Employee Relations Management Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends HR Advisers, Employee Relations Specialists and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-HM-117

Before you join: Participants should have practical experience in an HR, people management or employee relations role, including familiarity with organisational policies and routine manager advice.

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 advisers must resolve workplace concerns before they become grievances, claims, resignations or prolonged absence. They need to advise managers fairly, distinguish informal resolution from formal action, protect confidentiality and maintain accurate records. Poorly handled cases can create inconsistent treatment, discrimination risk, damaged trust and costly repeat issues. Sound employee relations practice gives organisations a disciplined way to address conduct, performance, conflict, absence and employee voice.

This course develops the practical case-management skills expected of HR advisers supporting managers and employees. Participants examine fair process, the ACAS Code of Practice, workplace investigations, grievance and disciplinary procedures, conflict resolution, capability management, sickness absence, reasonable adjustments, consultation and employee relations data. They learn to structure terms of reference, assess evidence, prepare hearing documentation, advise on proportionate outcomes and identify when specialist legal or occupational health input is needed.

Five instructor-led days combine concise briefings with case work, facilitated discussion, group analysis, role-based simulations and individual application planning. Delivery is available in classrooms across 50+ cities or live online. Participants receive a certificate of completion and leave with a reusable employee relations case-management toolkit, including investigation, hearing, absence and action-planning templates.

The course is designed for HR advisers, HR business partners, people managers and employee relations practitioners who already deal with workplace matters and need a more structured, defensible approach to complex people cases.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess employee relations cases using risk, fairness and evidence criteria.
  • Apply ACAS Code principles to grievance and disciplinary procedures.
  • Conduct structured workplace investigations using terms of reference and evidence matrices.
  • Facilitate informal conflict resolution using interest-based negotiation and mediation screening.
  • Prepare defensible grievance, disciplinary and capability documentation.
  • Advise managers on absence, reasonable adjustments and medical capability decisions.
  • Plan consultation and employee voice processes during workplace change.
  • Analyse case data to identify disparity, root causes and preventive actions.

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence advising managers through sensitive workplace cases
  • Stronger investigation and evidence-assessment skills
  • Clearer judgment on informal versus formal resolution routes
  • Practical documentation for hearings, decisions and appeals
  • A structured plan for improving employee relations practice

For your organisation

  • More consistent handling of grievances, discipline and capability cases
  • Better documented decisions and reduced procedural risk
  • Earlier resolution of conflict before formal escalation
  • Improved manager accountability for fair people management
  • Actionable case data for identifying recurring workplace issues

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can classify employee relations matters, assign responsibilities and triage cases using clear risk criteria.

  • Employee relations remit, stakeholder map and escalation routes for HR advisers
  • Psychological contract, employee voice and trust signals in workplace relationships
  • ACAS Code principles translated into fair process checkpoints
  • Distinguishing policy advice, case management and manager accountability
  • RACI matrix for HR, line manager, investigator and decision-maker roles
  • Case triage using risk, urgency, evidence and employee wellbeing criteria
  • Confidentiality boundaries, data minimisation and need-to-know communications

Participants can identify the procedural, contractual and equality considerations affecting employee relations decisions.

  • Sources of employment obligations: statute, contract, policy and custom
  • Procedural fairness tests: notice, evidence, hearing, representation and appeal
  • Protected characteristics and discrimination risks within employee relations decisions
  • Reasonable adjustments considered during capability, absence and conduct procedures
  • Retaliation and victimisation indicators identified before adverse management action
  • Documentation standards supporting consistency, proportionality and defensible outcomes
  • Applying the ACAS Code to disciplinary and grievance matters

Participants can assess workplace conflict and select appropriate informal resolution methods.

  • Conflict mapping distinguishes positions, interests, triggers and affected parties
  • Thomas-Kilmann conflict modes matched to workplace conflict scenarios
  • Active listening uses paraphrasing, open questions and emotion labelling
  • Interest-based negotiation separates people, problems, options and objective criteria
  • Informal resolution agreements specify behaviours, support, review dates and consequences
  • Mediation suitability assessed against safety, power imbalance and confidentiality concerns
  • Restorative conversations address impact, accountability and future working arrangements

Participants can plan and document a fair fact-finding investigation from allegation to report.

  • Allegation intake records dates, parties, concerns and immediate risk controls
  • Terms of reference define scope, allegations, authority, timescales and outputs
  • Investigation plans sequence witnesses, evidence sources, interviews and decision points
  • Fact-finding interviews use funnel questioning, probes and contemporaneous notes
  • Evidence matrices distinguish fact, inference, credibility and unresolved contradictions
  • Investigation reports present findings against the civil standard of proof
  • Interim measures assessed for necessity, proportionality, welfare and operational impact

Participants can manage grievance cases through receipt, hearing, decision, appeal and follow-up.

  • Grievance receipt acknowledges concerns, representation rights and procedural next steps
  • Early resolution options assessed without suppressing formal complaint rights
  • Grievance hearings structure allegations, evidence, questions, responses and adjournments
  • Decision letters explain findings, actions, rationale and appeal arrangements
  • Appeal reviews examine process, evidence, outcome and new material
  • Multiple grievances managed through coordination, confidentiality and conflict-of-interest controls
  • Post-case follow-up monitors retaliation, working relationships and agreed actions

Participants can support fair disciplinary proceedings and advise on proportionate sanctions.

