only need to do it once. When it is finished you might need to change small bits of it occasionally if you have new requirements.

What do you use it for?

You can use it to give to people who apply to work for you; they will know exactly what is expected and whether they do not do what they are supposed to - you can refer them back to the job description which should help clear the matter up.

How do you create a job description?

You simply list the tasks that your PA will do and the qualities needed to do them. If you wish you can also put in a bit about your circumstances and the importance of the job to your life.

You can see a sample job description below. It is purely imaginary but is as full as possible to give you the best idea of the kinds of things it should contain. You can adapt it to fit your situation - some things you may need to add, some things you may need to leave out.

What do you include in a job description?

A job description is very important because it lets the applicant know exactly what the job involves and when you do employ someone it becomes part of the employment contract. You can also use it as a set of criteria to measure the performance of your PA and to refer to in the case of any disagreements/misunderstandings.

In other words it is the first step in being a good employer and finding the right employees.

Your job description should include:

An overview of the job and what you expect from your P.A. This can include:

Some background about yourself, your lifestyle and what you do
How you expect your P.A. to fit in with this and what you expect from them

The main tasks in the job
- You can base this on your assessment of your needs and
- Split the tasks up according to type
- Split tasks according to frequency
- State if youï¿½re going to train in any areas
- A ‘catch all’ statement
- Any other duties
The employer/ employee relationship

Make clear the nature of the relationship i.e. that the P.A. will take directions from you and be accountable to you
Any other details you want to put in about supervision
What relationship you expect them to have with your friends/family/ employees
That they respect your privacy and keep all information about you and your family/ friends etc. confidential
Any agreement you want about use of your facilities when they are in your home

Person specification

What qualities are you looking for
What abilities are you looking for
What experience are you looking for (if any)
Any specific requirements (if gender/ race you should quote the relevant acts)

Hours of work

Details of hours/ shifts/ days of work

Rates of pay (details of different rates for different times)

Any other conditions of service

An equal opportunities statement

A sentence indicating how the job description can be changed or amended

Sample Job Description

TITLE: Personal Assistant

EMPLOYED BY:

ACCOUNTABLE TO:

1. OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE JOB

To enable me to maintain my chosen lifestyle so that I am able to lead an independent and valued life in my local community.
To assist me in all areas where I might need support.

2. PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

2.1 To listen to my directions (or those given on my behalf by my designated representatives) and requests and carry out all tasks consistent with my wishes.
2.2 To acknowledge and understand the difficulties created by disability and society’s attitude to disability.
2.3 To arrive at the scheduled time, ready for work.
2.4 To respect my right to privacy and treat everything you see, hear and do as confidential.

3. PERSONAL AND SOCIAL CARE TASKS

3.1 Assist with personal care mornings and evenings.
3.2 Assistance with food preparation, cooking and serving.
3.3 Assist /support with medication.
3.4 Accompany me when requested to work/social venues/meetings etc.
3.5 Assistance with correspondence, making phone calls etc.
3.3 Maintain confidentiality of my business at all times.

4. DOMESTIC TASKS (can include)

4.1 Housework - including general cleaning, dusting, hoovering, mopping the floor, washing up etc.
4.2 Shopping or assistance with shopping.
4.3 Assist/support with light gardening duties.
4.4 Any other duties that may be appropriate.

5. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

5.1 Respect my possessions and equipment and use them only with my prior consent.
5.2 Respect my relationships with family, friends and visitors.
5.3 Discuss any problems with me (and my designated representative) as soon as possible so that the matter can be resolved before becoming a major issue.
5.4 Understand the importance of preserving my dignity and independence in the working relationship.
5.5 Understand that your personal and / or family life should not impact on your responsibilities as an employee.
5.6 Respect my right to make my own decisions and face the consequences of those decisions.
5.7 To undertake training as required.

What is a Person Specification?

A Person Specification gives details of the range of experience, skills, knowledge and personal qualities that you believe will make someone a good Personal assistant for you.

Having a Person Specification will assist you to:

Reduce the possibility of discrimination
Identify the information, skills and knowledge you are looking for in a candidate
Help you draw up your interview questions
Help you make a final decision of who to select and who to reject after interview

What should I include in a Person Specification?
The following gives some examples of what you might include.

