Lay research

Lay members of employment tribunals (ETs) add value to decision-making in unfair dismissal and discrimination cases, according to an independent academic study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. That was the consensus of ET judges and lay members surveyed for the research. However, less than a quarter of ET judges think lay members add value in “all” jurisdictions. Figures for breach of contract, collective redundancy and TUPE were also low. The government proposed last week that employment judges sit alone in unfair dismissal cases. ET judges valued lay members’ general workplace experience, and their ability to balance legal and workplace perspectives and boost tribunal users’ confidence in the decision-making process.