Workplace Discussions – Page 7 – The Big Words Blog Site

Revealed: The Employee Motivation Techniques That Actually Work

Two focuses of my blog are Organizational/Management Discussions and Workplace Discussions. No matter what type of organization you’re running, one of your key focuses will be keeping your employees and staff motivated. The following contributed post is entitled, Revealed: The Employee Motivation Techniques That Actually Work.

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When you run a business and employ staff to work for you, you should keep in mind that it’s your job to ensure positive morale in the workplace. Employees don’t just want to get paid for their hard work; they also want to feel motivated and valued.

The trouble is, some employers find it challenging to figure out what they can do to motivate their workers. You’re likely reading this because you want to know the ‘secrets’ of motivating people. Take a look at these techniques for some valuable insight and inspiration:

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Incentivize Employees That Learn New Skills

Let’s face it: the people that work for you are a talented group of individuals. If they weren’t, you wouldn’t have hired them. But what if you’d like your team to learn new skills and become even more valuable and productive to your business?

One interesting technique is to incentivize your employees whenever they gain new skills and qualifications through your company. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a financial reward; it could be time off work or a meal for them and their family that you cover.

Invite Motivational Speakers to Your Premises

You undoubtedly want your team to offer their best work whenever they tackle their daily projects. After a while, employees might feel like going on autopilot and seldom have any interest in offering 100% effort all the time.

Sometimes, it can motivate your team to hear some wise words from a well-known figurehead in your industry. A guest speaker can inspire people and even help them look at their work from a different perspective.

For example, let’s assume you run a digital marketing agency. Your team may feel like every day is the same as the last, and their daily challenges are very monotonous and predictable. Someone like Lance Bachmann, the Digital Lion, can be very inspirational for your team.

Radiate Positivity

Nobody wants to work in an office or some other commercial premises and feel anxious and depressed. Luckily, you have the power to help foster and radiate positivity in the workplace! There are many ways you can make the working environment more positive and energetic.

One example is to create a recreational room in your office area where employees can play games and chill out. It can be a place where people can go whenever they want a break and take their minds off a stressful situation.

Another way to radiate positivity is by making most of your internal communications positive. Be sure to mention employees by name who do a great job or exceeded your expectations on a recent project, for example. It’ll make your team feel more valued.

Encourage Flexible Working

Lastly, if there’s one thing that the current COVID-19 pandemic has taught businesses, it’s that people need flexible working hours. To that end, encourage flexible working practices so employees can manage their work and personal lives more efficiently.

Such an approach ensures staff won’t get stressed out about their home lives, and they can concentrate on doing fantastic work for your business.

How To Be Safer In A Hazardous Workplace

Three focuses of my blog are Career Discussions, Health/Wellness and Workplace Discussions. In all workplaces, it’s critical to understand how to be safe and to protect your health at all costs. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Be Safer In A Hazardous Workplace.

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Hazardous workplaces can involve many risks and dangers. Whether you work in a manufacturing warehouse or oil well, there will be heightened hazards that could impact you on a daily basis if you are not careful. To reduce the risk of injury and potential threats, it is important to understand how to be safer in the workplace environment. No matter your job, these tips will help you reduce the risk of danger at work.

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Be Alert At All Times

If you work in a hazardous environment, you must be switched on and alert at all times. You cannot walk around haphazardly and not care about warning signs or potential hazards. It could be the case between life or death or a serious injury.

For example, if you were to spill chemicals on your hand at work, it may result in severe burns. Having a hand surgeon can help you maximize your ability and reduce the impact. Our hands are incredibly important and useful. A small injury can cause life-changing damage, so seeking help and recovery is crucial to minimize damage and impact. Maintaining your health and being aware of your surroundings at all times is so crucial to minimize injury.

Involve Yourself In Regular Training

Dangerous workplace environments will often offer regular training. This will either re-evaluate the dangers that already exist or update and educate you on new procedures. If your company offers regular training, always make sure you attend. It is crucial to be updated on workplace dangers to reduce your risk and maintain your health and safety.

If your workplace does not offer regular training, you could ask for it or read through the manuals on a regular basis.

