Statutory Instrument 2004 No. 3426, The Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004 came into effect on 06 April 2005; but few employers and even fewer employees know of them.

Disappointing really, when implemented correctly they offer significant benefits to staff, management and the business as a whole.

The ICE regulations give employees in the UK a statutory right to demand information and consultation arrangements, such as employee forums, in their workplaces.

The regulations apply to all commercial organisations with 50 or more employees and are triggered when a the higher of 2% or 15 employees request the arrangements be put in place. Requests can be made individually or collectively. When individual requests are made they work cumulatively over any 6 month period.

Find out more at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-information-and-consultation-regulations#user-satisfaction

The most common benefits, identified through our courses for employee reps are:

1. Enables employers and employees to communicate, consult and negotiate effectively with each other. Having representatives can encourage employees to voice their views frankly and freely.
2. Can nurture good employment relations: employee representatives can act as a useful sounding board for management on plans they have for the organisation
3. Can be particularly effective identifying problems in the workplace and helping to diffuse potential conflict at an early stage
4. Make negotiations more effective: representatives can make well thought out recommendations that have the backing of the employees they represent and reflect the wider company interests
5. Raise creativity: effective representation can help employers tap into the expertise and creativity of their employees.
6. Promote employee health and wellbeing: research has shown that one of the main causes of stress at work is a lack of control over how employees do their job. Having a say in decision making is especially important during periods of instability or rapid change.

Issues discussed by employee representation forums are diverse but often include:

• Contracts of Employment
• Covid 19 aftermath
• Customer Service
• Domestic Abuse
• Dress Codes
• Equipment
• Equalities
• Forum Rules
• Fund Raising
• Induction and Training
• Health & Safety
• Holidays – staff
• Mental Health
• Menopause
• Pay and Bonuses
• Premises
• Recruitment
• Redundancies
• Remote Working
• Restructuring
• Safeguarding
• Sexual Harassment
• Staff Surveys
• Social Media