We rely on all team members to work together to achieve the best possible standards of performance and we’ll always provide support and guidance to allow our team to fulfil their potential. However, sometimes people may perform below our required standards. In these cases, we believe that it is best to deal with these problems openly and fairly and to provide clarity and practical support to improve performance.
This section has some grown-up legal language, which we’ve left unedited so the approach is really clear.
We monitor performance formally and informally through regular discussions that your Line Manager will have with you about your job during reviews.
If following informal support your performance continues to fall short of our standards, your Line Manager will arrange a meeting to discuss this with you. At this meeting your Line Manager will explain specific areas of your performance that aren’t acceptable, and you will have the chance to give reasons for this. You and your Line Manager will agree a plan covering the ways in which you can be supported to achieve acceptable standards, a date for review and a clear indication of what will happen if there is no improvement e.g., demotion, dismissal.
At the date of review, if there is no improvement, you may be invited into a formal capability hearing where a disciplinary sanction may be issued as an outcome. In this meeting, you will have the right to be accompanied by a work colleague or a Trade Union representative.
The timescale for improvement, with formal reviews, will vary depending on the nature of the problem and the role that the team member has within Copy Club. However, there will be a minimum of two formal capability meetings prior to any dismissal meetings.
At the final review overall performance will be assessed, and in most cases, this will be the end of the matter, as performance will have improved as agreed.
If sufficient improvements have not been made, consideration should be given to whether you should be transferred to another role better suited to your skills set, or as a last result, dismissed.
We may take into account your length of service and vary our capability procedures as necessary. This could mean that if you have under 2 years completed service with Copy Club then you may not be in receipt of any formal warnings before dismissal.
If you are dismissed due to capability, you have the right of appeal against this decision. Your appeal should be in writing and sent to a member of the Senior Leadership Team within five working days of the decision and state the reasons for your appeal. The decision from the appeal hearing will be final.