Legal experts at EEF South are setting up a mock employment tribunal to help HR professionals cope with the stress of dealing with and appearing at employment tribunals.
The employer group, which provides support to businesses across the South East, is running two events at a time when the number of tribunal cases is rising rapidly. Over the last 12 months, cases have risen by 15 percent, from 115,039 in 2005-06 to 132,577, according to figures published recently by the Tribunals Service.
The EEF South events, in Hook, Hampshire on November 20 and 27, will recreate genuine cases to enable local employers to gain a practical insight into how tribunal procedures work.
“With the growth in employment legislation, particularly in regulations governing discrimination, the potential for employees to bring grievances against employers significant, as can be seen from the latest trends,” says Simon Pender, Head of HR and Legal Affairs at EEF South.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
“Of course, the best way of handling disputes is through mediation or avoiding the potential for such cases in the first place by putting effective employment policies in place. But with the number of cases going to tribunal rising rapidly, it makes sense for HR professionals and other managers to gain an insight into how a tribunal works. These events use real cases to recreate the tribunal environment and provide an opportunity for managers to receive a genuine ‘hands-on’ experience.”
The event will show how the tribunal procedure works, how witnesses give their evidence and are cross examined and how decisions are made.
