In this document you can find details about what might happen if you don’t meet the standards of behaviour, we expect of everyone in Currys.

Introduction

At Currys, we’re committed to creating a working environment that brings out the best in everyone. Because we want all our colleagues to enjoy working here and to build a successful career with us. But we wouldn’t be able to do this without you. And your involvement, commitment to teamwork, and high standards of conduct are key to our shared success.

However, sometimes we might need to talk to you about your conduct. So we’ve created this policy so you understand what we expect of you, and to tell you what our process is when we have to deal with conduct issues.

Top Takeaways

Where appropriate, line managers will try to solve the problem informally before moving on to any disciplinary process. For more information click here.
An investigation meeting will be the first step in finding out if disciplinary action is needed. For more information click here.
We might suspend you while we carry out our investigations. In most cases, you’ll be paid in full while you’re suspended. You might be suspended without pay if you don’t meet a request for proof of eligibility to work in ROI. For more information click here.
We’ll give you 48 hours’ notice before your investigation and disciplinary meetings. For more information click here.
You can bring a work colleague or trade union representative with you to all your meetings. For more information click here.
You’ll normally be told the outcome of the meeting at the end, and then given written confirmation later. For more information click here.
You can appeal the outcome of your disciplinary meeting, For more information click here.
We’ve outlined what we consider to be ‘misconduct’. For more information click here.
We’ve outlined what we consider to be gross misconduct’. For more information click here.
Your line manager will manage the process via the ER Hub. The Informal Discussion Document (IDD) is attached to this policy.

1. What do you mean by Conduct?

Your behaviour and how you act is called conduct. We call it misconduct if you could do better at work, but you choose not to (an issue of ‘will’).

If the issue is more ‘skill’ related, we’ll work with you under the terms of the Performance Improvement Policy (ROI) to help you build the skills or knowledge you need to do your job. This is also the case if you haven’t met targets during any informal performance discussions.

We manage sickness absence using our Sickness Absence Policy (ROI).

2. When will the informal approach be used and what will it involve?

Your line manager will try to talk to you informally if they think your behaviour is out of character. They’ll try to talk to you as soon as they see an issue, to try and stop the situation getting any worse.

Your line manager might take some notes during your informal discussion (using an IDD). They’ll also write down anything you agree between you and will send this to the People Services Team (PST) to be saved against your personnel file.

Your line manager will talk to you about:

Your understanding of our company policies and procedures
Why you haven’t met the required conduct standards
If you need additional training and/or support
What you can do to make sure that your conduct is always up to standard

3. What happens during an investigation meeting?

If informal conversations are unsuccessful, the situation gets worse, or there are more cases of misconduct, your line manager will start the formal disciplinary process. They could also start the formal process if the alleged conduct is considered too serious to deal with informally.

This starts with an investigation meeting to see if there’s good reason to take disciplinary action.

Investigation meetings normally take place before any disciplinary action is taken. The meeting can be face-to-face or remotely over video call. If you’re invited to an investigation meeting, we’ll write to you to confirm the reasons for this, the possible consequences and when the meeting will take place. You’ll be given at least 48 hours’ notice of the meeting. And you’ll also be provided with any supporting documents as part of the investigation. This might include witness statements, call transcripts, emails, CCTV footage, loss prevention reports etc.

We won’t take disciplinary action just because an investigation meeting took place. The investigation might show some procedural concerns or problems in other areas. This could lead to other action being taken that isn’t part of the disciplinary process.

You need to be open and honest during the investigation. And you need to tell the investigating manager about any information, documents or witnesses that might be relevant. The investigating manager will make sure they’ve all the information they need before deciding what action to take.

You’ll be asked to read and sign the notes taken during the meeting when it’s over.

The investigating manager will decide if they think disciplinary action needs to be taken after they’ve concluded their investigation. They’ll let you know their decision and an independent disciplinary hearing manager will be appointed. The disciplinary manager won’t have been involved in your case previously.

You’ll be told in writing if there’s no disciplinary action to be taken. Sometimes the investigating manager will find the case can be dealt with informally through mediation, extra training or more regular 1:1 meetings for example.

4. What do I need to know about suspension?

You might be suspended during the disciplinary process including at the investigation stage if:

There’s an allegation of gross misconduct.
There’s an allegation of bullying, harassment, or discrimination.
We think you might influence the investigation if you’re at work.
We think you might put yourself, colleagues or our interests, property, customers, or other visitors at risk.
Workplace relationships have broken down or might if you stay at work.

