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An employee's choice of support person can make the difference between a fraught process and a smooth one, but confusion abounds about what constitutes an appropriate support person, and the role they're meant to play, a lawyer says.

"A support person is an individual who accompanies an employee to meetings with their employer, providing emotional support and assistance throughout the process," says Holding Redlich partner Andrew Klein.

Contrary to what many assume, they should not act as the employee's advocate; the process should be about gathering facts and using them to make informed decisions. But it's not uncommon for people to misunderstand this, and, despite their good intentions, for a support person to complicate disciplinary or performance management processes by advocating for an employee's legal position, or trying to speak or argue on their behalf...