We are happy to provide tailor-made training for any employer on the full range of employment law subjects.  Clients have found this particularly useful, for example, when launching new internal policies and procedures. We can train your staff on these new materials, explaining them within the legal context, and working through how they would apply to practical scenarios.  Sometimes a specific staff training need (for example, diversity training) is identified as a result of a grievance or a Tribunal claim, and we can work within whatever framework you require to meet this.

Equally, we have a number of “off the shelf” training packages which we have run very successfully for employers. These include:

Managing sickness absence - techniques for addressing short-term absence, long-term sickness and disability issues (including reasonable adjustments), dealing with “issue avoidance” illness.

Getting the best out of your staff - how to motivate the high-performers and manage the under-performers, using appraisals and performance management systems.

Handling investigations – how to investigate complaints and concerns by or about employees, when to suspend, dealing with anonymous allegations, preparing for disciplinary/grievance hearings.

Conducting disciplinary and grievance hearings – the roles of the different parties, considering the evidence, reaching findings, preparing outcomes, using the statutory procedures to your advantage.

Recruitment – the equal opportunities issues that may arise when advertising, short-listing, interviewing and appointing, dealing with CRB checks and references.

Equal Opportunities within the workplace – raising equal opportunities awareness and implementing good practice, handling complaints, avoiding victimisation.

Avoiding Employment Tribunals – addressing the top 5 pitfalls (failure to make reasonable adjustments, non-compliance with statutory procedures, inadequate redundancy consultation, victimisation, changing terms and conditions without consent)

We also offer a “mock employment tribunal”, where participants play the role of the witnesses, and are cross-examined on their handling of contentious staff issues.  This is excellent preparation for the real thing, or challenging training for any manager who has to take responsibility for decisions affecting staff.

In addition to this training, which is focused on developing management skills, we also offer training on topical areas of employment law. Examples of these seminars include:

Age discrimination – the new law, and its impact on practices and procedures, from recruitment to retirement.

Disability discrimination – identifying and dealing with disabilities, avoiding direct and disability-related discrimination,  making reasonable adjustments

Status – who are your “employees” and “workers”? Who employs agency workers? Is anyone truly self-employed?  Why does it matter?

Statutory Dispute Resolution Regulations – do your policies meet the legal requirements?  Recognising grievances, and applying the dismissal procedure in appropriate situations (for example, redundancies, termination of fixed term contracts, and  changing terms and conditions).

TUPE – when is there a transfer and what are the implications?  What are your duties (and options) as transferor/transferee?

Whistle-blowing – recognising a public interest disclosure, and dealing with it appropriately.  What action can be taken in respect of a “whistle-blower”? 

As with the skills-based training, the above seminars involve case studies, and active participation from the attendees.

Given that the participants in the training will be taking part in discussion and working through the case studies, we usually suggest up to 20 attendees per session.  Unlike many other training providers, however, we do not charge per head, but costs are calculated on the basis of the length of the session, where it is to be held, and the extent to which it is to be tailor-made.  A half day session can start from £750 (exclusive of VAT) – which for 20 people is just £37.50 per head.  We believe that this represents excellent value.

BWB Practical Employment Training Services

All training is carried out by the solicitors in the BWB employment team, who are highly experienced in giving practical advice to employers with difficult employment problems, and defending claims as advocates in the Employment Tribunals.  We believe that training should not be about theory, but about the practical application of the law to everyday situations.  As practitioners who spend all our time dealing with employment law issues for our clients we are ideally placed to help train your staff in this way.

We have for many years provided in-house training to employers.  The feedback we have consistently received is that our training services stand apart from those of other lawyers or indeed training providers in terms of the practical nature of the advice given, the interaction with the participants and the value for money.  Our training is case-study based, drawing on our extensive day-to-day experience in advising clients about handling difficult workplace situations. Its purpose is to empower those managing staff, or advising managers, to do so confidently, with the necessary knowledge and skills.