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Professional Development

Employee Relations for Managers

Most Management Problems Are Employee Relations Problems in Disguise

Grievances that escalate into claims. Disciplinary processes that go wrong because a step was skipped. Performance issues that drag on for months because the manager does not know how to address them. These are not HR failures. They are management failures that the right training prevents.

£30k+average cost of an employment tribunal claim, a fraction of what a well-run process costs

82%of managers handle difficult employee situations without adequate training or support

3xmore likely to retain employees in teams where managers handle concerns fairly and consistently

Most Management Problems Are Employee Relations Problems in Disguise

Grievances that escalate into claims. Disciplinary processes that go wrong because a step was skipped. Performance issues that drag on for months because the manager does not know how to address them. A team with low morale and no one quite sure why. These are not HR failures. They are management failures that the right training prevents.

£30,000+Average cost of an employment tribunal claim in the UK. The cost of a well-run process is a fraction of that.

82%Of managers report handling a difficult employee situation without adequate training or support.

3xMore likely to retain employees in teams where managers handle concerns fairly and consistently.

Does This Sound Familiar?

A grievance has been raised and you are not confident you are handling it correctly
A performance issue has been dragging for months because you are avoiding the confrontation
A previous disciplinary process went wrong and ended in a dispute or claim
Team morale is low and you cannot identify or fix the underlying cause
You rely on HR to handle every difficult conversation instead of building manager capability
Newly promoted managers have never had formal training on how to handle people problems

Who This Course Is For

👔

Line Managers and Team Leaders

Managers who handle day-to-day people issues and need a structured framework for doing it correctly, consistently, and fairly.

📊

HR Business Partners

HR professionals who support managers through disciplinary, grievance, and performance processes and want a shared methodology.

🚀

New Managers

Recently promoted managers who have never had formal training in employee relations and want to build confidence quickly.

🏛️

Senior Leaders

Leaders who want to understand the employee relations landscape and build a culture that prevents problems before they occur.

What You Leave With

Tools and frameworks you apply the week you return to work.

✓

Grievance handling frameworkapply to any complaint, formal or informal, the day you return

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Disciplinary process templatesinvestigation checklists, hearing scripts, and outcome letter drafts

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Performance improvement plan structuremilestones, review points, and documentation requirements

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Difficult conversation scriptsfor attendance, conduct, performance, and interpersonal conflict

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Employee engagement diagnosticidentify the root causes of disengagement on your team

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90-day action planspecific commitments for improving how people problems are handled in your team

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Certificate of Completionfrom Matsh, recognised internationally

Programme Outline

Employee Relations Fundamentals and the Legal Framework

Most managers operate without a clear understanding of their legal obligations or where their authority ends. This module establishes what employee relations covers, what the law requires, and what the cost of getting it wrong actually is.

What employee relations covers: from engagement through discipline, grievance, and exit
Employment law essentials: the framework managers need to understand
Manager vs HR responsibilities: clarity on who owns what
The cost of getting it wrong: claims, turnover, and cultural damage
The psychological contract: what employees actually expect beyond the written contract
What a healthy employee relations climate looks like and how to create one

Grievance Handling and Difficult Conversations

Grievances handled badly become legal claims. Handled well, they become opportunities to improve the workplace. This module gives you a step-by-step process for handling complaints at every level and builds the confidence to have conversations most managers avoid.

The grievance spectrum: informal, formal, and collective
Step-by-step handling: from first contact to written outcome
Investigation skills: gathering evidence, conducting investigatory interviews, documenting findings
Difficult conversation technique: structure, emotion management, and reaching resolution
Cultural dimensions: handling grievances where direct confrontation is not culturally appropriate
Role play: live grievance scenarios with facilitator and peer feedback

Disciplinary Processes and Performance Management

Disciplinary processes are where managers make the most costly mistakes, usually by either avoiding them too long or skipping procedural steps. This module walks through the complete disciplinary cycle and connects it to early, proportionate performance management.

The disciplinary spectrum: informal feedback to formal warnings to dismissal
Procedural fairness: the steps you must follow and why skipping them is always expensive
Conducting a disciplinary hearing: preparation, structure, and documentation
Performance improvement plans: setting up, reviewing, and closing fairly
Managing absence: addressing patterns without creating discrimination risk
Documentation: what to record, how, and why it matters when disputes arise

Conflict Resolution, Mediation, and Team Dynamics

Not all employee relations problems are individual. Team conflict, interpersonal breakdown, and toxic dynamics need different tools. This module covers conflict resolution and mediation and examines how team dynamics create the conditions for either productive relationships or persistent friction.

Sources of workplace conflict: individual, team, and organisational drivers
Conflict styles: understanding your default and choosing the right approach for the situation
Mediation skills: when and how to use structured mediation to resolve interpersonal disputes
Bullying and harassment: recognising, responding, and preventing
Managing cliques and in-group dynamics in diverse teams
Building team cohesion: practical approaches without forced activities

Employee Engagement, Culture, and the Action Plan

Employee relations problems are symptoms. The underlying cause is usually a workplace culture where people do not feel heard, valued, or treated fairly. This module connects the reactive tools to the proactive work of building a culture that prevents problems before they occur.

Employee engagement: what it is, how to measure it, and what drives it
The manager's impact on engagement: what the research shows
Voice and participation: creating channels that actually get used
Recognition and fairness: the two biggest predictors of employee relations climate
Building your 90-day action plan: specific commitments
Presentations and peer feedback

Common Questions

Do I need an HR background to attend?

No. The course is designed for line managers, not HR professionals, though HR business partners also benefit significantly. No prior HR knowledge is required. The course starts from fundamentals and builds from there.

Can we run this in-house for our management team?

Yes. When your entire management cohort shares the same framework, consistency across the organisation improves significantly. We tailor the content to your sector, your employment policies, and the specific challenges your managers face.