At In Balance, we’re well equipped to deal with a wide variety of issues. Our consultants have a broad range of background, experience and qualifications, and can be called upon to successfully mediate – offering completely impartial advice and counselling. Here are just a few scenarios where our services have been called upon (due to the sensitive and confidential nature of our work, company names have been omitted).

Case Study 1

A small firm contacted us, alarmed that their newly appointed project manager was claiming that the pressure of his job was turning him into an alcoholic. Such key members of staff form the backbone of these small companies, so In Balance looked at the situation from the perspective of both employer and employee and offered the following solutions:

· One-to-one counselling for the employee
· Family counselling
· Assertion training

And for the company:

· Help setting up random alcohol testing
· Agreements in effective ways forward
· Training for other key members of staff in dealing with difficult situations

Case Study 2

A construction firm came to us, concerned at reports that similar companies had received on the spot fines of up to £2000 per worker for breaches in migrant worker employment law. Although the company were fully compliant with Health and Safety Executive policies, they were unsure whether their migrant workers fully understood the importance of the information they were provided with. In Balance helped identify shortfalls in their induction procedures and presented these solutions:

· Identified chosen migrant workers as “key workers”
· Provided translations of company handbooks, Health & Safety procedure and company housekeeping procedures
· Provided vital advice on who could legally be employed in the UK and what permissions were required

Case Study 3

During interview for a position with a company, an interviewee disclosed a past eating disorder. At the time, the interviewer felt it was not a relevant consideration. Two years later, after frequent bouts of illness resulted in “unacceptable” disruption to the office, the employer felt they had no choice but to terminate the employee’s contract. Threatened with legal action, the company’s lawyers suggested mediation. In Balance were called in, and mediation took place the following week – at our offices, putting things in a neutral setting.  Within one day, the grievance was resolved, with the following outcome:

· The employee was reinstated, with a verbal warning
· Staff Support counselling was agreed for the employee, of which the company agreed to fund 50%
· Our associate HR team assisted in drafting new contracts for all employees, and produced a company handbook which outlined the proper grievance procedure (a legal requirement since October 2004)

Please contact us to see how we can deliver the same results to you…