Learnings from the Employment Tribunal

Entered by: Heidi Rush @ 15:53:03 on 18/06/09

Last week, I had the dubious pleasure of attending a Case Management Discussion at the Employment Tribunals Office, Croydon. Having discussed my experience with a trusted colleague, he advised that his recent experience was the same, so I thought that I would share these important findings.

Firstly to clarify, the purpose of a Case Management Discussion is to discuss the employment tribunal complaint being made, to set and agree the way forward with all parties. All parties involved with the case including, the Judge, Claimant and his/her representative and the Employer must be present for the discussion.

During our meeting, the Judge imparted some important messages:

The Employment Tribunal Service across the UK has seen a vast increase in the number of complaints being raised to them in recent months
In Croydon, they are now scheduling hearings to take place no earlier than November 2009
That mediation is being promoted as the way forward for:

Tribunal cases, which are likely to last three days or more
Where the employee who has raised the complaint remains employed
Where there are signs that the matter can be settled between parties without the need for a hearing

However, even with this learning, it is important to understand that an Employment Tribunal is a costly, timely and stressful process for all parties and should be avoided at all costs. Should you want more information on this or any other HR Matter, please call one of our HR Consultants on 0845 6100 651.