Skills Enhancement on Employee Relations; Motivation, Grievances and Discipline in the Public Sector

Course Overview:

The course is designed to develop increased productivity and motivation through the application of best practices in the way that employees are treated by the organization. The course will enable the creation of a working environment in which all staff can contribute to their full potential. This will involve creating a supportive and trusting climate at work and ensuring that individual and collective ER issues are handled positively and sensitively.

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course, the participants will be able to:

• Create a close working relationship between the ER and the rest of the organization
• Establish the policies that create an effective ER function
• Match these policies to the practices that support them
• Get the best from people
• Address key issues for ER and Supervisors/Team Leaders such as handling absence, poor timekeeping, and unrealistic aspirations for promotion
• Relate the role of ER to the role of the Managers/Supervisor and Team Leader
• Manage the change
• Deal with performance problems and modify the behaviour of employees
• Influence the behaviour of managers and team leaders
• Operate disciplinary procedures and grievance procedure
• Know how to manage absence
• Understand the role of an Employee Assistance Program
• Recognize the different roles of HR and ER staff; line managers, supervisors and team leaders

Course Coverage:

Topic 1: The Core Role of Employee Relations:

• The Context
• Change Management
• ER and Nationalization
• Understanding the Rationale of ER
• The Core Role of ER
• The distinction between the role of ER and the role of the Manager
• The Impact on Policies and Procedures
• Change Agent and Employee Champion
• The Psychological Contract

Topic 2: The ER function in Practice:

• Communications
• Team Briefing
• Consultation
• Discipline - Gross misconduct
• Discipline - poor performance
• Appeals
• Handling sickness absence
• Return to work interviews
• Notification Rules
• Trigger Mechanisms

Topic 3: Supporting the Manager, Supervisor or Team Leader:

• Grievances
• Conducting the Grievance Interview
• Management’s right to manage
• Equal Opportunities
• Discrimination
• Equality and diversity
• Harassment and Bullying
• Motivation

Topic 4: Managing Performance, Counselling, Providing Employee Assistance:

• The performance management process
• Motivation and Goal Theory
• Giving Feedback
• Coaching
• Counselling – Managers and Supervisors
• Counselling employees
• A Counselling Style Inventory
• Employee Assistance Programs

Topic 5: Getting the Best from People:

• Getting the Best from People
• Then characteristics of leaders
• Leading VS Managing
• Leadership Competencies
• Leadership development
• 360-degree feedback
• Personal Development Planning

Targeted Groups:

• Managers, Supervisors, and Team Leaders
• Human Resources Specialists
• Employees who want to gain new skills and knowledge to improve their career