Where possible, the appeal manager should be someone more senior to the disciplinary manager who was not involved in the investigation or disciplinary process. Again, that may not be possible, depending on the size of your business. If that is the case, ensure that the appeal manager keeps an open mind in respect of the outcome of the appeal hearing until it has been concluded.

The appeal hearing should be conducted in a very similar way to the disciplinary hearing. Give the employee the opportunity to explain their grounds of appeal and adjourn the appeal hearing to consider all of the evidence before a decision is made. In some circumstances it may be necessary to carry out further investigations before you can make a decision.

This will particularly be the case where there is new evidence that was not considered during the disciplinary process. Once a decision is made it should again be confirmed in writing.