Dealing with disciplinary issues can be difficult and handling them incorrectly can not only damage the relationship you have with employees but can even result in costly employment tribunal claims.
We have put together some of our top tips for dealing with disciplinary issues to help protect your business from facing a tribunal claim.
Keep your policies and procedures up-to-date
It’s not enough to just have policies and procedures in place.
They must be regularly reviewed and updated to comply with changing employment legislation, and also properly followed when the circumstances arise.
Properly invite the employee to the meeting
An invitation to a disciplinary meeting should contain;
- who will be present and what their roles are;
- a list of allegations;
- copies of any evidence to be relied upon, or your request to view documents that will be presented to you;
- the possible outcomes
- the employee’s right to be accompanied.
Act swiftly, Fairly & BE CONSISTENT
Start the disciplinary process early to avoid matters escalating, and arrange to speak to the employee as soon as possible, delays are frowned upon by tribunals. Ensure that your process and handling of any disciplinary matter is fair and consistent.
Have different people handle stages of the disciplinary
Ideally, different people should carry out the investigation, disciplinary hearing and the appeal stage. Consultants in the HR field can help you with this.
Get some training
Prior to dealing with disciplinary matters, get some training as this should ensure that any decision made to discipline an employee is reasonable in all the circumstances.
We recommend you seek expert advice when dealing with disciplinaries to avoid any tribunal claims and achieve the best result for your business.
Get in touch with us if you need support.