In my last post, I looked at when a small business might want to consider a Settlement Agreement. This follow up post looks at some of the practical issues when discussing an agreement.

The first thing is making the initial approach to the employee. Some people find this quite difficult to do but often – especially where there is a clear dispute – the employee may well be expecting you to say something. It’s important that at this early stage you simply talk about the principle of coming to an agreement, rather than jumping in with an immediate offer.

Follow this up in writing – confirming that you consider your discussion a protected conversation under the Employment Rights Act. This means that any discussions will not be admissible* if things break down and you do end up with a Tribunal Claim. (*Unless in the course of the discussions you say something as stupid as “I’m only getting rid of you because you’re pregnant/gay/Muslim” etc, or try to bully or harass the individual, in which case they can be used in support of a claim). You may also want to add the words “Without Prejudice” to any letter/email although strictly speaking these words only protect lawyers.

Think about the offer you are going to make. The individual is signing away legal rights so will expect something more than their basic contractual payments. Like any negotiation, consider your opening offer and what you are prepared to go up to. Remember also that negotiations break down it may be 6-8 weeks before you can justify dismissal so you’ll be paying the person for this long anyway – so an additional cash amount might be cost-neutral. You can also think about whether there are any non-financial benefits you can offer – a good reference for example. Try to avoid thinking in emotional terms “I don’t want to give this person £££” and look at it commercially

It’s also now “expected” – though you don’t legally have to do it – that the employer will make a contribution towards the employee’s legal fees. The amount is usually fixed, but in my experience will depend on the particular solicitor – one of the advantages of the north of England is that they are often cheaper!

Finally, remember that the agreement is voluntary – you or the employee can walk away at any point and if this happens then you continue as if the discussions had never taken place. This might mean restarting a performance or disciplinary process.