How to ...Handle a workplace disciplinary hearing
A disciplinary hearing takes place when a worker breaches the employer's disciplinary code of conduct
You did something at work you shouldn't have, and you have received a notice from human resources, inviting you to a disciplinary hearing. Now what? A disciplinary hearing takes place when a worker breaches the employer's disciplinary code of conduct. It gives employees a chance to state their case in response to the charges against them. Lovanya Moodley, an employment and labour lawyer and associate at Norton Rose Fulbright SA, has some advice: • You must be given enough time to prepare for the hearing, at least 48 hours; l The notice must be in a language you understand. "If the employee does not understand the charge, the employee (or representative) may ask for further particularity . or ask for it to be translated into a different language," she says; • Organise representation (a fellow employee or union representative); • Be prepared. Your employer has to prove the allegation, but you must arrive prepared with all relevant documents and/or witnesses ready to answer questions a...
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