Employee Relations and Engagement Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Employee Relations Specialist, HR Business Partner and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-LR-021

Before you join: Participants should have practical experience of line management, HR administration or people advisory work, and understand basic workplace policies such as absence, conduct, performance and grievance procedures.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Employee relations professionals must resolve individual concerns, maintain fair procedures, hear employee voice and manage collective issues without allowing avoidable disputes to damage trust, retention or service delivery. The work requires sound judgement: a manager’s informal conversation may be enough in one case, while another needs a documented investigation, formal hearing or consultation with employee representatives. Poorly handled cases can create inconsistency, grievance backlogs, manager anxiety and employee distrust.

This course develops the practical skills needed to manage employee relations and engagement matters with structure and credibility. Participants examine the employment relationship, procedural justice, engagement diagnostics, employee voice, performance and absence cases, conflict, grievances, disciplinary processes, trade union relations and organisational change. They learn to distinguish conduct from capability, assess case risk, plan investigations, facilitate difficult conversations, prepare consultation plans and use workforce data to identify recurring issues.

Instruction combines short tutor briefings with case analysis, group exercises, role-played conversations, negotiation simulations and structured application planning. Cases reflect issues commonly faced in public services, financial institutions, multinational employers and large operational workforces. Participants receive a certificate of completion and leave with a usable employee relations case triage checklist, engagement action plan, investigation plan and employee relations dashboard outline.

The course is suited to HR practitioners, employee relations specialists and people managers who already deal with people issues and need greater confidence in handling them consistently. It is particularly valuable for professionals moving from generalist HR work into a role with greater responsibility for complex cases, policy application, consultation or workforce engagement.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess employee relations cases using risk, fairness and escalation criteria
  • Apply procedural justice principles to disciplinary, grievance and performance decisions
  • Design pulse surveys and engagement action plans from employee feedback
  • Facilitate employee voice conversations using listening and interest-based dialogue techniques
  • Prepare investigation plans, evidence matrices and outcome documentation
  • Conduct conflict-resolution conversations using de-escalation and mediation stages
  • Plan consultation and collective bargaining activities with employee representatives
  • Build an employee relations dashboard and prioritised improvement plan

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence choosing informal, formal or escalated responses to employee concerns
  • A clearer method for separating capability, conduct, attendance and relationship issues
  • Stronger interviewing and documentation skills for sensitive workplace investigations
  • Practical language for difficult conversations, feedback and conflict de-escalation
  • A structured plan for improving engagement within the participant’s own team or function

For your organisation

  • More consistent handling of grievances, disciplinary matters and performance concerns
  • Earlier identification of recurring employee relations risks and case trends
  • Better-quality manager conversations before issues become formal disputes
  • Clearer consultation and communication during workforce change
  • More accountable engagement actions linked to employee feedback and business priorities

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can assess employee relations issues, identify stakeholders and select an appropriate response route.

  • Employment relationship foundations: mutual obligations, implied terms, trust and confidence
  • Psychological contract analysis identifies expectation gaps before they become disputes
  • Employee relations roles within HR, line management and representative structures
  • Stakeholder mapping distinguishes decision-makers, influencers, affected groups and employee representatives
  • ER case triage separates individual issues, collective concerns and systemic risks
  • Fairness principles: consistency, transparency, proportionality, timeliness and documented reasoning

Participants can apply fair-process principles and maintain defensible case documentation.

  • Procedural justice tests decisions for voice, neutrality, respect and explanation
  • Policy hierarchy links contracts, handbooks, collective agreements and local legislation
  • ACAS Code principles applied to disciplinary and grievance procedures
  • Documenting allegations, evidence, meeting notes and decision rationales accurately
  • Confidentiality boundaries, data minimisation and need-to-know access controls
  • Escalation criteria distinguish informal resolution, formal process and external advice

Participants can diagnose engagement issues and create focused actions from employee feedback.

  • Engagement drivers distinguished from satisfaction, motivation, wellbeing and retention
  • Gallup Q12-style question design tests clarity, recognition, growth and belonging
  • Pulse survey design sets populations, cadence, anonymity thresholds and response actions
  • Segmentation compares engagement patterns by function, tenure, location and manager
  • Driver analysis prioritises issues through impact, effort and employee comments
  • Closing feedback loops communicates findings, ownership, deadlines and progress measures

Participants can design employee voice arrangements and conduct meaningful consultation conversations.

  • Employee voice channels: surveys, listening sessions, forums, representatives and digital feedback
  • Consultation plans define purpose, scope, stakeholders, timing and decision rights
  • Interest-based dialogue separates positions, interests, options and objective criteria
  • Manager listening techniques use open questions, paraphrasing, probing and summarising
  • Speak-up arrangements protect confidentiality, non-retaliation, escalation and feedback
  • RACI matrices assign consultation actions, approvals, communications and follow-through

Participants can address performance and attendance concerns with support, evidence and consistency.

  • Performance conversations distinguish capability, conduct, motivation and workplace barriers
  • SMART improvement plans specify standards, evidence, support, milestones and review dates
  • Absence management separates short-term patterns, long-term cases and accommodations
  • Reasonable adjustment assessments consider functional limitations, options and operational impact
  • Attendance review meetings balance support, consistency, medical evidence and policy
  • Early intervention records establish facts without prejudging employee explanations

Participants can diagnose conflict and lead structured conversations towards workable agreements.

