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Summary of argument presented by DSC’s Debra Allcok Tyler at the HR & Employment Law Conference hosted by DSC and Bates Wells and Braithwaite.
There are a disproportionately high number of cases at Employment Tribunals brought by workers in charities. Some argue that this is because the sector attracts people who are more needy, ergo, more ‘troublesome’ to manage. I disagree.
The real problem is charity managers are promoted into management positions because they are good at their jobs without being given proper training. Being a good fundraiser, accountant or counsellor does not make for a good manager.
To be good at anything requires training. To be a good manager you need training on how to manage performance, set standards and take someone through a discipline procedure. Importantly you need to understand and follow your charity’s policies and procedures.
The vast bulk of cases are lost because the manager concerned did not manage the employee properly. Of course there are ‘difficult’ employees – but the test of a manager’s quality and training is being able to manage them within the rules and sack them, if necessary, without putting the organisation at risk of losing a tribunal.