From time to time people may have problems or concerns about their colleagues, customers, company leadership, work environment and so forth. We want everyone in the organisation to be empowered to raise an issue and have it dealt with swiftly and fairly.
The first thing you can do, if you feel comfortable and able, is raise the issue directly with the person involved. This type of direct and informal approach is encouraged and we expect your colleagues who are approached responsibly to respond in a similar manner. This approach may be particularly appropriate to dealing with matters of speech and expression, where individuals may not be aware that their behaviour is causing distress.
If you feel unable to have a conversation directly with the person involved, and they are a member of staff at Made Tech, then you can discuss this further with your line manager. They can help you find a way to discuss this directly with the person or discuss other routes to help resolve the issue.
In particular, if you have a grievance you feel unable to raise with your line manager and feel unable to raise directly, you should raise this issue with the people team who can help.
Sometimes you might not be sure how to resolve the issue, or who you should speak to about it for some advice. If this is the case, then you can speak to your People Partner or email [email protected].
We provide staff access to a employee wellbeing service which includes a phone number you can call for third party advice on HR issues.
You can also call the Acas on 0300 123 1100, Monday-Friday 8am-6pm.
At the time of writing we do not have anyone with mediation training at the company but if necessary we can bring in third party mediators to deal with disputes informally.
You can find out more about Mediation from Acas.
If you wish to enter a mediation process, please ask the people team to request mediation.
From time to time people may have problems or concerns about their colleagues, leadership, their work environment and so on. We want everyone at Made Tech to be empowered to raise an issue.Grievances are concerns, problems or complaints that team members raise with their employer.
While we will always try and resolve a grievance informally, this might not always be possible and in these cases we will follow our formal grievance procedure, which you can find here. If you raise a formal grievance, the following steps will be taken:
- Step 1: You should write a letter or email to [email protected] setting out the details of your grievance and how it might be resolved.
- Step 2: Made Tech will then arrange a formal meeting to discuss the issue as soon as possible. You have the right to bring a companion* with you. We will then adjourn the meeting to investigate the issue further.
- Step 3: We will then decide what action, if any, to take. The outcome, and an explanation of how the decision was reached, will be communicated to you in writing.
- Step 4: You have the right to appeal the outcome if you believe it was unfair. The appeal will be heard as quickly as possible, and efforts will be made to involve an impartial appeal hearing manager who has not already been a part of the grievance procedure. The outcome of the appeal will be communicated in writing.
*Companion can include a paid official of a trade union, a lay trade union official that can provide evidence of experience in these matters, or a colleague.
More information on solving workplace disputes can be found on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/solve-workplace-dispute
If you cannot resolve your problem in the workplace, you may have the right to make a claim to an Industrial Tribunal or Fair Employment Tribunal.
You should seek advice from LRA before starting any procedure.
You can find information on how to make a claim on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunals
We always prefer to handle minor misdemeanours in an informal way, however in the event of misconduct at Made Tech, we follow a formal disciplinary (conduct) procedure detailed in our policy here.
This policy applies to misconduct and gross misconduct from our team members, and it includes what is and is not acceptable behaviour at Made Tech.
We would always start the process with an investigation to understand what has happened, this could lead to a disciplinary meeting. The possible outcomes of a disciplinary meeting could be no further action, or a warning depending on the facts of the case.
Should a team member’s actions be considered gross misconduct, this could then lead to suspension and/or dismissal. You would be given the right to appeal if you were given a warning or dismissed.
If you are involved in or have been affected by a conduct procedure, you can reach out for support from:
- The people team
- Our Employee Assistance Programme
- ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service)