Watching my first Tribunal!

I hope you have an enjoyable experience Sam. I'd advise about taking notes and trying to follow the arguments. Have you looked at the background of those attending?

My main piece of advice is that ET's are a small part of HR. Or should be. Most employment disputes don't end up at ET and worrying about doing so too much, can impact on the HR service you provide. Most employees want to resolve things amicably and whilst it's important to be aware of the law, creating a culture and way of working that means such events are rare.

@Ruth

Quote from the great Sander Meredeen who delivered the industrial relations and employment law programme of my (in those days) IPM-sponsored Post-graduate Diploma in Personnel Management at the LSE in 1978.

"Having recourse to legal process means that companies and/or their employees have chosen to discard the principle of mutual trust on which solid employment relationships must be constructed".

I committed this to memory, and used it many times when training line managers in the area of employment laws. 

In my experience, 99.99% of the time it really is possible to find a mutual accomodation, and the art is in finding ways to help both parties (generally senior management and ex-employee) see that this will be better than spending time and money on litigation.

@Ruth

Quote from the great Sander Meredeen who delivered the industrial relations and employment law programme of my (in those days) IPM-sponsored Post-graduate Diploma in Personnel Management at the LSE in 1978.

"Having recourse to legal process means that companies and/or their employees have chosen to discard the principle of mutual trust on which solid employment relationships must be constructed".

I committed this to memory, and used it many times when training line managers in the area of employment laws. 

In my experience, 99.99% of the time it really is possible to find a mutual accomodation, and the art is in finding ways to help both parties (generally senior management and ex-employee) see that this will be better than spending time and money on litigation.

Well said, Ray! - I went for well over 20 years in a unionised workplace with about 150 employees with never ever being involved in a formal disciplinary, let alone a Tribunal claim.