THE NAVAL MILITARY & AIR FORCE BIBLE SOCIETY

NM&AFBS POLICY 4

DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE

PURPOSE AND SCOPE

NM&AFBS’s aim is to act promptly and fairly in the interests of the individual and the Society. This procedure sets out the action that will be taken when disciplinary action is required.

PRINCIPLES

The disciplinary procedure is applicable to all employees.

The disciplinary procedure can be applied to cases of either poor performance or misconduct.

The procedure is designed to establish the facts quickly.

Employees will have the opportunity to state their case and be accompanied at any disciplinary hearing by a fellow employee or other representative, if they so wish.

At anystage of the disciplinary procedure, a disciplinary hearing will be held before any disciplinary sanction is imposed.

If a disciplinary hearing is required, the employee will be given five working days advance notice in writing of the meeting, giving an outline of the allegation[s] against them.

An employee has the right to appeal against any disciplinary decision, except an Oral Warning. An employee who wishes to appeal against a disciplinary decision must do so in writing to the Chairman of the Trustees within seven working days of notification of the decision. The Chairman of the Trustees or their nominee will hear the appeal and the decision will be notified within seven days of the appeal hearing. Any further appeal against this decision will be made to the Chairman of the Trustees or their nominee within seven working days of notification of the decision. The appeal will be held and the decision notified within seven working days of the appeal hearing. This decision will be final.

Where an employee is alleged to have committed serious or gross misconduct, or to have been guilty of gross negligence or gross incompetence, the employee may be suspended to allow an investigation. Suspension will normally be on full pay and will be for as short a period as possible; it is not regarded as disciplinary action.

INFORMAL PROCEDURE

Where there are minor faults in the employee’s conduct or performance, the matter will be raised with the employee by their immediate manager as soon as possible and be dealt with by informal discussion outside this procedure. The manager will make a diary or file note as a record of any informal warnings.

FORMAL PROCEDURE

Stage One – Formal Oral Warning

If conduct or performance is unsatisfactory, the employee will be given a Formal Oral Warning. The employee will be advised of the reason(s) for the warning and, where appropriate, the improvement required and the timescales in which such improvements should be made. A letter confirming this formal oral warning will be sent to the individual and a copy will be placed on the employee’s personal file. The warning will remain current for six months. After this period, the warning will, subject to satisfactory conduct and performance, be regarded as spent for purposes of the level of action taken in relation to any further disciplinary matters.

Stage Two - Written Warning

If the offence is serious;if there is no improvement in standards; or if a further offence occurs, a Written Warning will be given which will include the reason for the warning and will state that if there is no improvement within the period specified, or if a further serious offence occurs, further disciplinary action may be taken. The employee will be reminded of their right of appeal. A copy of this warning will be placed on the employee’s personal file. The specified period for which a writtenwarning will remain live is 12 months; however, a longer or unlimited period may be specified in an appropriate case. The warning will stay on file for a period of 12 months from the specified end date.

Stage 3 - Final Written Warning

If conduct or performance is still unsatisfactory, or if further serious misconduct occurs, whether of the same or of a different type, or a single instance of misconduct that is considered more serious than can be adequately dealt with by a written warning, a Final Written Warning will be given. This final written warning will be sent to the employee and will include the details of the offence/misconduct and, if appropriate, the improvement required, the timescales in which such improvement will take place and the employee’s right of appeal. The warning will also state that in the event of there being no satisfactory improvement within the specified time, or any further offence/misconduct during this period, further disciplinary action or dismissal may take place. A copy of the warning will be placed on the employee’s personal file. The specified period for which a written warning will remain live is 18 months; however, a longer or an unlimited period may be specified in an appropriate case. The Final Written Warning will stay on file for a period of 12 months from the specified end date.

GROSS MISCONDUCT

Subject to a thorough investigation, if an employee has committed an offence of the following nature, the normal consequences will be summary dismissal i.e. dismissal without notice. These examples are neither exclusive nor exhaustive; there are other offences of a similar gravity that would constitute gross misconduct:

  • Theft
  • Damage to the Society’s property
  • Fraud
  • Incapacity for work due to being under the influence of alcohol or unprescribed drugs
  • Physical assault
  • Gross insubordination
  • Serous breach of safety rules
  • Serious driving offences/misconduct when driving is an essential part of the job
  • Unauthorised use or misuse of E-mail/Internet/eMedia
  • Conduct likely to injure the image and standing of the Society
  • Any other act or omission whether in the course of employment or otherwise which undermines the mutual trust and confidence in the employment relationship

DISMISSAL

If an employee is alleged to have committed gross misconduct, been guilty of gross negligence or incompetence, or if the conduct/performance of an employee is still unsatisfactory following previous warning(s), the employee may be dismissed.

A letter confirming the dismissal will be sent to the employee. The letter will include the date on which the employment was or is to be terminated, the reasons for dismissal and the employee’s right of appeal. Dismissal without notice will apply in cases of gross misconduct. Employees dismissed without notice will be entitled to accrued statutory annual leave only.

Policy Sponsor:Last Review Date:

Executive DirectorMarch 2016

1