Grievance and Discipline at Work

Every business or organisation needs rules. They set the standards of conduct and performance at work. Rules cover things like timekeeping, absence, discrimination and gross misconduct. Disciplinary procedures are used for dealing with problems with employees’ conduct or their performance which could lead to warnings or dismissal and grievance procedures are used for considering problems that employees wish to raise with their employer.

The Labour Relations Agency (LRA) Code of Practice provides practical guidance to employers, workers and their representatives on:

  • The statutory requirements relating to disciplinary and dismissal issues
  • Good employment practice in dealing with grievance issues
  • What constitutes reasonable behaviour when dealing with disciplinary and grievance issues
  • Drawing up and using disciplinary and grievance procedures
  • A worker’s statutory right to bring a companion to grievance and disciplinary hearings

Downloads

You can download the LRA Code of Practice below. You may also find the sample letters and notices useful. These can be amended to suit your exact requirements. The letters and notices available include:

  • Notice of disciplinary meeting
  • Notice of the recorded oral warning, first written warning or final written warning
  • Notice of the appeal meeting against the warning
  • Notice of the result of the appeal against the warning
  • Letter to be sent by the employer, setting out the reasons for the proposed dismissal or action other than dismissal and arranging the meeting (for the statutory procedure)
  • Letter to be sent by the employer after the disciplinary meeting arranged in letter 5 (for the statutory procedure)
  • Notice of the appeal meeting against the dismissal or relevant disciplinary action (for the statutory procedure)
  • Notice of the result of the appeal against the dismissal or relevant disciplinary action (for the statutory procedure)
  • Letter of enquiry about the likely cause of an absence, addressed to a worker’s general practitioner
  • Employee raising a grievance
  • Employee’s request for an appeal hearing (grievance procedures)

Downloads

LRA Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures
2 MB | 23rd Jun 2017