The right to be accompanied: Episode 20

An employee's right to be accompanied at a disciplinary and grievance meeting

In this episode of the podcast I tell you about a recent change to the ACAS code of practice on disciplinary and grievances which has been brought about by a decision of the employment appeal tribunal on the question of whether or not an employer can refuse to allow the employee's particular choice of companion.

In this episode you will learn

• What the Employment Appeal Tribunal said about the legal right to be accompanied
• What changes this made to the ACAS Code of Practice
• What it could cost an employer who refuses to allow an employee to be accompanied
• Who the employee can be accompanied by
• What an employer's options are with exercising their discretion over who can accompany an employee
• When it may be a reasonable adjustment to allow an employee to be accompanied by someone other than required by law
• When you should seek advice

HR Best Practice Tip

The HR tip of the week is about checking your employee or staff handbook to ensure any terms which are 'contractual' are clear and not likely to cause difficulty in the event that a dispute arises in the future.