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.
Misconduct dismissals: Could the long-established approach to fairness be open to question?
XpertHR consultant editor Darren Newman considers a recent case in which the Supreme Court judges seemed to cast doubt on...
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...
Sexual harassment: the rise of historical allegations
With the reports of historical sexual harassment in Hollywood and now Parliament, employees may feel increasingly able to come forward...
HR horrors: How to flee four frightening scenarios
Halloween is upon us, but what are the most common HR horrors and how should employers deal with them? Alexandra...
How can employers protect documents from internal investigations?
Court decisions from earlier this year have reduced the scope of legal privilege when it comes to protecting documents created...
Do traditional grievance procedures destroy relationships?
HR professionals have relied on formal grievance procedures for years, but are they still fit for purpose? In an extract...
Reputational damage: six preventative measures for employers
How can employers ensure reputational damage is kept to a minimum?
The heat is on: six summer employment issues
With temperatures exceeding 30 degrees in the next few days, employers may have to deal with a raft of summer...
Companions at disciplinary hearings: difficult scenarios for HR
On paper, a worker’s right to be accompanied at a disciplinary hearing is one of the simplest employment rights there...
Tribunal awards £2 to claimant denied companion at disciplinary hearing
Stephen Simpson rounds up recent decisions published on the online database of first-instance employment tribunal judgments
General election 2017: five things to know about politics in the workplace
Can employers prevent staff from political campaigning at work? Should employees be banned from displaying their political allegiance, for example...
Does a new tribunal decision mean expired warnings are past their “use by” date?
A recent employment law ruling that it was fair to dismiss an employee partly on the basis of an expired...
£25,000 for early termination of apprenticeship contract
An employment tribunal has awarded £25,000 for breach of contract to an employee whose apprenticeship was ended early. Stephen Simpson...
Valentine’s Day: 10 potential problems with workplace romances
Can employers have rules on personal relationships at work? Is it harassment for a worker to ask a colleague out...
Disciplinary procedures: three case law lessons for employers
What is the role of HR in the disciplinary process? To what extent can an employer use its appeal process...
