Case Studies of Bullying & Harassment Grievances

It is not easy to investigate and evaluate bullying and harassment grievances.  If you don’t do them regularly, you may find yourself working on out of date definitions or assumptions.  If you are a regular practitioner, you may find yourself overwhelmed with other work and unable to conclude an investigation in a reasonable timescale.

We can support your investigations, or undertake initial investigations for you.

Case Study 1

A professional organisation was having difficulty arranging post maternity flexible working, and found themselves unexpectedly faced with a sex discrimination and bullying grievance.  

We briefed the CEO on the legal implications of various options, updated him on current thinking, and worked with the organisation to arrive at some workable options for the individual concerned. 

We drafted appropriate contracts to reflect the new arrangements (and avoid misunderstandings in the future).  We drafted contracts for additional maternity cover and job share workers, to ensure all the arrangements were dovetailed and fitted in with the organisation’s objectives.  

We supported the communication process allowing all concerned to co-operate rather than escalate the initial problems and misunderstandings. 

The initial grievance was resolved to the satisfaction of all concerned.

Case Study 2

An HR department had to support a complex internal grievance and grievance appeal process, dealing with multiple claims and counter claims of bullying and harassment from a small workgroup that was remote from the main offices.  HR was progressively overwhelmed by the complexity of the grievances, the volume of grievances and the strength of hostility and fear expressed by various individuals within the group.

We analysed the allegations and identified potential witnesses, documents and statements that could help unravel who did what.  We produced technical reports on what constituted bullying and harassment in the context of the organisation and the allegations. 

We worked with the grievance and grievance appeal officers to help them clarify their own thinking and identify key issues that needed to be addressed. 

We researched resources and support that would help the individuals concerned.  

Where disciplinary action was viewed as necessary, we supported the process.

Case Study 3

A multi national organisation had an outbreak of discrimination-related grievances throughout the UK.  They had insufficient UK HR resources to respond in a timely fashion.  

We provided an HR person specifically tasked to investigate and resolve the issues, while our litigators dealt with the employment tribunal cases already in progress. 

We made specific recommendations on how to avoid this situation again, and identified the underlying reasons for the problem.

Case Study 4

An individual came to us complaining under threat of dismissal for a mistake at work.  We identified that she was being bullied and unfairly treated on the grounds of her disability.  We worked with her to help her present her case clearly, and in terms that meant she was not perceived as ‘playing the discrimination card’.  

Two weeks later, far from being dismissed, the local management were working with our client to find ways to solve her disability-related problems and help her succeed in the workplace.