9 out of 10 employers would use the ACAS conciliation service again
03 June 2016
Whilst it may appear to those of us working in payroll and HR that employment tribunals provide us with an ever increasing number of challenges (and we need only to mention holiday pay to demonstrate that point) it would appear that the ACAS conciliation service has reduced the need for a number of employment tribunal hearings.
Since 2014 anyone who is considering making an Employment Tribunal claim has to notify ACAS first to see whether their dispute can be resolved quickly, and without the need for legal action, through the free conciliation service.
Recently published independent research shows that:
- seven out of ten (71%) claimants avoided going to court after receiving help from ACAS
- post-claim conciliation reports a highly successful eight out of ten users being satisfied with the service
- over nine out of ten employers (92%) and a similar percentage of claimants (87%) said that they would use ACAS conciliation again.
ACAS Chair Sir Brendan Barber said:
"Our advice is that it is always better to try and resolve a workplace dispute at the earliest possible stage. But anybody who finds themselves in a position where they are considering legal action should definitely consider our free conciliation service first.
"New independent research published today shows that seven out of ten potential employment tribunals have been resolved or avoided thanks to our help.
"These encouraging findings, alongside the high levels of satisfaction from both employers and individuals who have used our service, are a testament to the professionalism and expertise of our conciliation staff."
The research paper Evaluation of Acas conciliation in Employment Tribunal applications 2016 can accessed at the ACAS website.