Discipline
Employers' disciplinary rules set standards and make it clear what conduct is and is not acceptable in the workplace. A disciplinary procedure permits employers to deal fairly and consistently with employees who breach the rules and commit misconduct.
The “Acas code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures” provides employers with the principles for handling workplace disciplinaries. Employment tribunals will take the code into account when considering relevant cases, with the possibility of a 25% adjustment in any compensation awarded.
Wahaca backtracks on charging waiters over unpaid bills
Mexican-style street food chain Wahaca has altered its policy on making serving staff pay part of the bills of customers who leave without paying.
Top 10 HR questions May 2019: Ramadan, redundancy and references
Many employers will have staff who have been fasting over the last month, as they observe Ramadan.
The most popular...
Whistleblowing culture ‘firmly entrenched’ in the UK
Although 35% of UK businesses have no system in place for whistleblowing, a comparison with other economically similar nations in Europe shows that the UK is ahead of the curve.
Proselytising Christian nurse loses second appeal against dismissal
A nurse in Kent dismissed for “preaching” to patients has lost a second appeal against an employment tribunal ruling that...
Turning up the heat on employees who tweet
In the aftermath of Danny Baker's sacking from the BBC this week Kirsty Cooke investigates how employers should handle their employees’ use of social media.
Top 10 HR questions April 2019: Maximum compensation, holiday entitlement and positive action
The annual increase to the limits on compensation that can be awarded in an...
Prison service launched 6,600 disciplinary investigations in five years
Nearly 2,700 prison staff in England and Wales were disciplined between 2013 and 2018 according to data released under the...
Top 10 HR questions March 2019: Anonymous witness rights
If a witness in a disciplinary procedure wishes to remain anonymous, how can the employer balance their privacy against the...
Suspending an employee: Avoiding a knee-jerk reaction
An employee facing disciplinary action may be legitimately suspended from work, but there are circumstances where any such suspension may...
Oxfam’s ‘toxic work environment’ allowed sexual misconduct allegations to go unchecked
The charity Oxfam failed to tackle an environment that allowed sexual misconduct and bullying to go unchecked, according to an interim independent review.
The 10 most important employment law cases in 2018
As always, HR professionals had their fair share of employment law cases to keep track of in 2018, but what...
Christmas party choking incident leads to unfair dismissal ruling
The manager of a club in Cardiff won an employment tribunal ruling for unfair dismissal after senior staff failed to...
Christmas in the workplace: 10 common employer queries
During the Christmas period employers face a minefield of HR challenges. How well prepared is your organisation for the festive...
NHS manager awarded £1 million pay-out for unfair dismissal
An IT manager at an NHS trust has been awarded £1m in compensation by an employment tribunal after he was...
Top 10 HR questions October 2018: annual leave and sickness absence
How should employers deal with annual leave entitlement for employees on long-term sick leave? This issue is dealt with in...
