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The problem

Within this NHS Trust a case of alleged bullying and harassment escalated to the point where an entire department of 40 people had lost faith in the organisation. Morale was very low and the relationship between the Trust and the trade union had deteriorated.

This was a complex case involving a series of grievances, counter grievances, appeal hearings and formal investigations. The problems had spanned almost a two year period.

What we did

Aspire was invited by both the management and the trade union to try and resolve the situation and find a way forward for the department

• The first step for Aspire's consultants was to agree clear terms of reference with the union and the Trust.
  
• We worked with all parties to gain their support and buy-in to the project and identified the obstacles.
  

We designed an appropriate methodology relevant to the sensitivity of the work involving one-to-one interviews. For the first time since the dispute began each and every member of staff, management and the trade union officers involved were interviewed to determine exactly what had happened.

•  Interviews were conducted with professionalism and sensitivity.
• We also reviewed the Trust's grievance and bullying procedures and investigation process to see where the system may have fallen down.
  
• Throughout the process, Aspire communicated with all parties to keep them up-to-date. 

The result

The majority of staff agreed to participate in a confidential interview process. Once we had conducted the interviews, reviewed the case history and assessed the procedures, Aspire verbally presented the key findings to staff, management and the union. We also provided a report which was practical and constructive with recommendations for key parties including the personnel department, directors, staff and unions. All participants were also issued with a summary report. The report provided detailed guidance on best practice when dealing with cases of bullying and harassment. We provided advice and guidance on improving staff communications and gave detailed suggestions on training and support for investigators, individuals and teams. The Trust now has an action plan to build on, including advice on rebuilding the team.