Keep Your Space Clean

A messy workplace is a potential for disaster. Empty the bins regularly and clean those spills as fast as they appear.

Have a working team in place to clean up the messes created from day-to-day activities. The team is useful in helping you identify potential dangers. These include tangled cords, leaking roofs, dysfunctional equipment, and messy floors. While such a team may not be recognized, they play a very important role in any organization.

Use Equipment The Correct Way

Never take shortcuts when you are using tools, and always take the proper precautions. The leading cause of workplace injuries is when workers take a shortcut on the job. Don’t use a tool that has not been specifically designed for the job. Your chance of being injured in the workplace dramatically decreases when you use tools the right way.

You will always be trained on how to use certain tools. If it appears broken or you are unsure of how to use it correctly, always ask. It is not worth risking using a tool if you are unsure of its safety.

To keep yourself safer in a hazardous workplace environment, ensure to use these tips. It could be a matter of life or a serious injury. There will always be dangers, but it is how you handle them that will keep you safe.

Maintaining Your Health In A Modern Industrial Environment

Three focuses of my blog are Career Discussions, Health/Wellness and Workplace Discussions. Working in an industrial setting comes with its own unique set of challenges. If you’re working in such settings, you have to take the precautions to maintain your health. The following contributed post is entitled, Maintaining Your Health In A Modern Industrial Environment.

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Working in an industrial area will always come with some dangers. Machines can be misused, accidents can occur, and the materials being used don’t always react in the way that is expected. Of course, though, while you may have to work in a factory, warehouse, or on a building site, you don’t have to accept these risks without minimizing them. To help you out, this post will be exploring several of the key areas that will help you to maintain your health when you work in a place like this.

PPE

PPE can be extremely important in an environment like this, with things like hardhats, knee pads, and breathing equipment being very important to maintain your health. You should make sure that you know the law in your area, pushing your bosses to invest in the items you need for your role. This will be different in every job, with some people needing far more PPE than others. Of course, though, this should be easy to figure out.

Equipment

There is a lot of equipment used in industrial settings that can make or break the safety of your environment. Ladders, warehouse shelving, and the machines used in these places need to be adequate for their jobs, while also being used in the safest possible manner. Training is key when you’re using the equipment that comes in this sort of environment, but you may have to push your employer to put you through this if you feel you need it to be able to do your job safely.

The Building

If you work inside a building, the odds are that you are exposed to particles that aren’t usually found in the air. Many production processes involve gasses that can be harmful to people, and even the dust that is found in many warehouses can damage your health over time. This makes it well worth using some sort of mask or ventilation when you are at work. Many modern industrial workplaces have special air filtration systems in place for this.

Sound

Your hearing is one of your most crucial senses, but it can easily be taken away after years of being exposed to loud noises. People who work in loud environments should always wear ear protection, ensuring that they don’t suffer from problems once they retire, while also ensuring that their employer is safe from legal issues. It can be hard to tell when noise is hurting your ears, but this is something that you have to be very careful with.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to take on your health when you work in an industrial environment. It’s always worth keeping yourself safe when you are work, but you also need to keep in mind that your boss should also be interested in keeping you safe. If your employer ever ignores the safety tools you need, you can easily fight back and take them to court to get the problem solved.

3 Ways We Can Strive For Equality In The Workplace

Two focuses of my blog are Organizational and Management Discussions and Workplace Discussions. Most workplaces are businesses and organizations with a purpose. Increasing equality in your workplace however may increase your overall efficiency in terms of achieving that purpose. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Ways We Can Strive For Equality In The Workplace.

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For women embarking on a career in the modern world, there is still a battle to fight. But it shouldn’t be like this across-the-board. Thankfully, there are many businesses that are striving for equality in the workplace. But what are companies doing to promote equality in the work environment?

Changing the Culture of the Company
Changing the culture of an organization is crucial, but it’s something that is not done overnight. Can be to do with changing how people work. There are many projects that foster collaboration, and this means that when you start to alter the culture of a company and become more inclusive, this means there will be some kickbacks, but this will help to weed out the less forward-thinking employees.

