Employment Dispute Transcription.
Our team is often called upon to transcribe meetings and informal proceedings, providing an impartial record of what was said and by whom. Informal settings like HR employment disputes, arbitrations, and mediations can often be the first steps in a legal process. Having an impartial, fair and unconnected third party create a ‘courtroom’ transcript builds trust in a process ‘done right’ and if required serves as a solid foundation for moving forward towards any interactions with the Employment Tribunal.
HR Legal Compliance. The Acas Codes of Practice set the standard in the UK for fairness in workplace disputes and are used by the employment tribunals when deciding on relevant cases. Ensuring the process you have followed is fair is paramount to HR process. The code recommends that employers maintain written records for all disciplinary and grievance cases they handle. HR records should detail the:
- Complaint made
- Response or defence
- Findings and actions taken
- Reasons for the actions taken
- Whether an appeal was filed
- The outcome of any appeal
- Any grievances raised during the disciplinary process
- Subsequent developments
- Notes from any formal meetings
UK-GDPR: Since these documents will contain personal information—and depending on the nature of the grievance, may include quite sensitive details—it is crucial that the process complies with the UK-GDPR regulations. Confidentiality agreements must be signed, and the option to de-identify speakers in the transcripts to protect their identity should be explored. This can be requested and implemented through the order form if necessary.
Adherence to protecting the data needs to be a top priority.
” … Records should be treated as confidential and be kept no longer than necessary in accordance with the data protection principles set out in the Data Protection Act 2018. This Act also gives individuals the right to request and have access to certain personal data stored about them. See Appendix 5 for further information. Copies of meeting records should be given to the employee including copies of any formal minutes that may have been taken. In certain circumstances (for example to protect a witness) the employer might withhold some information….”