Physical Requirements

Appearance
General Health
Vision
Hearing
Clear Speaking Voice
Physically capable of tasks required

Experience

Similar Work
Similar Physical conditions

General Education

Certificates, Diplomas
Grammar Spelling, Writing, Reading, Maths

Specialised Training

NVQ‘s
City and Guilds Certificates

Abilities Required

Helping people
Understanding people
Caring/ Emphatic

Disposition Required

Acts without instruction
Co-operative
Reliability
Sensitive to others
Easy going
Friendly
Works well with others
Trustworthiness
Self-confident

In order to avoid discrimination you will need to justify any requirements against the job to be undertaken.

Once you have identified the characteristics required to carry out the job you should then identify which of these are:

ESSENTIAL Essential requirements

DESIRABLE Not absolutely essential but will help the job to be performed well

Sample Person Specification

It is the job of the Personal Assistant (PA) to assist in all areas of personal care and domestic need, and to act as a confidential escort, assistant and companion in the person’s social and day-to-day activities. By providing help at the right time the disabled person is enabled to lead an individual and independent lifestyle in the community.

The PA should always ask what the client’s needs or wishes are and listen to the requests and directions.

The PA should have the physical skills of lifting, pushing and bending. One does not have to be a strong person physically to do the job, but general good health and fitness are considered to be an advantage.

Note: All needs may vary from day to day & duties will alter accordingly, so the PA needs to be flexible with his/ her time.

Essential Qualities

Trustworthiness
Empathy
Caring attitude
Clean and neat appearance
Reliability
Friendly, easy going manner
Sense of humour
Able to work with or without direct supervision
Willingness and ability to learn
Supportive and positive attitude

Desirable Qualities

Non-smoker (smoking is not permitted in the house)
Experience of similar work
Able to deal with figures
Qualification in care i.e. NVQ standard
Clean Driving Licence
Cooking skills

Attitude
The PA must appreciate the strains and stresses involved for the disabled person, particularly in trying to run a home as normally and comfortably as possible with other people having to be around all the time. Acknowledge his/ her desire to maintain as much dignity as possible when having personal tasks carried out by you and to preserve independence.

It should be remembered that as the person whose lifestyle you are helping to continue to maintain, the disabled person is the one to make the decisions, whether as small as when to wash the curtains or as specific as the correct way of putting on a coat. It is his/ her requirements you are carrying out, so you must treat him/ her first as your Employer.

Interviews

Generally, it is not a good idea to interview people in your own home and SILC will be able to arrange an alternative venue for you. It is also a good idea to ask someone to assist you with interviewing, either someone you know and trust or one of SILCs’ Independent Living Advisers.

There are several good reasons for doing this:

It is good to have someone you can discuss your impressions of the applicants with.
You may need someone to assist you with taking notes.
It can also help you to remain in control of the situation.
The interview is the only time you have to determine the personality of the applicant.

It might be useful to conduct the interview in an informal way, maybe over a cup of coffee, as a good way of judging if you like the applicant. The main thing is that you feel comfortable with the whole process.

Remember that at the interview you want:

Find out if the person is suitable for the job.
Get extra information about their skills and experience.
Find out more about them, what they think, and how they will cope with new situations.
Find out why they want to do this job for you.
You also have to explain what the job is about, its terms and conditions, and what you expect. Explain to applicants about the hours you want them to work, and find out if they can work on bank holidays etc.
Do not offer the job to any candidate until you have interviewed everyone, as there may be a better applicant later on. The most important thing is that you find an interview process that you find comfortable.

General Interview Tips

Try and give a positive impression at all times. Your facial expression can do a great deal to encourage or discourage the applicant. If you acknowledge what they say with a smile or a nod of the head, they are more likely to go on talking than if you appear bored or not interested.
Using an applicant’s name throughout the interview is a good technique. If you address them simply as ‘you’ all the time, they may well feel that you haven’t got their name and this may discourage them from opening up.
Be prepared to go into detail about your personal requirements at the interview stage and to answer any questions they have. Asking applicants to read the Job Description will help to make it clear what is expected of them.
Explain your disability - Outline a ‘typical day’ and the type of work that they would be expected to do as detailed in your job description.
Before the interview you should prepare a set of questions to ask each applicant. You should ask all the applicants the same questions in roughly the same order and devise a way of scoring the answers you get (maybe 0 - 5 depending on how well they answer).
Interviewing like this will give everyone an equal chance, and enable you to select the best person.

