Certificate in Employee Relations - NEW, 5 days

Programme Overview

This practical course Certificate in Employee Relations provides you with a sound understanding of the legal aspects of industrial action and the key stages in union recognition. The programme covers the process of collective bargaining and its implications in terms of negotiating employment terms and conditions. It also addresses current developments in the areas of consultation, information and employee/trade union involvement in organisations, EU and International legislation.

This programme will help you to build your expertise in such essential area of Human Resources as Employee Relations by providing comprehensive knowledge of policies and laws, a defined process for handling employee issues, and effective investigation and communication skills. The programme equips participants with ways to identify preventative and proactive Employee Relation strategies in order to manage employee day-to-day issues and handle complex complaints.

Who should attend

HR professionals, front-line and middle level managers, supervisors, and those preparing for promotion into a managerial role.

By the end of this training course, participants will:

• Understand and appreciate the full extent and importance of your role in managing people
• Improve your interpersonal skills to enable you to deal more effectively with people at all levels within the organisation and act with greater confidence
• Be more self-aware and therefore, more competent holding critical conversations.
• Acquire the key tools for conducting investigations effectively.
• Develop an appreciation of how to mediate between parties in dispute, helping them work towards a positive outcome.
• Learn how to manage performance and to handle grievances and disciplinary meetings with more confidence.
• Understand the critical pieces of employment legislation and how they apply in the workplace.

Course Outline

Human Resources and the Law

• The laws that obligate employers
• Recent legislation and court cases defining employer-employee rights and obligations
• Practical implications of the laws in day-to-day human resources operations

Trade unions

• Collective agreements and protections conferred by union membership
• Statutory recognition and de-recognition
• Industrial action/strike ballots/picketing
• Time off for trade union activities
• Statutory immunities

Negotiating terms and conditions

• Systems within non-unionised organisations
• Collective bargaining with recognised trade unions
• Partnership, stakeholding and other agreements

Managing Others, Communication, Critical Conversations and Performance Management

• The role of the managers and HR in Employee Relations
• What is a critical conversation and how do I run one?
• Communicating with others
• Understanding others’ behavior
• Performance Management
• Performance Appraisal skills

Managing Grievances, Discipline and Employment Law

• Managing grievances
• Holding a disciplinary meeting
• Do’s and Don’ts that really work
• Employment law – An Update
• Understanding the law
• Performance appraisal skills

Conducting Investigation, Dignity at work, Bullying and Harassment

• Preparing for an investigation
• Managing the interview
• Documentation – do’s and don’ts Getting your point across
• Dignity at work – the essential elements
• Bullying and harassment – policies and practice
• Skills to manage a claim

Mediation Skills, Assertiveness and Negotiations

• Assertiveness and Personal Effectiveness
• Negotiation skills and strategies
• Mediation – stages and skills
• Managing the mediation process
• Dealing with challenging behavior
• A mediation model that works

The concept of employee engagement

• The concept of employee engagement
• Behaviours and evidential signs
• Connections between employee engagement managerial leadership and strategic aspirations
• Implications for HR management connections between engagement and HR strategies

Methodology

To enhance learning effectiveness, hand on experience will be emphasised in this programme through role-plays in class presentation, group facilitation and class critique.

Case studies, group discussions and video support will also be used to enhance learning experience. Fun quizzes will be injected to provide formative assessment and a fun learning environment.