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Disputes arise from time to time in the workplace, and companies generally have procedures in place to resolve them. Some companies have established peer review panels as part of their dispute resolution process as a way to resolve disagreements more effectively and quickly.

Peer review usually takes place as a final step of the dispute resolution process. In peer review, a panel of managers and peers reviews the issues involving an employee or employees.

If your human resource department is considering setting up such a system, the first step is to determine who will be a member of the peer review panel. Members will vary depending on the organization. However, one standard feature of the panel is that there are more peers than managers on the body. A typical panel has three peers and two managers.

The peer members of the panel are usually chosen randomly from among volunteers who have taken a training workshop about peer review. Managers also can be chosen randomly, or permanent manager members can be appointed.

A peer review panels usually have the power to make a final ruling on the issues that are brought to it, and the ruling is considered final. But the panel does not have the power to change company policy, pay rates, benefits, or work rules. Some companies also limit what the panels can do with issues involving legal matters.

The work of the panel involves conducting interviews with all those involved. These are purely information gathering activities. This is the investigation phase of the process. Then, the panel follows a pre-established procedure in applying its policy to the problem at hand.

Usually, the cases that come before the panel involve personnel issues such as the disciplining of a worker, job movement, safety, improper overtime payment, and holiday pay disputes.

If your company is considering forming such a panel, it must have the support of your firm’s leadership if it is going to succeed. Once that has been obtained, the company needs to set up a team of employees, supervisors and managers to lay out how the program will work. These people should work with someone who has experience with peer review panels to set up the policies, procedures, communications, and evaluation systems to make sure that the program succeeds.

Has your company ever set up a peer review panel? Are you – and your employees – pleased that your firm has done so?

If you’d like to find great workers for temporary or direct-hire opportunities at your New York City-area company, call upon the experienced recruiters at Winston Resources. We look forward to hearing from you.


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