Handle a workplace disciplinary hearing

● 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;

● 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 about the incident;

● Be professional — being hostile in the hearing will harm only you; and

● Be honest.