Problem 3: Dealing with a complaint raised by the trade union

As Deputy Vice Chancellor (Deputy Director), Director of Staffing, you have requested to see a member of staff (30 Sept 1998) whom the union has informed you is being treated unfairly by the member of staff's Head of Department and is being bullied. Such treatment includes the member of staff being removed from teaching just before the start of the academic year (28 Sept 1998); the Head of Department's unwillingness to perform his mandatory duty and negotiate the member of staff's workload with him/her (18 Sept 1998) and jobs suddenly being placed in the member of staff's pigeonhole (16 Sept 1998). How would you prepare for, or conduct this meeting? Would you:

a) request information from the member of staff in advance of the meeting, including proposals from the member of staff about how best to proceed with the problem
b) provide the member of staff with an agenda for the meeting, including your own proposals as to how to deal with the problem
c) conduct the meeting with no agenda, notes or proposals but with the intention of preparing constructive ways forward at the end of the meeting
d) conduct the meeting on your own with no other member of staff present and with no agenda, notes or proposals, but with the intention of preparing constructive ways forward at the end of the meeting
e) conduct the meeting on your own with no agenda, notes or proposals, and then adopt the ostrich position
f) conduct the meeting on your own with no agenda, notes or proposals, and then actively support the Head of Department to the detriment of the member of staff


Suggestions welcome


Response to follow