Employment relations group Acas revealed that the number of calls to its helpline which have been referred each month to its early conciliation service has nearly doubled since September.
The service is designed to settle workplace problems without resorting to an employment tribunal and is currently dealing with around 300 referrals each week. Acas expects this to increase to 400 a week over the course of the year.
Ed Sweeney, chair of Acas, commented: 'This data indicates that workers and employers are increasingly taking steps to avoid employment tribunals.'
He also claimed that the early conciliation service allows firms and their employees to resolve problems quickly, with cases closed in around three weeks rather than the six to nine months a tribunal takes.
Last month, Acas predicted that pension problems, hidden discontent such as stress, loss of trust or lower levels of engagement and wildcat strikes could be the main employment relations problems in the coming years.
The service is designed to settle workplace problems without resorting to an employment tribunal and is currently dealing with around 300 referrals each week. Acas expects this to increase to 400 a week over the course of the year.
Ed Sweeney, chair of Acas, commented: 'This data indicates that workers and employers are increasingly taking steps to avoid employment tribunals.'
He also claimed that the early conciliation service allows firms and their employees to resolve problems quickly, with cases closed in around three weeks rather than the six to nine months a tribunal takes.
Last month, Acas predicted that pension problems, hidden discontent such as stress, loss of trust or lower levels of engagement and wildcat strikes could be the main employment relations problems in the coming years.