You’ll never be suspended for longer than necessary. It’s also important to note that suspension isn’t a disciplinary sanction – and doesn’t mean we’ve decided about your case.

You’ll get paid normally while you’re suspended from work and if you receive variable pay, we’ll calculate your pay based on your last three pay periods. We won’t take any one-off payments such as annual bonuses into account. You’ll keep building up holiday and benefits while you’re suspended.

In exceptional circumstances you might be suspended without pay. For example, if you don’t meet a request for proof of eligibility to work in ROI.

Your absence will be treated as unauthorised and unpaid if you don’t go to investigation or disciplinary meetings without reason.

You can only take a pre-booked holiday during your suspension if we give you permission to. If the holiday’s allowed your paid suspension will continue after your holiday’s over. We won’t accept any holiday requests that haven’t been pre-booked.

You might need to return company property during your suspension, and your investigating manager will tell you if you do.

While you’re suspended you can’t:

Access company emails or IT systems.
Contact your colleagues, customers, contractors, or suppliers without permission.
Visit any of our premises without permission.
Go to social events organised by us, our customers, or our suppliers.

You need to ask your investigating manager before getting in touch with anyone from work. And you need to be available during your normal working hours while you’re suspended, so you can go to investigation or disciplinary meetings.

5. What happens if I’m referred to a disciplinary?

You’ll need to go to a disciplinary meeting if the investigating manager decides there’s a disciplinary case to answer. The disciplinary manager will write to you confirming any allegations that have been made and when the meeting is. We’ll give you at least 48 hours’ notice and the meeting will be face-to-face or over video call.

We’ll give you any documents from the investigation that’ll be used as part of the meeting. This can include things like witness statements, call transcripts, emails, CCTV footage or loss prevention reports.

We might still ask you to come to meetings if you become sick during the disciplinary process. We’ll do this if your suspension is impacting how you’re feeling. We may ask you to go for an Occupational Health (OH) assessment to help us understand if you’re well enough to go to a disciplinary meeting.

You need to tell your disciplinary manager if you need any extra support so you can attend your disciplinary meeting. You can do this when you get your invitation to the meeting.

We really encourage you to go to your disciplinary meeting if you can. If you’re there, then you can tell your side and answer any questions you’re asked. If you can’t attend, you need to tell your disciplinary manager in good time why not. And you’ll need to suggest an alternative date for the meeting that’s no more than five working days after the first date.

You’ll be given one more chance to go, and if you can’t, we may decide the outcome without you.

The disciplinary manager will write to you to confirm their decision after the meeting. You’ll be able to appeal the decision if you don’t agree with it.

6. Can I bring someone with me to my disciplinary meeting?

You can bring a work colleague or Trade Union representative with you to your disciplinary and appeal meetings. We don’t allow family members to come to the meetings. You need to tell the person named in your invitation letter who you’re bringing with you.

Your companion can ask questions and make comments during the meetings, but they can’t answer any questions for you. You’ll be able to talk to them during the meeting. They can also ask for a break and take notes for you. We’ll have an official note taker at the meeting too.

To make things easier, when you’re picking someone to come with you, please think about who’s available and on-site, rather than someone who’s at a different location.

If the person you picked can’t come to the meeting, please let your disciplinary manager know as soon as possible. You’ll need to give them an alternative list of times and dates within five working days of the original date where you can both attend the meeting. If your chosen person can’t go, then you should find someone else. We normally don’t reschedule a meeting for more than five working days after the original date.

7. What can I expect to happen during the disciplinary meeting?

An impartial disciplinary manager who hasn’t been involved in the case will run the meeting. There’ll also be an independent note taker at the meeting.

You’ll be able to talk about the allegations and the documents. Your disciplinary manager will listen to any explanations or mitigating circumstances that you want to share.

We might need to adjourn the meeting if we need to talk to other witnesses or investigate something further. We’ll invite you to continue the meeting at another time if this happens.

The disciplinary manager will let you know the outcome at the end of the meeting and then confirm it in writing. They’ll also let you know as soon as possible if they need more time to investigate further. In this case you’ll be invited to a reconvened disciplinary meeting so you can respond to any new evidence.

