Handling Appeals Against Disciplinary Action

What if the employee does appeal?

If an employee wishes to appeal, they should appeal in writing within an appropriate timescale. This should be confirmed in your policy and in the letter confirming the outcome. You should write back to them, inviting them to attend a disciplinary appeal meeting.

An appeal hearing should not be a repeat of the original disciplinary hearing, but it should focus on the reasons why employee believes the original disciplinary outcome was unfair.

Ideally, the disciplinary appeal hearing should be chaired by a different person to the chair of the original disciplinary hearing. Appropriate notes should be recorded.

A disciplinary appeal hearing may decide to uphold the original disciplinary decision, a lesser disciplinary outcome more appropriate or no action taken. It is not appropriate to increase the level of warning given.

The decision of the disciplinary appeal hearing should be confirmed in writing to the employee. This outcome is final and no other appeal stage is required.

What letters should I send?

We have templates for all types of letters required for disciplinary. We provide this to our clients as part of our service.

If you require further HR Advice, explanation or support in this or any other HR related area, please call us today on 0800 612 4772 or get a Free Quote for HR Services via our website.