Dispute Resolution Meetings

Employment law & dispute resolution

Meeting guidelines

It is the employer’s responsibility to arrange the conflict resolution meeting. It must be held at a reasonable time and location.

The employee should make every effort to attend the meeting, be well-prepared and use the opportunity to voice all concerns involved in the dispute, whether from memory or a prewritten statement.

The employer must arrange the details of the meeting and outline the structure based on the concerns raised, whilst ensuring the employee is given full opportunity to comment. The meeting should be set out to ascertain the facts of the conflict and resolve the issue.

In the event that a meeting reveals further investigation is required, the employer should consider adjourning the meeting, arranging a second meeting after the investigation has been carried out.

The employee, upon request, is legally entitled to be accompanied during this meeting and may choose either of the following: 

• a trade union representative / trade union official
• a colleague

In the event that an employee does not belong to a trade union and does not have a colleague able to attend, they may be able to request an accompanying family member or Citizens Advice Bureau worker, depending on their contract of employment.

The employee’s representative can do any of the following: 

• talk on the employee’s behalf
• present the case
• discuss the case with the employee, offering support during and after the hearing

However they cannot answer questions on the employee’s behalf. Should they be a fellow employee, they are legally protected against unfair dismissal or mistreatment as a result of the meeting.

After the dispute resolution meeting has taken place, the employer must write an official letter to the employee notifying them of their decision and course of action to be taken.

Share your experiences

Please note: The views expressed in community areas of this site do not necessarily reflect or represent the views of Law on the Web, its owners, its staff or contributors.