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.
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...
Top 10 HR questions September 2018 – probation dismissals and unavailable companions
Can you dismiss before a probationary period ends if they're not up to the job?
Top 10 HR questions August 2018 – Brexit and executive pay ratios
While progress has been made in some areas of the Brexit negotiations, including agreement on the rights of EU citizens...
Proceeding with a disciplinary hearing when companion unavailable
XpertHR’s consultant editor Darren Newman looks at a recent decision highlighting the potential danger in proceeding with a disciplinary hearing...
The heat is on: six summer employment issues
MPs on the House of Commons environmental audit committee have urged Public Health England to advise employers to allow flexible...
Why boardrooms must get a grip on occupational fraud
In light of the malicious payroll data breach at Morrisons carried out by a disgruntled employee in 2014, and more...
Travel disruption: how to deal with staff who are late for work
As emergency timetable revisions and signalling problems continue to cause chaos for rail commuters, Nicholas Le Riche and Zoe MacQueen...
Clarks boss gets the boot after behaviour ‘fell short’
The boss of iconic shoemaker Clarks has resigned after the British company said his behaviour had fallen short of the...
