Disciplinary warnings

Acas recommend that most issues are best approached informally before using a formal procedure.

Formal disciplinary procedures should specify a series of warnings leading to dismissal. There is no legal requirement for a procedure always to include a verbal warning before moving to a written warning.

Failure to follow an internal procedure is likely to make a dismissal unfair. In practice, most disciplinary procedures usually allow the employer flexibility to decide what level of Warning to issue, depending on the seriousness of the conduct and past disciplinary offences.