Pending legislation aimed at preventing needless unfair dismissal cases is already being neglected by employers, according to a new report.
The report, published by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) says the new three-step procedure covering disciplinary action, due on October 1, is not accompanied by a thorough awareness among employers.
By contrast, the report states that updates to the Disability Discrimination Act, introduced on the same day, have been given much more attention.
The report raises questions about the government's new policy of common commencement dates, under which new pieces of legislation affecting businesses are brought in on the same day – with the hope of making them more manageable.
This new approach is a reaction to growing concern that regular instalments of new regulation costs businesses time and money, and also increases the risk of them failing to comply.
According to the FSB, the new grievance rules will be "straightforward", but will "fundamentally change the way employment issues are handled in the workplace".
It believes the legislation will turn traditional business practice upside-down by forcing them to put the reasons for the disciplinary action or dismissal in writing, and arrange a face-to-face meeting with the individual employee.
The group believes such a move will formalise the process at a much earlier stage and risk early conflict.
Murray Fairclough, an employment lawyer working with the FSB, said: "The rules represent the most significant piece of employment legislation in the last decade, affecting the way in which almost all dismissals and grievances are handled in the workplace.
FSB policy chairman John Walker added: "As with so many well-intentioned initiatives the complexity of the regulations make them a potential minefield for small firms. The new rules will have a wide-ranging impact on the way employers do their business and we are concerned that this impact has been under-estimated."