  • Conflict diagnostics identify task, relationship, process and values-based disagreements
  • Thomas-Kilmann modes guide responses to competing, avoiding and collaborating behaviours
  • De-escalation language acknowledges emotion, reframes accusations and restores problem-solving
  • Facilitated conversations establish ground rules, agendas, options and agreed actions
  • Mediation stages move from opening statements to settlement and follow-up
  • Conflict records capture agreements, unresolved issues, owners and review points

Participants can plan fair investigations and prepare clear, evidence-based case outcomes.

  • Grievance intake clarifies concerns, desired outcomes, risks and immediate safeguards
  • Investigation plans define allegations, witnesses, evidence sources, milestones and roles
  • Fact-finding interviews use chronology, open questions, challenge and corroboration
  • Evidence matrices test relevance, reliability, consistency and gaps before findings
  • Disciplinary hearings apply notice, representation, impartiality and proportional sanctions
  • Outcome letters explain findings, decisions, appeal routes and implementation actions

Participants can prepare for representative engagement, consultation and collective negotiations.

  • Trade union recognition, representation and facility-time arrangements explained
  • Collective bargaining preparation defines mandates, data, priorities and concession limits
  • Interest-based bargaining builds packages around shared and competing needs
  • Negotiation records distinguish proposals, agreements, reservations and implementation responsibilities
  • Collective disputes assessed for operational continuity, communication and escalation risks
  • Joint consultative committees convert recurring issues into agreed workforce actions

Participants can plan fair employee relations activity during restructuring and workforce transition.

  • Change impact assessments identify affected groups, terms, risks and consultation duties
  • Change narratives connect business rationale, employee implications and available support
  • Consultation timelines sequence announcements, representative engagement, feedback and decisions
  • Restructuring communications manage uncertainty without promises unsupported by decisions
  • Workforce transition plans cover redeployment, selection, exits and survivor engagement
  • Change temperature checks track understanding, sentiment, rumours and manager confidence

Participants can monitor employee relations performance and create a practical improvement plan.

  • Employee relations dashboards combine case volumes, themes, durations and outcomes
  • Leading indicators monitor manager capability, pulse results, absence and conflict
  • Case trend analysis separates recurring causes from isolated employee concerns
  • Risk registers assign controls, owners, review dates and escalation thresholds
  • ER operating plans set priorities, measures, governance and communication routines
  • Personal application plans schedule first actions, stakeholders and evidence of progress

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Employee relations case triage checklist
  2. Engagement pulse survey and action-plan template
  3. Employee voice and consultation plan
  4. Workplace investigation plan and evidence matrix
  5. Difficult conversation preparation guide
  6. Employee relations dashboard outline

Who should attend

  • Employee Relations Specialist — manages sensitive cases and needs consistent procedural judgement
  • HR Business Partner — advises leaders on workforce issues, change and employee trust
  • HR Manager — oversees case quality, policy application and manager capability
  • People Manager — handles performance, absence, conflict and employee concerns directly
  • Learning and Development Manager — supports managers to improve engagement and conversations
  • Trade Union or Employee Representative Liaison — works with consultation and collective issue processes

Skills and tools covered

Employee relations caseworkEngagement diagnosticsWorkplace conflict resolutionGrievance investigationsCollective consultationER data analysis

Tools and standards

ACAS Code of Practice, Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, RACI matrix, SMART framework

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce methods, followed by realistic case work drawn from employee relations practice. Participants analyse case facts, draft decision rationales, interpret engagement feedback and plan consultation activity in small groups. Simulations focus on difficult manager conversations, grievance meetings, mediation stages and representative discussions. Facilitated reviews compare alternative responses against fairness, evidence, consistency and employee impact. Individual application planning connects course methods to current cases, team priorities and workplace policies.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical experience of line management, HR administration or people advisory work, and understand basic workplace policies such as absence, conduct, performance and grievance procedures. Familiarity with the organisation’s employee handbook, reporting lines and HR case process is helpful. Participants should be ready to discuss realistic workplace scenarios and review written case information. Prior legal training, trade union experience, mediation certification, statistical expertise or responsibility for formal hearings is not required. The course does not replace jurisdiction-specific legal advice.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should have some exposure to people management, HR support or workplace policy application. They do not need formal legal, mediation or trade union qualifications.

Bring a current employee relations, engagement or management challenge that can be considered without sharing confidential personal data. Access to your organisation’s relevant policies is useful but not essential.

It suits HR generalists, employee relations advisers, HR business partners and managers who handle employee concerns. It also helps professionals preparing to take responsibility for formal casework, consultation or engagement activity.

Employment law courses concentrate on legal rules, while leadership courses usually focus on general people-management behaviours. This course concentrates on the operational methods used to assess, document, resolve and prevent employee relations issues.

Participants can use the triage checklist on live cases, improve a survey or listening process, and strengthen investigation planning. The final application plan identifies immediate actions, stakeholders and measures of progress.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30, providing about 6.5 contact hours. The programme is taught through ten linked modules, with time for instruction, case analysis, simulations, discussion and application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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