Underwood Carpenter Employee Handbook - Latest 02 11 16

Suspension
In certain circumstances you may be suspended while a case is being investigated. The suspension
is not disciplinary action but is intended to facilitate the fair and proper investigation of an
allegation. During a period of suspension, providing you are otherwise available for work, you will
receive your basic pay.
If you are suspended your contract of employment will be deemed to continue together with all
your rights under your contract including payment of wages, but during the period of suspension
you will not be entitled to access the Company’s or any of our Client’s premises except at the prior
written request or with the prior written consent of the Company and subject to such conditions as
the Company may impose. The decision to suspend you will be notified to you by HR and
confirmed in writing.
Request to Attend a Formal Disciplinary Hearing
Should an act of misconduct thought to have been committed; you will be asked in writing to
attend a formal disciplinary hearing with an appropriate senior representative of the Company.
You will be told that the outcome of that meeting may result in a warning (the level of warning
likely will be specified e.g. written/final written) or otherwise dismissal on the grounds of misconduct.
You will be given copies of all relevant documents, including the Company’s disciplinary
procedure, to ensure you are able to properly prepare for your meeting. Around 1 - 3 day’s notice
will usually be given of a disciplinary meeting depending on both the seriousness of the incident
and the business situation.
Right to be Accompanied
You have the right to be accompanied by a colleague or an accredited trade union
representative or a union official who has been approved by the union to act as a companion for
you during formal disciplinary and appeal hearings.
Disciplinary Hearings
In advance of a formal disciplinary hearing you will be presented with all the management
evidence including copies of all relevant documentation and the Company’s disciplinary policy.
At the hearing you will have an opportunity to fully state your case and to ask any questions you
may have regarding the content of the material that has been provided as evidence. If necessary
a further investigation will take place, which may include asking further questions of any witnesses
after the disciplinary meeting or during an adjournment if more evidence comes to light that you
wish to respond to, prior to the Manager making a decision. In any case, the meeting will be
adjourned for an appropriate length of time so that all facts of the case can be considered before
a decision is made.
As soon as is possible and reasonable, the meeting will be reconvened and the Manager will
explain the decision that he/she has reached. This decision will later be confirmed to you in writing.
In appropriate circumstances, the meeting may not be reconvened; in these situations, the
decision will be notified to you in writing.
Escalation of the Procedure
Should a formal warning for misconduct be on file, any subsequent act of misconduct, if found, is
likely to result in an escalation of the procedure. This means that different acts of unrelated
misconduct could result in the procedure being escalated. This will not of course be the case if the
previous warning has expired.
Employee Handbook Issue Date: November 2016
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