Employee Relations for Education
Two routes — one for complaints, one for conduct — kept separate.
What this looks like in education
The parts of employee relations that are specific to this sector, rather than general.
Relations With Academic and Support Staff
Where disputes involve students, parents and colleagues.
What this coversHide
Relations With Academic and Support Staff
Where disputes involve students, parents and colleagues.
What this coversHideInstitutional employee relations are complicated by a third party in almost every matter: students and their parents. A complaint about a teacher is rarely only an employment question.
- Separate routes for student complaints and staff grievances
- Fair process where a complaint originates outside the institution
- Academic freedom and performance concerns handled distinctly
- Parity of process between academic and administrative staff
- Department head capability in early resolution
- Consistency across departments and campuses
- Confidentiality maintained where students are involved
- Central record retained independent of the department
Keeping student complaints and staff grievances on separate but connected routes is what allows both to be handled fairly, and conflating them is the common failure.
The general method — what employee relations covers, the questions it answers and what an engagement produces — is the same whatever the sector, and is set out on the grievance and disciplinary process page. What is above is the part that differs for education.
Other HR topics for education
Where to start
Most engagements begin with a review of how this runs in your business today, then a written process and the sequence to implement it.