1.
Purpose
1.1 Post Office Ltd aims to develop excellent
standards of performance and conduct in its employees in order to provide
excellent standards of service to its customers. This code details the individual
employee’s rights and responsibilities in establishing and maintaining the
required standards of conduct.
Publication of a code such as this is a mandatory requirement under
the Employment Rights Act 1996 and is based on the principles of fairness
and natural justice laid down in the Code of Practice issued by the Advisory,
Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS)
1.2 The purpose of the code can be summarised
as follows:
·
To
help establish the required high standards of conduct.
·
To
help employees maintain these standards
·
To
ensure the consequences of failing to meet these standards are understood
·
To
provide a process for dealing with breached of these standards
1.3 The key principle of the Code is
prevention and correction rather than punishment. This will be achieved through coaching
and guidance to help individuals reach the required standards, and a
progression of formal and final warnings where this approach fails or is
inappropriate. It also recognises
that, in cases where a final warning does not result in the required
improvement, or in cases of gross misconduct, there may be no option but
dismissal.
1.4 This code has been developed with help
from employees, and is agreed and supported by the Communication Workers
Union and the Communication Managers Association.
1.5 The following Postal Instructions have
now been replaced by this code and associated guidelines:
·
P1 7
N1 J0016 Discipline Procedure
·
P1
& N1 J0016 Punctuality; late attendance
·
P1
& N1 J0017 Insubordination, obstructive or Violent Conduct,
·
P1
& N1 J0027 Loss or damage to official property
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2.
Rights
Post office Ltd will manage conduct in
accordance with the following individual rights which it recognises are
held by all employees:
·
To be
treated with respect and courtesy at all times.
·
To
be treated fairly and reasonably
·
To
know what standards are expected.
·
To a
speedy resolution of disciplinary issues.
·
To
understand the disciplinary process.
·
To a
full investigation of the facts before disciplinary action is taken.
·
To
have their view of the case fully considered.
·
To
be provided with all the evidence used by managers in arriving at their
decisions, in sufficient time to consider it in detail.
·
To know,
understand and comment on any charges that may be made against them.
·
To
have all mitigating circumstances taken into account.
·
To
be accompanied by a friend (of the same sex where required), who may be a
representative of a recognised trade union, during formal disciplinary
interviews.
·
To
be advised of the outcome of any formal disciplinary interviews.
·
To a
copy of any notes of disciplinary interviews (and notes of informal
counselling where they are made).
·
To
appeal against formal disciplinary action.
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3.
Responsibilities
3.1 All employees are personally responsible
for:
·
Ensuring
that they understand what standards are expected of them and seeking advice
where in doubt.
·
Striving
to meet these standards.
3.2 In addition, line managers must also:
·
Set
a good example
·
Ensure
that appropriate standards are communicated to their team(s)
·
Help
their team members to understand and meet these standards#
·
Address
failure to meet these standards in accordance with the process and
principles explained in this Code.
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4.
Standards
This section of the Code aims to provide
a guide to the standards of conduct required of all employees.
4.1
Personal
Conduct
Employees are required to maintain a high
standard of personal conduct including efficiency, reliability, integrity,
sobriety, punctuality and attendance.
Similarly, employees are required to follow reasonable instructions
from their manager.
4.2
Respect
for other employees
Employees are required to maintain a high
standard of conduct in relation to all other employees and to treat them
with respect and courtesy, particularly in relation to the requirements of
our equal opportunities and harassment policies. Similarly, they have a
responsibility to protect the health and safety of other employees.
4.3
Respect
for customers and clients
Our customers and clients are a major
priority – we aim to provide an excellent service to both. Employees are therefore required to treat
them with respect at all times.
4.4
Protecting
Business Resources
Our reputation for reliability and
integrity is a key element of the service we provide. Employees are therefore required to
ensure that POL property, resources and funds are not used for improper
purposes.
4.5
Protecting
Information
Employees are responsible
for protecting access to confidential information and for ensuring it is
not subject to unauthorised disclosure.
This, in part, involves observing the security procedures in
relation to computer systems, and maintaining the confidentiality of
business and personal information.
4.6
Protecting
business interests
Any outside employment must
be openly declared, and must not be contrary to POL commercial interests or
bring POL into disrepute. Employees
are required to avoid activity which conflicts with their duty to POL, and
to ensure that their actions are not improperly influenced by personal
considerations.
It is important to note that many of these standards have a clear
legal basis. The relevant legislation can be found in:
·
Health
& Safety at Work Act 1974
·
Sex
Discrimination Act 1975
·
Race
Relations Act 1976
·
Data
Protection Act 1984
·
Fair
Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1989
·
Disability
Discrimination Act 1995
As employees are required to observe the
correct internal procedures, reference may need to be made to other
documents. For example:
·
Competition
Law Compliance Manual
·
Counter
Operations Manual
·
Environmental
policy
·
Equal
Opportunities Policy
·
Expenses
policy
·
Harassment
policy
·
Health
and Safety policy
·
Smoking
policy
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5.
Managing
Conduct
5.1
The
informal approach
The vast majority of conduct issues will
be managed informally. The way in
which this fits into the overall process is shown in the Managing Conduct
model at figure 1.
5.2
Communicating
and counselling
The informal approach to establishing and
improving standards has two key elements.
The aim of this approach is to help the individual to understand and
achieve the required standards. The
two elements are:
·
Communication
of standards – where individuals need to know what is expected of them.
·
Counselling
– where individuals need more specific guidance and encouragement.
The Formal Approach
5.3 Formal disciplinary action will only be
taken in cases where informal action does not result in the required
standard of conduct, or where misconduct is so serious as to warrant
immediate use of a formal approach.
This approach provides for the use of formal warnings, final
warnings (with or without additional disciplinary action) and
dismissal. The way in which the
formal procedure fits into the overall process is shown in the Managing
Conduct model at figure 1.
Fig. 1 Managing Conduct
Model
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