Investigations are often the first port of call in managing workplace conflict, but their effect is "like throwing a grenade" into a team, a specialist warns.
An employer was understandably alarmed at discovering an employee conducting a self-described "side hustle", but it acted "too hastily" in dismissing him, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
An employer failed to conduct an open and transparent investigation into an employee's alleged misconduct, but this didn't warrant upholding her dismissal claim, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
An employer acted with "undue haste" in fast tracking two warnings about a manager's misconduct, when it would have been "relatively easy" to obtain her response to its allegations before sacking her.
An "argumentative and difficult" employee with a history of misconduct was unfairly sacked partly because his employer advised him of its decision via email, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
Honesty and cooperation following workplace misconduct isn't "noteworthy" behaviour that mitigates its seriousness, the Fair Work Commission has ruled in rejecting an unfair dismissal claim.
Employers don't have to warn employees not to act dishonestly, nor provide them with detailed allegations prior to a disciplinary meeting, the Fair Work Commission has reconfirmed in rejecting a worker's unfair dismissal claim.
The way misconduct allegations are put to an employee can have a significant impact on a workplace investigation, and is an area where employers often come unstuck, according to a lawyer.
