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Employee Dismissals for Conduct or Performance Reasons

28th October 2020

With over 35 years in Senior Management in different Trade sectors, from Construction, Food & Catering to Agriculture, as well as working for other businesses, we have never come across a business that has not suffered from having one – or a selection of the below gross misconduct cases – with a member(s) of their team: 

  1. Dishonesty, theft or fraud.
  2. Falsification of business records. 
  3. Submission of false expense claims. 
  4. Unauthorised possession, removal or sale of business products or property, or property belonging to another employee, client, customer or visitor. ask 
  5. A serious breach of confidentiality, including unauthorised access of computer and personnel records and communicating or leaking trade secrets or confidential information about the business or its employees, clients or customers to third parties. 
  6. Working for a competitor without permission. 
  7. Using business property, materials or equipment to carry out work for third parties on a personal basis without permission. 
  8. Wilful damage to business property, or to property belonging to another employee, client, customer or visitor.
  9. Taking or giving bribes in connection with employment. 
  10. Wilfully causing harm or injury to another employee, client, customer or visitor, assault, physical violence or threatening, bullying or grossly offensive, abusive or aggressive behaviour. 
  11. Causing loss, damage or injury through serious carelessness or gross negligence. 
  12. A serious breach of health and safety rules, including acts or omissions which endanger the safety of another employee, client, customer or visitor. 
  13. Knowingly breaking a legal requirement in connection with employment. 
  14. Deliberately tampering with a work computer or intentionally interfering with the company’s computer or telephone network. 
  15. Logging on to sexually explicit websites, downloading or circulating pornographic or other offensive, illegal or obscene material or using the internet or e-mail for gambling or illegal activities. 
  16. Wilful refusal to carry out or obey a reasonable management instruction. 
  17. Gross insubordination. 
  18. Bringing the employer into serious disrepute. 
  19. Dereliction of duty, including sleeping whilst at work and undertaking unauthorised activities during normal working hours. 
  20. Serious incapacity at work through an excess of alcohol or illegal drugs, whether consumed on or off business premises but which affects the employee’s ability to carry out their job duties whilst at work. 
  21. Bringing illegal drugs or other illegal substances or items or weapons on to business premises. 
  22. Smoking on business premises, other than in designated outside smoking areas. 
  23. Discriminating against, harassing, bullying or victimising another employee, client, customer or visitor because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief, sex and/or sexual orientation. 
  24. Unauthorised absence, including failure to return from a period of annual leave or other approved leave of absence. 

All 24 points above are Gross Misconduct offences and the list is non-exhaustive! All of the above have the following affects on you, your team and your business:

  1. Loses you money!
  2. Wastes time and increases your workload!
  3. Demotivates your team and reduces productivity!
  4. Causes Customer complaints & loss of business!
  5. Helps your competitors get ahead and stay ahead of you!
  6. Creates chaos which causes you a leaky bucket in your business……-£
  7. May make you and your business liable!

….and of course, this list is non-exhaustive!

So what do you do?

  • Get us or another HR company to help you face the problem!
  • Get us or another HR company to help you complete some internal fact finding!
  • Get us or another HR company to arrange an initial investigation meeting!
  • If the evidence leads to a Disciplinary or Gross Misconduct Hearing….include us or another HR company to help you achieve the right outcome.

If you have further questions, contact Jonathan Keable directly: 

Mobile 07960 661392 or 

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

or contact us here to learn more.

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