HR disciplinary procedure guide & template | Breathe

We know that managing people can be challenging at times.  

HR handles everything to do with people at work – and sometimes, this can include issues that need to be addressed. 

That’s why we’ve created 3 free HR templates covering disciplinary procedure for you to download & customise, to support your business. 

In an ideal world, we’d hope that you’d never need to use them – but they’re here for you to use & customise, just in case.  

Free HR templates to help manage disciplinaries

In this free resource, we’ve included: 

• A disciplinary hearing letter template, where the individual is informed of the issues you want to discuss and what will happen at the disciplinary hearing. 

• A disciplinary outcome letter template, where you inform the individual of the decision following the hearing, along with next steps. 

• A dismissal letter template to terminate employment. This would be used when the individual has been found to have committed gross misconduct (after your investigation has concluded). This could also be used if you don’t see improvements in performance-related issues.  

What is a disciplinary?

The term 'disciplinary' refers to the process companies follow when an employee needs to be warned, reprimanded or dismissed. 

A disciplinary is part of the process when a company wants to address an employee’s behaviour. Their manager may be concerned about their work, their general conduct or an unauthorised absence. 

The word 'disciplinary' typically refers to the hearing itself. This is the meeting at which both sides present their cases about the matter, but it's only a part of the whole disciplinary procedure. 

The disciplinary procedure

Your company’s disciplinary procedure should be clearly detailed in your company handbook or the employee contracts. Poorly handled disciplinary processes can result in accusations of unfair dismissal, which may need to be handled by an employment tribunal. So it’s vital that you have a well-considered and well-written procedure that you closely adhere to.

It should set out what actions will be taken if company rules are broken and also detail what the disciplinary process entails. This includes the various levels of disciplinary action, such as verbal or written warnings, disciplinary hearings and final written warnings. It should also explicitly state what behaviour constitutes gross misconduct and how an employee can appeal any disciplinary decisions. 

Different types of disciplinaries

Disciplinaries generally split into two main categories: 

• Conduct e.g. unacceptable behaviour 

• Capability e.g. issues with performance 

Once you’ve tried to resolve things more informally (where possible) and if you don’t have your own Performance Improvement Plan process to follow within your SME, then these templates are for you.  

These HR letter templates can be used alongside your disciplinary procedure for conduct or capability. Please note, they’re designed for use after your disciplinary investigation has taken place.  

Disclaimer: Please note, these letter templates are for informational purposes only. For employment law or HR advice around specific circumstances, please consult a qualified HR or employment law consultant.