  • Misconduct allegations classified by seriousness, policy breach and available evidence
  • Disciplinary hearing packs organise allegations, evidence, procedure and possible outcomes
  • Chairing techniques maintain impartiality, test evidence and manage adjournments
  • Sanction decisions apply consistency, mitigation, precedent and proportionality tests
  • Warnings specify required conduct, duration, review and consequences
  • Summary dismissal risks assessed against contractual, procedural and evidential thresholds
  • Appeal hearings separate original decision-makers from independent reviewers

Participants can distinguish capability from conduct and manage performance improvement fairly.

  • Capability cases distinguish skill gaps, conduct issues, health and job design
  • Performance evidence combines objectives, standards, feedback, records and support provided
  • SMART improvement plans define outcomes, milestones, resources and review dates
  • Feedback conversations use SBI structure: situation, behaviour and impact
  • Reasonable adjustments integrated into capability plans and performance expectations
  • Formal capability meetings test progress, barriers and alternatives to dismissal
  • Termination decisions document support, consultation, alternatives and business rationale

Participants can advise on absence cases while balancing attendance, health, equality and operational needs.

  • Absence data separates short-term patterns, long-term conditions and workplace causes
  • Return-to-work interviews identify support needs, attendance expectations and adjustments
  • Occupational health referrals frame functional questions rather than diagnostic demands
  • Disability-related absence considered with reasonable adjustment and discrimination safeguards
  • Trigger-point systems applied consistently while allowing individual circumstances
  • Stress risk assessments connect workload, relationships, control, change and support
  • Medical capability decisions coordinate evidence, consultation, prognosis and alternatives

Participants can plan employee consultation and manage representative relationships during change.

  • Employee voice channels compare direct consultation, representatives, surveys and forums
  • Consultation plans identify affected groups, information needs, timing and feedback loops
  • Trade union recognition, collective bargaining and representative roles explained
  • Collective disputes prepared through issue framing, mandate and negotiation protocols
  • Change communications address rationale, impact, consultation and implementation milestones
  • Engagement data converted into targeted employee relations interventions
  • Manager briefings create consistent messages without prejudging individual cases

Participants can use employee relations data to improve governance, consistency and preventive action.

  • Case dashboards track volumes, themes, stages, ageing and outcome patterns
  • Disparity analysis tests outcomes by protected characteristic and business area
  • Root-cause analysis uses five whys and fishbone diagrams on recurring cases
  • Records retention schedules align personnel files with policy and legal requirements
  • Data protection principles guide access, redaction, storage and disclosure decisions
  • Manager coaching plans target recurring procedural errors and confidence gaps
  • Personal application plan prioritises three employee relations improvements with measures

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. Workplace investigation plan and evidence matrix
  3. Grievance and disciplinary hearing pack
  4. SMART performance improvement plan template
  5. Absence and reasonable adjustments review template
  6. Employee relations dashboard and action plan

Who should attend

  • HR Advisers — need structured methods for managing employee relations cases
  • Employee Relations Specialists — require consistent investigation, hearing and resolution practices
  • HR Business Partners — advise leaders on sensitive people risks and manager actions
  • People Managers — handle conduct, performance, absence and workplace conflict directly
  • HR Managers — oversee fair procedures, policy compliance and case quality
  • Employment Relations Officers — support consultation, representative engagement and collective matters

Skills and tools covered

Case risk assessmentWorkplace investigationsConflict resolutionDisciplinary procedure managementAbsence case managementEmployee relations analytics

Tools and standards

ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures, Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, SMART framework, Ishikawa fishbone diagram

How the course runs

Training methodology

The instructor combines short technical briefings with realistic employee relations cases drawn from corporate, public-sector, banking and NGO settings. Participants analyse evidence, plan investigations, assess procedural choices and prepare documents for meetings and decisions. Group exercises test case triage, conflict resolution, hearing preparation and consultation planning. Role-based simulations build confidence in difficult conversations, while facilitated peer review compares alternative responses. Individual application planning translates the methods into priority actions, templates and manager-support practices for each participant's workplace.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical experience in an HR, people management or employee relations role, including familiarity with organisational policies and routine manager advice. They should recognise the difference between conduct, capability, grievance and absence matters, although detailed case-management expertise is not assumed. The course uses the ACAS Code as a fair-process benchmark; participants should also be prepared to relate learning to their local employment law and organisational procedures. No legal qualification, mediation accreditation, investigation certification or prior tribunal experience is required.

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

You should have experience in HR, people management or employee relations and be familiar with workplace policies. No legal qualification, formal mediation training or investigation certification is required.

Bring copies of relevant organisational policies, anonymised case examples and any recurring employee relations challenges you face. Do not bring identifiable employee records, confidential investigation materials or sensitive personal data.

The course suits HR advisers, employee relations practitioners, HR business partners and managers who handle people cases. It is particularly useful for those moving from routine HR administration into case advisory work.

Employment law courses focus primarily on legal rules, while investigation courses concentrate on fact-finding technique. This course addresses the wider employee relations case cycle, including conflict, grievance, discipline, performance, absence, consultation and prevention.

Participants use reusable templates for case triage, investigation planning, hearing preparation, performance improvement and employee relations reporting. The course also helps participants identify where policy, manager coaching or specialist advice is needed.

The course provides approximately 32.5 contact hours, normally from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, excluding breaks. Modules follow the employee relations case cycle, progressing from case triage and fair process to investigations, formal procedures, prevention and action 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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