Finishing the Interview
Check your list of questions to make sure that you have all the information you want before you let the applicant go. There is no reason why you should not look at the list of points that you made before the interview. Do this openly; explaining what you are doing to the applicant.

You may then ask them if there any questions they want to ask.

Thank the person for their time and explain when they are likely to hear from you. Be as honest as possible and explain if you have more people to interview.

Sample Interview Questions

The thing to bear in mind is that an interview is an exchange of information. Therefore, it is important to listen and give the person a chance to speak, and to ask clear questions.

Don’t assume anything, whether in terms of giving or getting information.

Examples:

Explain about the job. Now that you’ve seen the job description, do you have any questions?
What experience of working with disabled people do you have? (Often applicants don’t have direct experience of this kind of work but often have other experiences. For example, some people have members of their family, or friends, or maybe neighbors who are disabled in one way or another.)
Have you ever assisted a disabled person to do something? If so, what was it and how did you do it?
I will need to tell you how to do things in the way I want them done. How do you think you would cope with this?
How would you react if you have done something and I want it done again in another way? And again?
What if I ask you to do something, and you think there is another way to do it that you’d prefer? What would you do if we did have a difference of opinion, how do you think you would deal with this?
What qualities and experience do you have that you think would make you a good personal assistant?
Would you be interested in training if it were available? Would you be prepared to consider being called in on short notice to do more than your usual hours, e.g. if another assistant goes off sick?
What shifts would you prefer e.g. days, nights or a mix?
What are your hobbies/ interests?
Do you have a car? Would you be prepared to use it for work? (If you want someone to use their own car for work, you have to think about paying them for this and covering any additional insurance costs).
You should ask (if relevant) why they are leaving (have left) their current or last job.
You should mention any other things you enjoy doing such as gardening, socialising and if the personal assistant would be prepared to do this as part of their job?
If you have pets you might want to mention them. Some people have allergies and could not work with pets.
Would you be prepared to consider part-time or relief work?
Any questions you’d like to ask me?

Concluding the interview
You should also explain the following:/p>

Pay and conditions and any rota system you have worked out in advance.
When/ how the applicant will hear if successful or not.
That you will take up references for the applicant prior to appointment (assuming you have not done so prior to interview).
Explain about the CRB checks if applicable.

Selection
Having interviewed all your applicants how do you select?

It is best to check three main points:

Can they actually do the job or will they be able to with a bit of guidance from you?
Are you sure about this - check the evidence from the application form and the interview.
Are they the kind of person you want, are you going to be able to get along with them? This will form the basis of a good working relationship.

In other words does your candidate match up to the two lists you made at the beginning? Ideally the best match should be the best candidate.

Employment Contracts and Procedures

Sample Contract of Employment

Name of Employer:

Address of Employer:

Name of Employee:

Address of Employee:

Job Title:

Commencement Of Employment And Continuous Employment

Your Employment With Your Employer Begins On:

Job Description
You are employed to work as a Personal Assistant and your Job Description is attached to this Contract.

Job Location
Your usual place of work will be at your Employers Address. Flexibility in terms of location has been agreed and you will be required to accompany the Employer to other destinations within your working hours.

Pay
Your rate of pay is agreed as £ per hour. You will be paid weekly/four weekly/monthly.

Hours of Work
Your normal working hours as per your Job Description.

You will be required to complete a weekly timesheet of the hours worked. The role may require additional or changed hours with due notice given by the Employer.

There may be occasions when the employer (for example is admitted to hospital) does not require the employee to work. In such situations the employee required to take annual leave or may be paid at an agreed hourly/weekly rate or retainer.

