Management skills
Managing People Within the Law
A two-day course
As HR departments take on an increasingly strategic role and devolve more responsibilities to line managers, it is vital that those line managers are supported by having a practical understanding of the UK’s ever-changing and increasingly complex employment laws. This two-day programme helps managers become familiar with the legislative framework affecting the workplace and emphasises when it is necessary to call upon the support of the HR specialists. This comprehensive two-day workshop will increase delegate's understanding and awareness of UK employment law and demonstrate how to apply this, through the use of best practice, in their role as line managers.
Participants in this practical two-day workshop are encouraged to take a pro-active approach, using small team discussions, case studies and practical exercises. This helps to ensure a pooling of ideas, knowledge and experience in applying the skills back at work.
This programme is ideal for line managers who have had little or no formal training in employment law, although it has also benefited many managers who were in need of a ‘refresher’ on the subject. HR advisors can also benefit significantly from attending this course. We strongly recommend that your organisation’s policies and procedures are incorporated into the workshop, to help ensure that participants fully appreciate the relevance of what is being taught.
Day One
Introduction and course objectives
- What HR responsibilities does a line manager have?
- The impact on the line manager of the changing role of HR
- HR responsibilities of the line manager
- Introduction to the UK employment legal system
- Statutory employment rights
- Common law rights
- Unfair dismissal
- Constructive dismissal
- Wrongful dismissal
- Employment Tribunals
- Remedies and compensation
- Defining employment status
- Employee
- Fixed term contractor
- Agency worker
- Self-employed
- Managing agency workers, contractors and self-employed
- How status is determined by Employment Tribunals
- Discrimination law
- Sex and sexual orientation discrimination
- Race and religious discrimination
- Disability discrimination
- Age discrimination
- Direct discrimination
- Indirect discrimination
- Victimisation
- Bullying and harassment
- How to prevent and handle complaints
- Practical exercise
- Discrimination and recruitment
- Ensuring equal opportunities
- Using selection criteria
- Avoiding direct and indirect discrimination
- Questions to avoid
- Note taking
- Referencing
- Managing attendance
- Managing long-term absence
- Managing short-term absence
- Managing the malingerer
- Essential paperwork
- Medical certificates
- Return to work interview
- Video-based exercise
Day Two
- Managing performance
- Legal background to performance management
- Identifying poor performance
- Setting targets and measures
- Giving feedback
- Informal action
- Formal action
- Dismissal for poor performance
- Follow-up and record keeping
- Discipline
- A fair disciplinary procedure
- Dealing with conduct and capability
- Employees’ rights
- Case study review
- Grievance
- A fair grievance procedure
- Informal action
- Formal action
- Employees’ rights
- Family-friendly rights
- Managing requests for:
- Flexible working
- Maternity leave
- Paternity leave
- Parental leave
- Adoption leave
- Time off for dependants
- Data protection and record-keeping
- Principles of data protection
- Employees’ rights of access
- Penalties for breaching the Act
- Conclusion
- Workshop review/discussion
- Employment law surgery – an opportunity for you to ask our tutor advice on any of your employment issues