What is a disciplinary policy?
Part of business: There will be times in a company’s lifecycle when a disciplinary procedure is necessary. While it should be the goal of every business to take steps towards preventing a decrease in performance, or particularly poor behaviour, the reality is that disciplinaries have an important part to play in the running of a business.
Communication: If you do need to initiate a disciplinary procedure, you’ll need a suite of documents that will help you communicate the process clearly. Given the sensitive nature of this process, clear communication is key.
Purpose of policy: While you would use a disciplinary letter to confirm the initial meeting for disciplinary action, you’ll need a document that sets out how your company intends to respond to this procedure, and what justifies disciplinary action. For that, you’ll need a disciplinary policy.
Content: This document sets out how an employer responds where the behaviour or performance of its employees or workers has fallen below its expectations. A disciplinary process is instigated by the employer. A policy typically sets out examples of what act or omission may result in disciplinary action. It should include time scales to help manage parties’ expectations and identify what happens when the disciplinary process has been exhausted – this helps provide certainty to everyone involved.
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