Holidays
You are entitled to the statutory minimum holiday allowance. Currently this is 4.8 weeks per year including bank holidays (this will increase in April 2009). This means currently you are entitled to 4.8 weeks paid holiday per year (pro rata). A holiday week is the equivalent of the number of hours or days you would normally work for me per week. Unless agreed and booked as part of your annual leave entitlement, you will be expected to work public holidays. The holiday year runs from April 1st to March 31st in the year you leave or start. Unused holiday entitlement may not be carried forward. You will be paid for any holiday not taken if this contact is terminated.

Sickness Absence
If you cannot work because of illness you must inform your Employer as early as possible on the first day and each subsequent day when you are unable to work. For alternative arrangements to be made the Employer requires the first day notification to be made at least one hour prior to your start time.

Self-Certification is allowed for a maximum of 7 days. You can collect a Form SC2 from the Post Office.

After 7 days a Doctor’s Certificate must be provided.

You are not entitled to contractual sick pay. You may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay if you have followed the procedures laid out above.

Pension Scheme There is no company pension scheme and therefore there is no contracting out certificate in force for this employment. You are advised to make your own arrangements.

Collective Agreements With Trade Unions There are no collective agreements with trade unions or other employee groups affecting this employment.

Probationary Period This post is subject to a probationary period of three months, which may be extended by the employer. During the probationary period employment may be terminated by either side with one weeks notice.

Ending This Employment Employee Obligations: During the Probationary Period the Employee must give the Employer at least one weeks notice. After the Probationary Period the Employee must give the Employer one months notice.

Employers Obligations: During the Probationary Period the Employer will give the employee 1 weeks notice. After the Probationary Period the Employer will give the Employee one months notice. After four years service the employer will give the employee their statutory minimum, which is currently 1 week for every year worked up to a maximum of 12 weeks. (eg.five years service will equal five weeks notice).

The Employer reserves the right to make a payment in lieu of notice should it so wish.

Disciplinary Procedure Disciplinary Procedures are explained in the document called Disciplinary & Dismissal Procedure. If an employee is unhappy with a disciplinary decision or decision to dismiss you, you must contact your Employer.

Grievance Procedure The Grievance Procedure is explained in the document called Grievance Procedure. If you want to seek resolution of a grievance you must contact your Employer.

Maternity/paternity & Adoption Leave The Employer will comply with current legislation and statutory allowances will be paid in accordance with Social Security Benefits Rules and Regulations.

Confidentiality You must not at any time disclose any confidential information arising out of your employment, unless such disclosure is authorised by the Employer or is protected under the Public Interest Disclosure Act. Confidential information includes personal information, financial details or the employer’s domestic arrangements.

Health & Safety Every employee must comply with the Employer’s health and safety policy and procedure.

SIGNED : ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ (EMPLOYER)

I have read, understood and accept the above terms and conditions of Employment

SIGNED: ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ (EMPLOYEE)

DATE: ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½

Sample Optional Contract Clauses (That you may need to add in to the Contract if required.)

Smoking
The employer operates a NO SMOKING policy and smoking is not allowed anywhere on the employer’s premises nor around the employer when escorting the employer outside of their premises during working hours.

Transport
It is an essential part of the Job Description that the Employee is able to drive (Employers vehicle) and that he/she holds a current full UK driving license. Should the Employee lose their license it could result in dismissal
or
The employee undertakes before using their own private car in the course of their job to keep their car comprehensively insured for use for the purposes of the employer and ensure it has full and complete insurance in respect of all claims of whatever nature arising out of ownership and use by the employee of their car.

Meals On Duty
The Employer will within reason, provide the employee with meals and refreshments during the hours they are working at no cost. or
The Employer will not provide meals.

Media
Communication with the press, television, radio, or internet must be authorised by the Employer if it is in any way connected with your employment or it likely to contain reference to the employer.

Working Overseas
From time to time you may be required to accompany the Employer on trips away from their home. This will be for no more than 2 weeks in any 26 week period and payment will be individually negotiated. (Input requirements here as required)

Sample Disciplinary and Dismissal Procedure

This is the Disciplinary and Dismissal Procedure of the Employer and should be followed when an Employee is being disciplined or dismissed.

