As your pragmatic HR advisor in Devon, Bristol, and Swindon, we understand the complexities and challenges disciplinary actions can present to businesses.
It’s an intricate process, encompassing identification of misconduct, implementing fair procedures and successfully resolving the situation.
In this guide, we’re dedicated to equipping you with practical advice and resources, helping you navigate these waters with confidence and fairness. We’re committed to helping your business uphold a just and transparent work culture.
Need to put a stop to that behaviour?
You might need to take disciplinary action
If you employ people, chances are there have been occasions where they’ve behaved in a way that you find unacceptable.
It might be a rare occasion, or it may be more frequent than you’d like.
At some point it’s likely you’ll need to follow a disciplinary procedure if an informal chat about the behaviour doesn’t work.
It may sound dramatic but certain behaviours in the workplace have the potential to have a big impact on how your business runs. Whether it’s someone not pulling their weight, which can lead to an unmotivated, disengaged team; bullying or harassment, which can cause stress, anxiety, depression in your people; or even something like theft or fraud, which can cost your business dearly.
These behaviours need to be knocked on the head immediately before they create a company-wide issue. And when you get to the point of disciplinaries, it’s really important that you do things the right way.
Failing to follow both your own policy, as well as Acas guidance and employment law could land you in hot water. That’s because if you don’t act fairly and take the relevant steps, your employee could take you to an employment tribunal.
And you don’t need me to remind you just how much time and money, not to mention stress, that could involve!
So, before you start a disciplinary procedure you should really take the time to understand exactly how things need to work. Make sure you have planned your course of action, looked back to find out if you’ve dealt with similar issues before, and ideally, consulted an HR expert to help guide you through or handle the process for you.
To help you understand how things should work, we’ve created a new guide. It details every step of a disciplinary procedure, and the considerations you as the employer must make.
Alison is an HR expert and specialises in helping those of you in the SME sector with all of your HR needs.
Alison understands your industry and the challenges you come up against every day. She also understands how the workplace is evolving, and the ways that businesses need to adapt to protect both their best interests and those of their employees.
Need Advice?
If you need a hand with any of this, or anything else when it comes to the people and practices in your business, we’d love to help. We are always happy to debate the pros/cons, dos/don’ts with you so please do talk to us if we can help in any way, we are here to support you. Just give us a call and arrange a free consultation. You can talk to Alison directly on 07967 221595 or email info@enlightenhr.com