8. What types of disciplinary actions can be taken?

If the disciplinary manager finds that you’ve committed the alleged misconduct, you’ll be given a disciplinary warning, or dismissed, depending on the circumstances. You can find a list of what we consider misconduct in section 15. We’ve also put a list of things we consider gross misconduct in section 16.

We've three levels of disciplinary warning for misconduct:

Level of warning	When this is considered	Period of time warning is live
Verbal Warning	For a first act of misconduct when there’s no live written warning on your disciplinary record.	6 months
First written warning	When you've already had a verbal warning, which is still active, and you're found to have committed further misconduct. When the misconduct is too serious for a verbal warning even when there's no other active warnings on your record.	9 months
Final written warning	When you’ve already had a first written warning that’s still live, and you’ve carried out another act of misconduct. When the misconduct is too serious for a first written warning even if there's no other live warnings on your record.	12 months

Your disciplinary manager will consider any live warnings you've got when they’re deciding on the outcome of your disciplinary. They’ll tell you the nature of your misconduct and what you need to improve when they confirm the disciplinary warning. They’ll give you the specific reasons for their decision.

You might be asked to transfer to another location if your disciplinary manager thinks it’s appropriate. You’ll be told when you get the outcome of the disciplinary process.

After the live period, your personnel file will still contain the details of any warnings. But they’ll be disregarded from deciding the outcome of any future disciplinary proceedings.

We've two types of dismissal, procedural and summary. The table below highlights when each can be applied and what impact it might have on your contractual notice.

Type of dismissal	Circumstances	Impact on contractual notice
Procedural	You’ve been issued with a final written warning which is still live, and you’ve carried out another act of misconduct.	You’ll have to go to work, or you’ll be paid in lieu of your contractual notice period.
Summary	You’re found to have committed an act of gross misconduct, even if there are no live warnings on your disciplinary record.	You’re not entitled to work or be paid in lieu of your contractual notice period.

Your disciplinary manager can give a final written warning or demotion rather than summary dismissal if there are significant mitigating circumstances. In this case, they’ll consider demotion as an alternative to dismissal. We won’t use it alongside any other disciplinary sanction and we’ll only implement demotion if you agree. If you don’t agree to demotion, your disciplinary manager will have no alternative but to dismiss you.

We might use civil recovery proceedings if you took goods unlawfully or caused financial losses to the company. You might have to pay us compensation for the amount lost or we’ll deduct an amount from any final salary payment you’re due.

We may ask our solicitors to recover the money if you don’t pay the amount you’re supposed to.

9. What if I don’t agree with the outcome of the disciplinary?

You can appeal the disciplinary manager’s decision. You'll need to submit your appeal in writing within seven calendar days of getting your disciplinary outcome letter. Your letter will tell you where you need to send your appeal.

You can appeal based on:

The disciplinary manager’s findings and level of disciplinary action being taken.
New evidence that's become known that might've impacted the decision.
A procedural irregularity that might've affected the decision.

You need to clearly say why you’re appealing. You also need to give as much detail as you can. Your appeal letter should include:

Your specific grounds for appeal.
Any additional evidence you’ve given.
Any extra witnesses, (i.e. people you think should have been contacted before the disciplinary meeting).
What you expect the outcome to be.

A manager who hasn’t been involved in the investigation or disciplinary process will run your appeal meeting. There’ll also be a note taker at the meeting.

The appeal manager will write to you following the meeting to confirm the outcome and their decision will be final. If the original decision was for dismissal and your appeal isn’t successful, your original dismissal date will apply.

10. How are the meetings recorded?

There’ll be an independent note taker at the investigation, disciplinary and appeal meetings.

The notes will highlight the main points talked about during the meeting and the tone of it. You’ll be asked to read and sign the notes at the end of the meeting. If you don’t sign them, we’ll make note of this. You and/or your companion can also take notes if you want.

If investigation meetings are held by a member of the Central Fraud and Loss Prevention (FLP) team, they’ll be recorded with an electronic device. This is the only time that meetings should be recorded.

Following any disciplinary or appeal meeting, the meeting chair will write to you with the outcome, and they’ll include a copy of the notes from your meeting.

11. What happens if I’m sick during the process?

We might not pay you company sick pay (CSP) if you go off sick after going to or being invited to an investigation or disciplinary meeting. The same might apply if you go off sick during suspension.

12. What if I want to raise a grievance during the disciplinary process?

You’ll need to raise this directly with your disciplinary manager and they’ll decide if your grievance should be dealt with as part of the disciplinary process or not.

