Guidance on disciplinary suspension
In cases regarding allegations of serious or gross misconduct employees may be suspended on full pay or temporarily deployed to alternative duties. The decision to suspend a member of staff is not taken lightly and this must be agreed in advance with the appropriate HR manager.
Suspension is not a disciplinary action nor does it infer any guilt. Where an employee is suspended, care should be taken as to how this is communicated to other staff. As far as reasonably possible the suspension and the reason for it should be kept confidential to minimise any risk to the employee’s reputation.
The period of suspension should be kept as brief as possible and kept under review. This means that the investigation process should be carried out as quickly as possible while ensuring that the process is sufficiently thorough and fair.
When an employee is suspended they should be kept updated with progress on the investigation and notified of any significant delays in concluding the investigation.