Bringing In Mentors
To facilitate change on a regulatory as well as cultural level, you have to bring in people to mentor. This means ensuring that people are going to listen to an external voice, but also a mentor can facilitate and guide employees in the right direction so that it becomes a proper cultural change, rather than a surface area change.

Educating Employees on Gender Bias
Education is the fundamental tenet of facilitating change in any organization. If you have a look at the infographic below, you can see that when it comes to overcoming gender bias you’ve got to educate your employees as a matter of priority as well as make sure that employees are aware of equality, such as through being paid the same. When it comes to facilitating change in an organization, it can take a lot of work, but equality is something that shouldn’t just be there in the regulations but should be part of the company’s fabric.

Infographic by Profit.co Read more at Profit.co

Worried About Your Relationships With Your Employees: Here’s What To Do

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“The modern workplace relies on healthy relationships between companies and their employees. However, it can be challenging to get it right.”

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Two focuses of my blog are Management and Organizational Discussions and Workplace Discussions. No matter which sector you’re in, the relationships with your employees is absolutely critical. If those relationships get damaged, beware. The following contributed post is entitled, Worried About Your Relationships With Your Employees: Here’s What To.

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The modern workplace relies on healthy relationships between companies and their employees. However, it can be challenging to get it right. Employees often naturally feel as though they’re the underdogs and you’re the boss.

While this sort of hierarchy is common for business, it doesn’t always lead to the best social relationships. Many workers wind up feeling downtrodden and unable to reach their full potential in their lives.

In this post, we take a look at how you can prevent this and actually improve how you relate to your colleagues. Take a look at the ideas below:

Become A Parent To Your Employees

It might sound strange to say, but some of the best bosses out there take a parental role towards their employees. They encourage and nurture their colleagues to bring out their full set of talents.

You don’t want to become “mommy” to your employees. But adding care and attention here and there can help to improve their wellbeing and help them learn to appreciate you as their boss. It could be something as simple as offering words of encouragement or providing them with positive feedback on their work or it can be providing services such as personalized employee care to support their mental health and wellbeing. It all makes a difference.

Make Them Feel Like Valued Members Of The Team

People tend to work best when they have a purpose. But many companies expect their employees to just go through the motions as if that were enough.

The trick here is to find ways to make people in your enterprise feel like valued members of their team. You want them to make your company a part of their personal identity – something they value in and of itself.

Perhaps the best place to start is by organizing corporate events that get people out of the office. Sites like https://www.thegrandhallkc.com/corporate-events/ show the kind of events that you could hold for employees. Ultimately, what you want is a venue that allows you to communicate with employees about why they’re important to you, and why what they do matters.

Think about the mission of your company and look for ways to celebrate it. Make your corporate away days productive. But also ensure that they’re inspiring so that people actually want to come to work on a Monday morning.

Be Open To Learning

Nobody wants to work in a company that says that the “boss is always right,” says https://www.forbes.com/. That’s no fun. And it’s not even true. No single person can know everything or have great ideas, day in, day out.

Ideally, you want a situation where you and the rest of your managerial team are open to the possibility of learning. Sometimes employees can have great ideas, and allowing them to air them benefits everyone.

Create Trust

Creating trust is perhaps the most critical way to improve your relationships with your employees. Be transparent with them about what you want. Be kind in how you interpret what they say. And avoid gossiping or discussing them behind their backs. If there’s something wrong, speak to them directly about it.

How Remote Work is Changing Home Safety

Two focuses of my blog are Technology and Workplace Discussions. The implementation of the technologies that we now have, have significantly changed the workplace so that remote working is increasingly the norm. The following contributed post is entitled, How Remote Work is Changing Home Safety.

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It’s official – we’re living in the age of the remote working shift. Admittedly, this change has been bubbling away under the business surface for a while now but, with many companies having to shut shop, more of us than ever have found ourselves in home offices overnight. And, according to around 74% of firms, this is a change that’s set to stay.

After all, remote workers are famously more productive, while a reduction in office hours can mean reduced costs in everything from bills through to rental costs. The only trouble is that, as the ways in which we use our homes change, so too do the security risks we face. While theft avoidance has always been a priority of sorts, the majority of us have been relatively relaxed with safety measures. Now, home safety becomes a must as thieves from all sides take advantage of this home office phenomenon.

