What are disciplinaries?
An organisation should ideally have a set of rules or code of conduct to inform staff of correct, legal and safe ways to act or perform at work. If an employee breaks a rule then an employer may choose to follow the disciplinary procedure.
Sometimes it is beneficial to try to resolve the issue informally first, however this is situation specific and dependent on the severity or consequences.
A disciplinary procedure is normally found within a staff or employee handbook and referred to in a contract of employment. If these formalities are not in place, then an employer can follow the ACAS Guide for best HR practice.
Typically a disciplinary process will consist of a number of stages including investigation, hearing, and possibly appeal.
Why do disciplinaries matter?
As a manager or a business owner, in line with your responsibility or seniority, you may have to manage a disciplinary issue. It is important to successfully manage this to maintain continual running of your business and fair treatment of all staff. Following the correct procedures and best practice will also reduce the risk of claims of unfair dismissal. It is also important to consider the impact on the rest of the team in terms of retention, morale and reputation if staff members receive different levels of treatment for discipline.
How can we help you with disciplinaries?
We can support in these situations by advising or guiding you through the process. This could entail the initial investigation, holding a hearing, concluding the outcome or even through to a dismissal or appeal. As we have a number of suitably experienced consultants within our team, we can provide a different chairperson for the hearing and appeal stages, thereby maintaining their independence.
Alternatively, our team are experienced to act as external investigator and explore the issue impartially and quickly, leaving you to focus on managing your business and staff.
If required we can conduct the necessary meetings at our offices to provide a neutral offsite environment, to minimise employee stress, workplace disruption, and maintain privacy.
We can provide the essential documents, offer recommendations going forward, provide training and development and ensure the desired outcome is understood. Lastly we can work with you to enable you to feel confident should a difficult situation arise again.