Matters, which may be dealt with under this Disciplinary and Dismissal Procedure, include discipline and dismissal for the following reasons (this list is an example of the type of behavior and is not limited to this list):

misconduct
sub-standard performance
harassment or victimisation
misuse of Employers facilities including computer facilities (e.g. e-mail and the Internet)
poor timekeeping
unauthorised absences

Minor cases of misconduct and most cases of poor performance may be dealt with by informal advice, coaching and counseling. An informal verbal warning may be given, which does not count as part of the formal (or statutory) disciplinary procedure. No formal record of this type of warning will be kept.

If there is no improvement or the matter is serious enough, the Employer should follow the Standard Disciplinary & Dismissal Procedure and must invite the Employee to a disciplinary meeting at which the matter can be properly discussed. The Employee is entitled to bring a work colleague or Trade Union representative to the meeting. The Employer will communicate the outcome of the meeting to Employee.

A) Standard Disciplinary & Dismissal Procedure

Step 1:
Employer gives employee a written statement and calls a hearing The employer will set out in writing the employee’s alleged conduct, characteristics or other circumstances which lead him/her to contemplate dismissing or taking disciplinary action against them. The employer will inform the employee, in the written statement of the basis on which he/she has made the allegations against the employee. If possible the employer will provide copies of any relevant evidence. The employer will invite the employee to a hearing to discuss the matter.

Step 2:
Meeting is held and employer informs employee of the outcome The meeting will take place before any action, (other than suspension on full pay if appropriate), is taken. The meeting will be held without undue delay but only when the employee has had a reasonable opportunity to consider a response to the employer’s written statement and any further verbal explanation the employer has provided. The employee must take all reasonable steps to attend the meeting. After the meeting the employer will inform the employee of his/her decision and notify the employee of their right to appeal against the decision.

Step 3:
Appeal against the disciplinary decision if necessary If the employee wishes to appeal they must inform their employer in writing within a reasonable time. If they do this then the employer will invite them to attend a further meeting. The appeal hearing may take place before or after dismissal or disciplinary action has taken effect. After the appeal hearing the employer will inform the employee of his/her final decision and will confirm it in writing as soon as practicable.

The Employer might choose the following disciplinary measures:

Oral warning
If the issue is deemed to be minor then the employer may give the employee a formal oral warning. The employer should keep a note of this oral warning on file but it will be disregarded for disciplinary purposes after a specified period (e.g. six months). The employee must be given the right to appeal against the Oral Warning.

Written warning
If the issue is more serious or there is no improvement in conduct after a formal oral warning the Employer must give a formal written warning giving details of the complaint, the improvement or change in behavior required, the timescale allowed for this, the right of appeal and the fact that a final written warning may be given if there is no sustained satisfactory improvement or change.

A copy of the written warning will be kept on file but will be disregarded for disciplinary purposes after a specified period (e.g. 12 months).

Final written warning
Where there is a failure to improve or change behavior during the period of a prior formal written warning, or where the infringement is sufficiently serious, the employer can give a final written warning. This will give details of the complaint, warn that failure to improve will lead to dismissal and refer to the right of appeal. The final written warning will be kept on file but will normally be disregarded for disciplinary purposes after a specified period (e.g. 12 months).

Dismissal
If the employee’s conduct or performance still fails to improve the final step will be to contemplate dismissal. If the employer is contemplating dismissing s/he must follow the "Standard Disciplinary and Dismissal Procedure" which is a statutory requirement. Failure to do so will usually result in a finding of automatically unfair dismissal.

Gross misconduct
There are types of misconduct that are so serious that they are termed Gross Misconduct.

While the alleged gross misconduct is being investigated, an employee may be suspended, during which time they will be paid. Any decision to dismiss will be taken by the employer only after a full investigation.

The Standard Disciplinary and Dismissal Procedure applies to dismissals for gross misconduct. If after investigation it is confirmed that the employee has committed one of the following offences (the list is not exhaustive), they will normally be dismissed:

theft
fraud and deliberate falsification of records
physical violence
serious bullying or harassment
deliberate damage to property
serious insubordination
bringing the employer into serious disrepute
serious incapability whilst on duty brought on by alcohol or illegal drugs
serious negligence which causes or might cause unacceptable loss, damage or injury
serious infringement of health and safety rules
serious breaches of confidence

B) Modified Disciplinary & Dismissal Procedure

In a few cases of gross misconduct the employer may be justified in dismissing immediately without conducting an investigation. In these cases a two-step "Modified Dismissal Procedure" will be followed, otherwise the dismissal will be automatically unfair.

