Employee stealing from work?

If you suspect an employee stealing from work or misusing company property without permission, it is likely to come as a shock. Any action you take in response to stealing from work must be fully considered and based on factual evidence to avoid falling foul of legal issues. It is also likely you will have […]

False accusations at work: HR help

Employers are required by law to deal with complaints or grievances at work fairly and lawfully. Handling such issues, however, becomes further complicated if you suspect the employee may be making a false allegation. False accusations at work can relate to any kind of untrue claim of wrongdoing made by an employee. While some accusers […]

Bringing the company into disrepute

For the most part, employees’ work and personal lives coexist harmoniously side by side. However, there are occasions when an employee’s behaviour or conduct outside of work may be considered to be sufficiently unacceptable to be damaging to the employer’s own reputation. In such situations, the employee can be said to be bringing the company […]

What is a protected disclosure?

Whether an employee’s complaint is classed as a protected disclosure is critical to determine if they are protected as a whistleblower. By understanding the meaning of a protected disclosure within the context of whistleblowing, this can help employers to respond appropriately to employee concerns and complaints about any wrongdoing at work without falling foul of […]

Dealing with allegations of managers bullying team members

Employees are protected by law from bullying. Yet bullying in the workplace is most commonly cited as coming from those in a position of seniority such as managers. What should an employer do if a manager is being accused of bullying at work? What do we mean by bullying at work? There is no legal […]

Drug testing in the workplace

Drug-testing in the workplace can often be a difficult and daunting issue for employers and HR personnel to handle, where it is important to strike a balance between the individual rights of your employees with the health and safety of your workforce and the wider public. Below we look at the rules relating to drug […]

Dealing with a malicious grievance

malicious grievance

Being on the receiving end of a complaint at work can be an extremely stressful and worrying time, especially where the grievance raised is vexatious, malicious and deliberately intended to make life difficult for you. Below we look at how to deal with a malicious grievance at work, either as an employer or senior employee, […]

Conducting a disciplinary investigation

A disciplinary investigation is where your organisation needs to look further into the conduct of an employee, or to ascertain the facts surrounding an incident or allegation, prior to taking disciplinary action. It is not always the case that a disciplinary investigation will result in a disciplinary hearing. The aim of the investigation is to […]

Grievance procedure steps

A grievance is a work-related complaint brought by an employee. Grievances should be used to bring issues to the employer’s attention for the matter to be investigated and resolved fairly. Examples of reasons for making a work-related grievance can include health and safety concerns, harassment from another member of staff, the behaviour of a line […]

Conducting remote disciplinary & grievance hearings

Following the enforced period of homeworking under lockdown, increasing numbers of employers are now considering the benefits of allowing remote working on a longer term, and even permanent, basis. With this development comes specific workforce management issues, such as whether disciplinary and grievance hearings can and should be conducted remotely. For employers, it is a […]