From time to time people may have problems or concerns about their colleagues, customers, company leadership, work environment and so forth. We want everyone in the organisation to be empowered to raise an issue and have it dealt with swiftly and fairly.
The first thing you can do, if you feel comfortable and able, is raise the issue directly with the person involved. This type of direct and informal approach is encouraged and we expect your colleagues who are approached responsibly to respond in a similar manner. This approach may be particularly appropriate to dealing with matters of speech and expression, where individuals may not be aware that their behaviour is causing distress.
If you feel unable to have a conversation directly with the person involved, and they are a member of staff at Made Tech, then you can discuss this further with your mentor. They can help you find a way to discuss this directly with the person or discuss other routes to help resolve the issue.
In particular, if you have a grievance you feel unable to raise with your mentor and feel unable to raise directly, you should raise this issue with the people team who can help.
We provide staff access to a employee wellbeing service which includes a phone number you can call for third party advice on HR issues.
You can also call the Acas on 0300 123 1100, Monday-Friday 8am-6pm.
At the time of writing we do not have anyone with mediation training at the company but if necessary we can bring in third party mediators to deal with disputes informally.
You can find out more about Mediation from Acas.
If you wish to enter a mediation process, please ask the people team to request mediation.
Grievances are concerns, problems or complaints that employees raise with their employer. We follow the Acas Code of Practice on Grievance Procedures.
If a grievance cannot be settled informally, the employee should raise it formally with management, using the formal grievance procedure.
- Step 1: Employee should write a letter or email to the Head of People setting out the details of your grievance and how it might be resolved.
- Step 2: Made Tech will then arrange a formal meeting to discuss the issue as soon as possible. The employee has the right to bring a companion* with them. Made Tech may choose to adjourn the meeting to investigate the issue further.
- Step 3: Made Tech will then decide what action, if any, to take. The decision, and a full explanation of how the decision was reached, will be communicated to the employee, in writing, without unreasonable delay.
- Step 4: The employee then has the right to appeal any such decision. The appeal will be heard as quickly as possible, and efforts will be made to involve impartial members of staff or staff who have not already been a part of the grievance procedure. The outcome of the appeal will be communicated in writing.
*Companion can include a paid official of a trade union, a lay trade union official that can provide evidence of experience in these matters, or a colleague. In certain circumstances we may also allow representatives from other organisations if particularly relevant to the grievance such as Citizens Advice Bureau.
The Code of Practice can be found on the Acas website.
More information on solving workplace disputes can be found on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/solve-workplace-dispute
If you cannot resolve your problem in the workplace, you may have the right to make a claim to an Industrial Tribunal or Fair Employment Tribunal.
You should seek advice from LRA before starting any procedure.
You can find information on how to make a claim on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunals
We always prefer to handle minor misdemeanours in an informal – grown up - way. Where required, we follow the ACAS CoP for handling disciplinary procedures, which will be invoked in the unusual event that a member of staff breaches any of our Company policies or performs (or assists in) an illegal or immoral activity.