Step 1:
Employer gives written statement
The employer must give the employee a written statement setting out the conduct that has resulted in the dismissal and informing them of the right to appeal against the decision to dismiss.

Step 2:
Appeal against the disciplinary decision
If the employee wishes to appeal they must inform the employer. A meeting must be held (in accordance with the general principles set out above). The employer must inform the employee of his/her decision following the meeting.

General Principles of the Standard and Modified Procedures

The person who has authority to discipline you in accordance with this procedure is the employer.
The employee has the right to be accompanied to any meeting by a Trade Union representative or fellow employee.
Each step in the procedure will be taken without unreasonable delay and hearings will be held at reasonable times and locations.
Meetings will be conducted in a manner that enables both employer and employee to explain their cases.
Records will be kept detailing the nature of any breach of disciplinary rules or unsatisfactory performance, the employee’s defense or mitigation, the action taken and the reasons for it, whether an appeal was lodged, its outcome and any subsequent developments. These records will be kept confidential.

Sample Grievance Procedure

It is the employer’s policy to ensure that any employee with a grievance has access to a procedure, which can lead to a speedy resolution of the grievance in a fair manner. Most routine complaints and grievances are best resolved informally in discussion with your employer. Where the grievance cannot be resolved informally it will be dealt with under the following procedure that complies with the statutory standard three-step grievance procedure.

A) Standard Grievance Procedures

Step 1:
Employee gives written statement of grievance
The employee must put their grievance in a written statement of grievance and give a copy to the employer. Where the grievance is against the employer the matter should be raised with the Direct Payment Advisor to arrange an appropriate third party to oversee the hearing.

Step 2:
Meeting is held and employer informs employee of the outcome
The employer (or approved third party) will invite the employee to attend a meeting to discuss the grievance. The meeting will only take place once the employee has informed the employer of the basis for the grievance that is set out in the written statement, and the employer has had a reasonable opportunity to consider what response to make. After the meeting the employer (or approved third party) must inform the employee of the decision taken in response to the grievance and notify them of their right to appeal if they are not satisfied with the employer’s decision.

Step 3:
Appeal if necessary
If the employee wishes to appeal they must inform the employer. The employer (or approved third party) will then invite the employee to attend another meeting. If reasonably practicable, an alternative third party who has not been involved in the grievance procedure so far will deal with the appeal. After the meeting the employer (or approved alternative third party) must inform the employee of the decision taken.

B) Modified Grievance Procedure

The Modified Grievance Procedure will apply only if:

The employee no longer works for the employer.
The employee has agreed with the employer in writing that it will apply.
The employee raised it before they left, but the standard procedure wasn’t completed, or the employee didn’t raise it until after they left.

There are two steps within the Modified Grievance Procedure:

Step 1:
Employee gives written statement of grievance
The employee must put their grievance in a written statement and send a copy to the employer.

Step 2:
Employer gives written response
The employer must write back to the employee giving his/her response to the points raised.

General Principles of the Standard and Modified Procedures

Each step in the grievance procedure should be carried out without unreasonable delay. The times and locations of meetings should be reasonable.
Meetings must be conducted in a way that allows both parties to explain their case.
Records should be kept detailing the nature of the grievance raised, the employer’s response, any action taken and the reasons for it. These records should be kept confidential.
The employee has the right to be accompanied to the hearing by a Trade Union representative or a fellow employee.
There are some cases in which the statutory procedure does not have to be followed or does not have to be followed in full, for example where the grievance is about the fact the employer intends to dismiss you. In these cases, the employer will not necessarily follow the statutory procedures set out above.
If you want to seek resolution of a grievance you must contact your employer.

Guide for New Employers

Employing people seems a perfectly straightforward matter: hire them, then set them to work, but is it so easy? ACAS have put together a handy guide to help.

ACAS - A Guide for New Employers in PDF format

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