Have you noticed there’s a lot of discussion from employers on how eduction is failing to provide people with the skills and knowledge needed. IT companies complain that graduates can’t understand background programmes, Senior executives despair that new hires don’t know how to communicate, employers shake their heads at qualifications that don’t provide the skills for work that employers are seeking.

Mission Critical opportunities being lost
Yesterday I was contacted by a CEO who told me that a “new hire” he had employed last year “wasn’t working out”. It seemed that the qualification and some experience hadn’t given the new hire the skills the job required and mission critical opportunities were being lost. 

What to do?
Larger companies are sponsoring education programmes to ensure they are
able to hire the skills they need but smaller businesses can’t afford to
do that. So what to do?
When recruiting it’s worth investigating the content and syllabus of qualifications if they are critical to the job skills. Then test them. If computer skills are required test them as part of the interview process. If communication or management skills are required for the job then these too can be tested at the interview stage.

Where skills are being recruited it’s a matter of “Employer be aware”

During these uncertain times it’s inevitable that at some point we will need to meet with employees to carry out a hearing whether it’s a warning of dismissal or an appeal against redundancy.

How these meetings are approached is important when a Tribunal might consider whether you have acted reasonably or not. The main points to consider are:

a) Don’t prejudge the situation or alleged breach of discipline.

b) The employer needs to listen to what is being said.

c) The employer accepts that there is an issue that requires consideration but that no decision has been taken before all the evidence has been considered.

d) That it’s an opportunity for the employee to state their case and be heard by an employee with an open mind and with fairness.

It is crucial that handwritten minutes of the meeting are taken and that these match the typed record. Minutes should not be adapted but should be an accurate reflection of what happened at the meeting. (retain the handwritten notes as these may be required later).

Any issue raised by the employee must be examined and that all issues for consideration must be open for review and investigation. It is important to remember that one of the decisions that can be made is to agree with the employee.

If, having held the hearing, you decide to issue a warning or reject the employees grievance then there must be reasoned justification and you may need to state why you were satisfied with your conclusion on that point.

When holding such meetings it’s best to take advice so that they are conducted correctly and to ensure that you abide by the staff handbook covering such events.