Appendix


A new Acas strategy paper, Building productivity in the UK, links productivity gains to effective early tackling of collective and individual disputes. The paper helps make the “business case” for union involvement in designing and updating discipline and grievance rules. Key productivity levers identified include: 


• managing conflict effectively: having systems in place to reduce the likelihood of problems arising and to deal with problems at every stage;


• a working environment where everyone understands their rights and responsibilities;


• fairness: employees who feel valued and treated fairly;


• strong employee voice: informed employees who can contribute to decisions and are listened to; and


• relationships based on trust, with employers sharing information at the earliest opportunity.


Some individual and collective level conflict is inevitable even in the best run workplaces, says Acas. Making sure that conflict is well managed involves:


• keeping an open mind about why and how disagreements occur;


• responding early to conflict as it begins to emerge, with well trained, effective managers; 


• making tackling conflict everyone’s responsibility and ensuring everyone knows what is expected;


• having fair and transparent procedures;


• acknowledging the role of employee representatives as facilitators in resolving conflict;


• considering third party intervention, such as mediation to help identify shared interests and solutions; and


• being creative. There is increasing evidence, says Acas, of the value of alternative ways of managing conflict, including conflict coaching, fair treatment advisers and bullying and harassment support officers.


www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/7/9/Building-productivity-in-the-uk.pdf