Here, we’re going to look at what exactly those risks look like, and how you can protect against them.

Soaring cybersecurity breaches

Perhaps the most notable security change has occurred in the cyber-sphere, where there’s been a 400% increase in attacks over the last twelve months. This isn’t altogether surprising considering that businesses are operating almost solely online right now. With malware in the right places, hackers can quite literally access entire infrastructures.

The good news is that businesses are responding with in-house cybersecurity efforts including cloud computing and end-point networks. Still, there’s nothing to stop attackers accessing your personal network. Hence, now is the time to arm yourself, not only with knowledge but also that anti-virus software that you’ve never felt the need to get around to until now.

More valuables than ever before

Many of us also now have a whole lot more valuables at home. At the very least, we’ve had to bring work computers into home offices. Not to mention that our cars are sitting on the driveway for longer. All of this means that thieves are guaranteed to get away with more.

Now could, therefore, be the ideal time for increased home security. At the very least, CCTV alarm systems could keep your vehicles safe. Meanwhile, in-house protections like floor safes can ensure that no one gets away with your all-important work valuables. That way, you can save yourself money in replacements and lost working hours!

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The risk of complacency

Alongside these risks is one that proves equally problematic – complacency. After all, we’re each home a lot more now, and you may assume your presence alone is enough of a protection. Sadly, someone is home in around 266,560 of household burglaries. Separate home offices in the garden are especially problematic, as thieves who keep a close eye will be able to gain access the moment you head off for your lunch break.

To avoid this eventuality and the shock that it can bring, remember that you are not an island. Rather, you need security measures in place to keep you safe, even when your back is turned!

The Types Of Workplace Safety Gear You Should Invest In

Three focuses of my blog are Health/Wellness, Organizational/Management Discussions and Workplace Discussions. Depending on the type of workplace and organization you’re running, there may be safety considerations. As such a significant investment for your will be workplace safety gear. The following contributed post is entitled, The Types Of Workplace Safety Gear You Should Invest In.

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As an employer, you have a responsibility to ensure the health and safety of your team as best as possible. Amongst the different ways of doing this, making sure that they are equipped with gear that can protect them from a variety of health hazards found in the workplace is a crucial step. Here, we’re going to look at some of the different kinds of protective and safety gear, and why it’s so important.

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Safety from contact wounds
Perhaps the simplest kind of safety gear is that which protects from all manner of contact wounds, including impacts, lacerations, and the like. This includes things like helmets designed to prevent head injuries, safety goggles in environments where things might be likely to hit the worker’s eye, gloves if they are handling tools, and more. These are the most basic choices in preventing accidents in the workplace.

Protecting their hearing
While the contact injuries mentioned above might be the most dramatic and commonly thought of workplace health risks, they are far from the only one. For instance, many construction and industrial sites produce an unsafe level of noises that can cause pain and permanent hearing loss. To that end, equipment such as earplugs and earmuffs can protect their ears by effectively lowering the decibel level that they are exposed to, crucial for anyone using heavy machinery.

Staying visible
In many workplaces, lighting equipment will be used to make sure that employees have the visibility they need to work safely. However, if they are working outside of a controlled worksite, especially on the road, then they could be a greater risk of being involved in an accident. High visibility work gear is designed to make them reflect light more easily so that they can be better spotted by motorists and others outside of the traditional worksite environment.

Protection from the elements
The weather itself can be a severe health risk. If someone is exposed to the cold and the rain for extended periods of time, it can result in them becoming seriously sick. As such, foul weather gear is often designed to insulate them, offering some level of protection from the cold, while also keeping them rainproof. It’s crucial to keep this kind of gear at the ready for any workers who might have to spend a long time working in the outdoors.

Healthy respiration
There are a lot of workers who will spend time working with hazardous elements that, if not careful, they could end up breathing in. All manner of smokes, dust, powders and vapours can be a health risk. As such, dust masks and full-face masks may be necessary depending on the kind of particles they are likely to be in contact with. Some particles may be agitating to even be in contact with, not only to breathe, after all.

