Working with employee representatives

The role of employee representatives

Employee representatives act as the collective voice of your workforce. By dealing with them you save the need to talk to each employee directly. In some situations you are legally obliged to consult or inform staff about developments in your business - see the page in this guide on employee representatives and the law and see our guide on how to inform and consult your employees. But, in any case, an open approach with employees is more likely to improve their commitment and performance.

Employee representation may be by a trade union, in which case the representatives will be union members. Employee representation can also be a more unofficial arrangement, with a representative acting as spokesperson for the workforce, eg in a staff committee or a special situation such as redundancy. Representatives are normally elected by the employees that they represent, regardless of whether they - or the employees - are union members. 

Voluntary arrangements can:

• make employees' views known to management
• strengthen both sides' understanding of their obligations and rights
• create trust and improve relations

Examples of voluntary arrangements include:

• individual informal discussions or formal group meetings
• works councils, eg joint consultative committees and joint working parties where representatives of employers consult employee representatives for their views when making decisions - this could be through regular discussion of matters of mutual concern or by meeting to consider and resolve specific business issues

Workers have the right to be accompanied - not represented - by a colleague at certain disciplinary and grievance hearings. You can choose whether to let them be represented at such hearings, and whether to allow them to be accompanied and/or represented at other types of interview, meeting and hearing. Bear in mind that if you refuse to allow an employee to be accompanied, you are automatically guilty of unfair dismissal.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• The role of employee representatives
• Employee representatives and the law
• Redundancies and transfers
• Health and safety, pensions
• Information and consultation, works councils, working hours
• Representation of individual employees
• Working effectively with employee representatives

 

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