By Joseph Kelly, Kelly Workplace Lawyers
What is a support person?
If an employer decides to raise performance or disciplinary matters with an employee, the employer will, in most cases, give the employee an option to bring a support person.
A support person can be a trusted friend although it is advised that the support person should be from outside the workplace. But what is the role of a support person?
The role of a Support Person
Most of the support person’s work happens before and after the meeting:
1. Reading all the relevant correspondence;
2. Meeting with you to discuss the best strategy for dealing with the meeting;
3. Taking detailed notes during the meeting;
4. Making sure you stay on message during the meeting and asking for breaks when you need them;
5. Writing to the employer after the meeting to confirm outcomes; and
6. Providing you with a set of meeting notes.
What about during the meeting?
The support person must say very little in the meeting. Ideally, anything the support person says in the meeting should be addressed to the employee: “Did you understand that question?”; “Do you need some fresh air before responding?”.
So what are the dos and don’ts?
A support person is someone who should:
– Give emotional support to the employee; and
– Clearly remember everything that was discussed at the meeting with the employee. They can then remind the employee what was discussed when the employee is less stressed and anxious.
A support person is not:
– The employee’s advocate. They are not there to argue with the employer; or
– Someone who will act as a witness to any of the matters raised in the meeting.
Who can be a support person?
There can be many reasons why you may not be able to get a friend or family member to act as a support person. You may however, still want someone to fulfil the role of a support person.
In this case, you are able to hire a workplace advocate as your preferred support person.
Even though the support person cannot be a vocal advocate in the workplace meeting, there are significant advantages to having an experienced workplace advocate as your support person.
An experienced workplace advocate understands the Human Resources and legal framework in which the meeting is taking place and therefore understands how you should best respond in the meeting.
In need of a support person?
Kelly Workplace Lawyers has several highly trained advocates who specialise in attending workplace meetings as a support person.
See our booking tab to make an appointment and discuss.
