Stokers A5 Handbook Policies APR24

At the relevant meeting, an employee’s companion may make representations and ask questions, but should not answer questions on behalf of the employee. The employee and their companion may confer privately at any time during the meeting. Acting as a companion is voluntary and there is no obligation to do so. Employees will be allowed reasonable time off from duties without loss of pay to act as a companion. If a companion is unavailable at the time a meeting is scheduled under this policy Stokers may require the employee to choose someone else. Grievance meeting Stokers will arrange a grievance meeting after receiving any written grievance from an employee. The employee who has raised the grievance, and any companion, should make every effort to attend the grievance meeting. If they cannot attend at the time specified, they should inform Stokers immediately who will try, within reason, to agree an alternative time. The purpose of a grievance meeting will be to enable the employee to explain their grievance and how they think it should be resolved, and to assist the business to reach a decision based on the available evidence and the representations made. After an initial grievance meeting Stokers may carry out further investigations and hold further grievance meetings as appropriate. Such meetings will be arranged without unreasonable delay. Stokers will write to the employee who raised the grievance after the final grievance meeting to inform them of the outcome of the grievance, as well as any further action that the business intends to take to resolve the grievance. Appeals The employee may appeal the outcome of their grievance in writing to the HR Department, stating their full grounds of appeal, within 7 days of the date on which the decision was issued in writing. A grievance appeal should normally focus on any procedural errors which the employee believes have occurred, any new evidence which the employee believes undermines the original decision, and/or the suitability of the grievance decision and any recommendations made as part of it. The business will then arrange an appeal meeting with the employee. This will be dealt with impartially by a manager who has not previously been involved in the case (where possible, the manager hearing the appeal will be more senior). A member of the HR department will also usually

be present. As stated above, the employee may bring a companion to the appeal meeting. Stokers will confirm the appeal decision in writing following the appeal meeting. This is the end of the procedure and there is no further right to appeal.

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