Policies and Procedures

[gavmoulds]

Hi all....theres lots to this but I work for a company that within just over 15 months has grown from approx 8 personnel including the MD to now over 180 with three directors in functional positions.

 

We have...ABSOLUTELY. no policies or procdeures for anything....and I really do mean nothing at all.

 

recently they have tried to discipline 2 people...they had Union reps with them and the procedures had to be stopped.

 

We have no..first aid kits, no first aiders, no fire wardens, no evacuation procedure,

 

No Equality and diversity policy, no staff handbooks etc the list goes on and on.

 

our fire alarms are never checked and there are no evacuation practices.

 

I am about to become the focus of a complaint and plan to use the opportunity to hopefully...wake them up to a few things.

 

Our HR and legal department are a young girl who has a bout as much experience and indeed the qualifications of a lollipop stick.

 

Please help.

[Emmzzi]

help what? the young woman you are insulting (she's just trying to make a living and someone else hired her!), the boss with an HSE inspection, or you for whatever the complaint is about?

 

There's no legal requirement to have any HR policies in place btw. None whatsoever.

 

If you would like to give information about *your* position, happy to offer an opinion.

[becky2585]

help what? the young woman you are insulting (she's just trying to make a living and someone else hired her!), the boss with an HSE inspection, or you for whatever the complaint is about?

 

There's no legal requirement to have any HR policies in place btw. None whatsoever.

 

If you would like to give information about *your* position, happy to offer an opinion.

 

That's not strictly true - they MUST have disciplinary and grievance procedures in place. A H&S Policy is also very important. Tribunals are also highly scathing of employers with no staff handbook

 

OP, there isn't really much you can do. You can't force them to be legally compliant. If you're in a sticky situation at any point and they have no policies, it'll probably work in your favour!

 

By the way - an anonymous tip off to the HSE may be in order. Or I suppose you could go down the whistleblowing route. It depends if it's worth the fight!

[Emmzzi]

I'm going to quibble a little bit on that and hope can tell me if this act has been supercede - Employmen Rights Act?

 

Note about disciplinary procedures and pensions.

 

(1)A statement under section 1 shall include a note—

 

(a)specifying any disciplinary rules applicable to the employee or referring the employee to the provisions of a document specifying such rules which is reasonably accessible to the employee,

 

[F1(aa)specifying any procedure applicable to the taking of disciplinary decisions relating to the employee, or to a decision to dismiss the employee, or referring the employee to the provisions of a document specifying such a procedure which is reasonably accessible to the employee,]

 

F1(b)specifying (by description or otherwise)—

 

(i)a person to whom the employee can apply if dissatisfied with any disciplinary decision relating to him [F2or any decision to dismiss him]F2 , and

 

(ii)a person to whom the employee can apply for the purpose of seeking redress of any grievance relating to his employment,

 

and the manner in which any such application should be made, and

 

©where there are further steps consequent on any such application, explaining those steps or referring to the provisions of a document explaining them which is reasonably accessible to the employee."

 

At point a) it's "any", not "their must be" and I have certainly seen emplyers say "we comply with ACAS" and leave it there.

 

I'll confess to having posted in anger yesterday though. OP seems happy to have let this ride for months and now wants to make a big fuss when he's in the soup - just not cricket!!

[smokejumper]

What was in place previously when there were only 8 employees, are the same 8 employees still there.

 

Is there no manager, he/she needs to take responsibility.

 

H & S is also an individual requirement as well. Have you noticed something dangerous or wrong.

 

Is there bad feeling and people are working to rule ie; it's not my job to do this or that etc.