Take the time to seriously address the risks found in your workplace, determine which gear is best suited to help your employees mitigate them, and make sure you invest in keeping them well-stocked in it at all times.

Top 5 Benefits of Employee Training

Three focuses of my blog are Career Discussions, Organizational/Management Discussions, and Workplace Discussions. Hiring a workforce is not just a matter of getting them into the door. You also have to maintain them and grow them once they are in your workforce. The following contributed post is entitled, Top 5 Benefits of Employee Training.

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Employees are the biggest assets of your business. Investing in them guarantees your business. As the world continues to change, technological advancements are challenging the usual way of working. In order to survive in the competitive market, you need to align yourself with the workplace’s changes.

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One incredible way is by enhancing the knowledge and skills of your employees through training. Offering training to your employees is not a disregard for their education and qualifications. Instead, it refines their abilities and gives them a more practical approach to how they should handle tasks.

Initially, employees could only use their knowledge and skills to ensure a company’s success. However, organizations now provide training as it helps to develop their skills to the benefit of the company. It ensures that the employees are more engaged, competitive, and efficient.

Here are some reasons you should invest in employee training for your company.

Boosts the Performance of your Employees

By training your employees, you improve their ability to perform their tasks even better. Employees get a good grasp of what they should do and how they should do it. They can build up their confidence, and with time, their overall performance also skyrockets.

Prepares Employees for Higher Responsibilities

Training your employees can also help you identify employees that can take on more responsibilities and move to a higher position within the organization. The training can equip your employees with additional skills for the better operations of the new tasks.

For example, you can train employees in leadership skills if you want them to join management and how to use online marketing tools if you want them to join the marketing team.

Improves the Safety and Security of your Business

Security awareness is essential in today’s businesses as advancement in technology makes companies more vulnerable. Your business data is your most valuable information and ensures its safety.

Employees are the primary cause of data breaches. Training your employees enforces the importance of security awareness in them.

You should also train your employees on how they can ensure their safety at the workplace in case of an emergency. Ensure that there are confined space rescue plans in place and that your employees clearly understand them to ensure everyone’s safety.

Shows that you value your employees

Training programs are an investment you are making in your employees. It involves teaching them new skills and abilities that can make them stand out among other workers with similar qualifications.

Your employees will feel valuable to your company. Their morale will improve, and so with their productivity.

Improves the Reputation of your Organization

One of the critical factors that can affect the reputation of your company is an employee’s misstep. Training your employees improves their individual performance and further enhances the overall performance of your company.

It also builds the reputation of your company as many people will view your company positively and encourage more people to want to join as employees or even investors.

A flawed onboarding process can earn you a poor reputation, making people lose interest in your company.

Summing Up

As the market continues to change, employers are realizing the value of training employees. The process benefits both the employees and employers mutually. Employees get better skills that make them stand out in the industry, and in return, they work with more efficiency with the goal of ensuring your company’s success.

While you may focus on skill development in your training, don’t ignore employee health and safety. It is your responsibility as an employer to ensure that they are safe as they work.

Methods For Creating High-Impact Teams That Don’t Alienate Their Methods

Two focuses of my blog are Organizational/Management and Workplace Discussions. No matter what sector you’re in, a key to creating a high-impact teams is doing so in ways that don’t hurt the team members and ultimately alienating them. The following contributed post is entitled, Methods For Creating High-Impact Teams That Don’t Alienate Their Methods.

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When you’re part of a world-beating team, you remember the experience for life. There’s nothing quite like it. Things just get done and you wonder why it doesn’t happen in every organisation.

But what makes great teams happen? It’s a bit of a mystery.

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In many cases, high-impact teams happen by chance. They just emerge spontaneously when the people and conditions are right. Other times, they occur because senior management put the right incentives in place and hire the correct people for the job.

In many cases, high-impact teams are path-dependent. Small perturbations in the initial conditions carry through, and everything just seems to work from that point onwards.

Creating high-impact teams isn’t an exact science. It isn’t something you can just guarantee. But you can increase the likelihood that your team will cohere by following some best practices. Here’s how to create a high-impact team without alienating any of the members.

