We all know something about employment, don’t we? Maybe we know more about our own area of the employment market than about the generality, but everybody has some knowledge, or can access it.
As an eminent judge once asked me: “Why do I need your evidence when I can see the claimant before me and make an assessment of him, and I can get earnings data from The New Earnings Survey?”
Sadly, he was unimpressed by my warnings about the risks of making impressionistic judgements of someone appearing before him in a very specific context, possibly wearing a suit for the first time since his wedding, and having been extensively coached before giving his evidence, and then using data which was derivative and which had been politically sanitised for publication.
It’s a science
From over 30 years of recruiting and selecting people, and after a similar period after graduation in personnel management, I can confirm that there is a science to it, also that it’s much harder assessing people than any other item on this planet, whether animal, vegetable or mineral. Two real-life examples:
What was the earnings potential of (as claimed) the world’s only swordand dagger-balancing entertainment act had he not sustained a neck injury, and what was his earnings capacity in alternative employment, if any?
What were the chances that a young man who had gained a place in the youth academy of a premiership football club at age 16 would go on to prominence and the sort of salary that leaves us speechless, and for how long would his career continue?
To hazard an answer to these questions, to the standard required to be confident of giving written evidence and potentially being subject to hostile cross-examination, needs more than a smattering of familiarity with employment issues. And that’s why YES is a company of professionals rather than a solo consultancy.
Limit to research We have recognised the need to pull together a body of expertise and consultants who can contribute from experience in a variety of industries, so that we can allocate the most appropriately-experienced consultant to the particular case. In addition, there is a finite limit to the amount of research material any one individual can access (or afford), and hence we have built up and maintain a comprehensive research library relating to occupations, earnings, trends in employment and developments in technology.
YES has been providing expert evidence in PI cases and at employment tribunals for 15 years (since 1992), and enjoys a reputation for prompt service, strict objectivity and straighttalking reportage.
In recent years, we have progressed beyond reportage to the potentially more satisfying work of occupational rehabilitation – bringing people with serious restrictions back into the world of work and gainful employment.