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Newsletter-GEOGuardianEmployersOrganisation

TIPSFORINITIATORSATDISCIPLINARYHEARINGS(Enquiries)

GEOofficialschairovertwohundreddisciplinaryhearingspermonth.Chairpersonsarerequiredtoactimpartiallyandcannotassisttheinitiatororemployeeinpresentingtheirrespectivecases.

Theonusofproofindisciplinaryhearingsfallsontheinitiator’s(employer’s)shoulders.

Assuch,theinitiatorisrequiredtopresentaconvincingcasetothechairperson.Thestandardofproofindisciplinaryhearingsis“onabalanceofprobabilities”.Althoughthisisalesserstandardthanexpectedincriminalcases(“beyondareasonabledoubt)”,theinitiatorisstillrequiredtopresentastrongenoughcaseforthechairpersontofindanemployeeguiltyoftheallegationsagainsthim.Initiatorsarethereforerequiredtopresentasubstantiallyconvincingcase,withsufficientevidenceforthechairpersontobeconvincedthatitisverylikelythattheemployeeisguiltyoftheallegation(s).Asthechairpersonhastoremainnon-partisan.Itsometimeshappensthatachairpersonmustfindanerrantemployeenotguiltybecausetheinitiatorhasfailedtopresentasubstantiallyconvincingcase.

THEFOLLOWINGTIPSWILLASSIST

Investigateincidentsofmisconductthoroughly

Establishwhere,whenandhowtheincidenttookplace.Interviewtheemployeeandgetastatement.Establishwhatevidenceisavailable(trackingrecords,invoices,receipts,policies,procedures,physicalevidence,andvideoandsoundrecordings,etc.).Securetheevidence.Establishiftherearewitnessesandobtainwrittenstatementsfromthem.Remember,thewitnessesmusttestifyatthehearing.Itisnotsufficienttosimplypresenttheirstatements.Checktheemployee’sdisciplinaryrecord.Askwhethertheemployeehascommittedanoffencethatshouldgotoahearingordoestheoffencemerelyrequiretheissuingofafurther,moreseriouswarning.

Prepareproperlybeforethehearing

Draftproperallegationsthatcontainafulldescriptionoftheallegation(s)andthedateandtimethattheoffence(s)occurred.EnsurethattheChairperson,dateandtimeofthedisciplinaryhearinghasbeentimeouslyarranged.ServetheNoticeoftheDisciplinaryHearingontheemployeeandensurethatsufficientnoticeofthehearingisgiven(usuallynotfewerthan48hours).Preparequestionsforyourwitnesses.Meetwithyourwitnessesandpreparethemforthehearing.Preparequestionsfortheaccusedemployeeandanypossiblewitnessesthathe/shemaycall.Prepareabundleofdocumentswiththedocumentaryevidencethatyouintendtolead.Paginatethebundleofdocumentsandmakeextracopiesforthechairmanandtheemployee.Preparethefactsthatyouintendtopresentinaggravation(previouswarnings,astatementonwhytheemploymentortrustrelationshiphasbeendestroyed,damagecaused,losstotheemployer,etc).Ensurethatyourbundleofdocumentscontainsinteralia:

-Theemployee’scontractofemployment.-Thecompanyrules.Relevantpoliciesandprocedures.-Evidenceofthemisconduct(trackingreports,clockingreport,invoices,etc.).-Copiesofpreviouswarnings.-Witnessesandemployee’sstatements.

Atthedisciplinaryhearing

Donotbetooconcernedabouttheprocedurethatwillbefollowedduringthehearing.TheChairmanwillguidetheprocessandgiveyouampletimetopresentyourcase.Ensurethatyouhaveyourbundleofdocuments(andcopies),evidence(videofootage,documents,etc)andwitnessesavailable.Presentyourevidenceinachronologicalorder.Inotherwords,presenttheevidenceandcallyourwitnessestotestifyinalogicalsequence.Thiswillhelpthechairpersonunderstandyourcaseandinallprobabilityfindthatyouhaveprovedonabalanceofprobabilitiesthattheemployeeisindeedguiltyoftheallegation(s)againsthim/her.

Followthesetipsandyoushouldpresentaconvincingcaseatyournextdisciplinaryhearing.

RegardsAndreRabeGEOChairman

0861436436

AlthoughthePOPIActwassignedintolawafewyearsago,ithastakensometimefortheInformationRegulatortobeappointedandforthePOPIregulationstobepublished.ThesewerepublishedintheGovernmentGazetteon14thDecember201842110,RG10897,GN1383.

Section114(1)oftheActstatesthat:

"AllprocessingofpersonalinformationmustwithinoneyearafterthecommencementofthissectionbemadetoconformtothisAct".

Essentially,thismeansthatallbusinessesmustbecompliantbytheendof2019.Responsiblepersons*thatfailtocomplywiththePOPIActstandtobefineduptoR10000000orface10yearsinprison.

A“responsibleperson”meansapublicorprivatebodyoranyotherpersonwhich,aloneorinconjunctionwithothers,determinesthepurposeofandmeansforprocessingpersonalinformation.UltimatelythepersonheldresponsiblewillbetheManagingDirectororCEOoftheerrantcompany.

TheGEOhasspentthebetterof2018designingaPOPIimplementationprocessandisreadytoprovidethistomembersthatarenotPOPIcompliant.

18-11-2019

Contactus:Email:geo@geo.org.zaTelephone:0861436436

InThisIssue

An“Initiator”presentsthe

employer’scaseatadisciplinaryhearingandisrequiredtopresentastrong

enoughcaseforthechairpersontofindanemployeeguiltyoftheallegationsagainsthim.

Unfortunately,notallinitiatorsareproperly

preparedwhenpresentingthe

company’scase.AndreRabe,CEO,offerssometipsthat

willassistinitiatorstopresenta

substantiallyconvincingcaseat

DisciplinaryHearings

___________________GEOmembersareadvisedtosubscribetotheCIRISinternetlabourlawadvicesite.Itprovidesvaluableinformationonallmatters

relatedtoLabourLaw.ContactAndreRabeon

0824910708oremailhimonandrer@geo.org.za

___________________Visitoursite:www.geo.org.za

CIRISwebsite:www.cirisonline.net

E-LEARNING–INITIATINGDISCIPLINARYHEARINGS

WehavedesignedanE-Learningcoursecoveringhowtoinitiateprofessionaldisciplinaryhearings.Theonlinecourseisdesignedforanymanagerorsupervisorthatmayberequiredtoactasaninitiatorindisciplinaryhearings.

Thebenefitsofthisonlinecourseare:

-Costeffectivenovenue,foodortravellingcosts;

-Learnerpaceddelegatesworkthroughthematerialattheirownspeed;

-Noworkdisruptiondelegatesatwork;

-Convenientdelegatescanpauseorcontinuethecourseatanystage;

-Multipledevicesthecoursecanbepausedandcontinuedonotherdevicese.g.homePCorsmartphone;

-Contentcanbedownloaded;

-Contentcanbecustomised;

-Learnerprogressismonitoredandreportsprovided.

Toseeademoofthecourseselectthefollowinglink:

E-CourseInitiatingDisciplinaryHearings-PowerPoint

ToaccessthecoursecontactAndreRabeon0824910708oremail:andre@geo.org.za