Inspire People, Don’t Drive Them

Inspiration is a far more potent force than driving people to excellence. It’s more relaxing too. As a leader, you want to avoid cracking the whip. Instead, you need to find ways to motivate people intrinsically. Ideally, you want them to work hard because they love the job itself.

You see this kind of attitude among employees at most top-tier organizations. The people working there don’t need bossy or authoritarian managers. They’re just happy to get on with the work for the sake of it. It’s motivating in and of itself because it is something that they believe in.

Deploy Sales Training

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Our educational system doesn’t teach people many important life skills, including the ability to sell. Colleges seem to ignore the fact that we live in a market economy where selling is important. Most people only find out that they need to sell once they leave.

Great teams need people with sales training. These colleagues understand how to communicate the needs of the team to management and customers. Their actions are what make the output of the team valuable. They’re an essential link in the chain.

Think about when you last worked in a high-performance team. There’s a good chance that there was at least one person who could communicate the value of the team to senior management or the public. Without that kind of communicator, the team can’t easily justify itself and, therefore, struggles to find direction.

Get People To Trust You

Trust can be a big issue in teams if colleagues believe that you have ulterior motives. The best way to build trust is to lay out everyone’s incentives on the table and not to hide anything. If you’re trying to create a great team because you want a bonus or promotion, say it. If you’re trying to get a group of people together to create an award-winning product to ensure the survival of the business, don’t keep it a secret. Remember, members of your organization are often far more socially aware than you expect. If they smell a rat, it’ll adversely affect their work.

What You Need To Know About Settlement Agreements

Two focuses of my blog are Organizational and Management Discussions and Workplace Discussions. Unfortunately in some instances there are issues that need to be worked out in workplaces. At the end of these disputes, there needs to be some form of resolution and this comes in the form of Settlement Agreements. The following contributed post is entitled, What You Need To Know About Settlement Agreements.

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Being called in to have a discussion about your employment can be a shock, or it can be a relief if you’ve suspected something is up. A settlement agreement might be raised with you during a disciplinary matter, a redundancy, or if you have a made a formal complaint. There are lots of reasons that your employer might open discussions with you. Here’s what you need to know about settlement agreements.

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Settlement agreement is the new name for compromise agreement

Settle agreements used to be known as compromise agreements. This name was changed to better reflect what the agreement actually is. A settlement agreement is a way for employees to agree not to bring an employment law claim in return something, usually financial compensation, from the employer. Employers might prefer to use settlement agreements as a security measure to protect their reputation.

They’re not just for dismissals

A settlement agreement doesn’t mean that your employment has to come to an end. Maybe you have raised a grievance about your employment that your employer agrees is valid, but wants to keep confidential. Your employer might want to change the terms of your employment in a way that could be a breach of contract. They may offer compensation under a settlement agreement to do this.

There’s more flexibility than a tribunal decision

Whether the discussions are a surprise or you expected them, there are advantages to negotiating a settlement agreement which you might not be able to achieve through a process server or an employment tribunal claim. For example, as part of a settlement agreement, you might get a reference from your employer which a tribunal couldn’t order.

Legal advice is essential

If your settlement agreement is going to be valid, you must take independent legal advice from a relevant independent adviser. This could be a barrister, solicitor, trade union office or worker in an advice centre if they have certified by a trade union. The adviser must have insurance covering any claim that comes from the advice they give. Your employer might offer to pay for this legal advice, so the requirements of a valid settlement agreement can be met.

Claims you don’t know about can’t be covered

Your employer might ask you to sign a settlement agreement ‘in full and final settlement’. However, if there is a claim that could not have been known about at this time, an exclusion like this isn’t like to be successful.

Discussions will be confidential

If the settlement is being talked about in the context of ongoing employment tribal proceedings, or there is a dispute between parties, any negotiations will be ‘without prejudice’, and may not be referred to before the tribunal. Discussions that are not in the connect of proceedings or a dispute between the parties, then these discussions didn’t used to be confidentially automatically. However, these discussions are now allowed to be kept confidential for unfair dismissal claims, even if there are no existing proceedings or disputes between you and your employer.