A disagreement between employees leads to allegations of bullying and a formal grievance complaint
The Client
Our client is a specialist medical consultancy, with 30 employees.
The Problem
Two of our client’s employees who had worked together for many years had a disagreement at work over a non-work-related matter. The disagreement was never dealt with and was left to fester over a period.
This led to the situation worsening and ultimately became untenable. The situation became so bad that a letter of complaint was received by the client from one of the employees detailing allegations of bullying against the other. If not dealt with quickly the situation was in danger of going legal.
The client contacted The People Connection immediately as they did not know how to deal with the sensitive situation. They were extremely concerned as threats of bullying can be extremely destructive and damaging for a business, not to mention very costly if not handled correctly.
In addition, productivity had also dropped due how bad the situation had become.
The Solution
The People Connection advised our client on the correct grievance process to follow. Having determined that a formal grievance process was necessary, The People Connection advised and supported them with all the compliant documentation required and assisted the managing director with meetings on-site.
The Outcome
The advice and support provided to the business by The People Connection gave the managing director confidence in handling the situation.
The grievance was subsequently resolved, both employees continue to work at the business and all problems put behind them. The client was happy that normal service had resumed, and productivity was on the rise.
During our involvement it became clear that the client had no policies or procedures in place for dealing with these types of complex situations. They completed our free HR health-check which gave them a broader idea of which areas needed addressing.