Normally the disciplinary meeting won’t be delayed because of a grievance and might run at the same time, depending on the grievance. You’ll be told what’s happening throughout the process.

13. How does Currys deal with matters involving the Garda Siochána?

We normally don’t delay the disciplinary process because the Gardaí are investigating an offence or if there're legal proceedings ongoing.

If you decide not to co-operate with the disciplinary process about a potential criminal act that the Gardaí are investigating, we’ll act on the information available to us.

Your behavior outside work may lead to disciplinary action if it impacts on your employment or the reputation of the business.

14. Can I resign during a disciplinary process?

You need to tell your line manager, in writing, if you want to resign. If they think you’re acting hastily about resigning, they’ll write to you and ask you to think about your decision.

You’ll have to work your full notice period if you resign unless you and your line manager agree otherwise.

If you resign after you got your invitation to the meeting, you’ll still need to attend if it’s due to happen before your leave date.

15. What does the company refer to as misconduct?

Most acts of misconduct aren’t serious enough to result in dismissal after the first time, or without warning.

We’ve made this list to let you know what we class as misconduct. It isn’t exhaustive but it does cover the most frequent reasons for misconduct.

If you ignore the way you’re supposed to record your attendance at work (if you falsify records that are used to calculate your payment, it’s gross misconduct).
If you refuse to carry out proper and reasonable instructions.
If you ignore rules concerning safety and security, including not wearing or using safety clothing or equipment.
If you don’t meet acceptable standards of conduct.
If you don’t follow absence reporting procedures.
If you’re late for work without good reason.
If you’re time keeping becomes an issue.
If you breach our policies and procedures.
Failure to protect company money, property, and interests through negligence or by not following or observing company policies and procedures.
Altering trading or operational hours without authority.

16. What does the company refer to as gross misconduct?

Gross misconduct is so serious that you could be dismissed without notice if you’re found to have committed an act of gross misconduct. Normally you’ll be suspended from work if there’s an allegation of gross misconduct.

We’ve made this list to let you know what we consider to be gross misconduct:

Serious breach of the terms and conditions of your employment.
Theft.
Fraud.
If you borrow or remove cash or stock without permission, including using an ‘I owe you’ or cashing a personal cheque.
Physical violence.
Abusive or threatening behavior.
Serious inappropriate behavior.
Serious negligence.
Breach of health and safety.
If you disregard procedures on purpose and place us in breach of any of our statutory obligations.
If you disregard procedures and place us in breach of our contractual obligations with our suppliers and customers. For example, (but not limited to), the sale and distribution of products before the embargo and release date set by the supplier.
Malicious damage to Currys property or property on our premises.
Actions that bring or could bring Currys into disrepute.
If you disclose or misuse confidential information, including unauthorised access to any computer-based information or failure to comply with the General Data Protection Act 2018.
A serious breach of safety (for example, using a laptop, PDA or handheld mobile phone while driving).
If you fail to follow rules or processes about the handling of, or accounting for, our cash, goods, or assets.
If you purposely falsify documents or claims for payment by Currys including invoices, expense sheets, timesheets, or other work records.
If you manipulate records or deliberately provide false information that is likely to mislead, deceive or indicate improved performance.
Sexual misconduct at work.
If you misrepresent your qualifications or give us false statements so you can secure employment with us.
If you misuse company property.
If you accept bribes, other inducements or engage in other corrupt practices as a Currys colleague.
If you carry out computer fraud, manipulation, or misuse, including breaches of our IT, email, and internet policies. This includes the unauthorised tampering, modification, removal or disabling of security software or otherwise rendering systems vulnerable to attack.
If you consume, are in possession or under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicating substances during normal working hours, on any company site or while representing the company (except as part of a company event or activity where consumption of alcohol has been approved).
If you discriminate (including harassment) against someone for any reason including race, color, nationality or ethnic origin, sex, or marital status, change of sex, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or age.
Bullying or harassment.
If you commit an offence that could negatively impact the Currys reputation or destroy the duty of mutual trust and confidence between you and Currys regardless of whether it results in a criminal conviction.
If you've any other unauthorised paid employment that conflicts with Currys working hours or that directly competes with Currys services and or products.
If you misuse customer data for personal or other non-work-related purposes.
If you transact with or carry out work privately for a Currys customer which results in a loss of business to Currys.
If you buy goods through Currys for the purpose of re-selling at a higher price for personal gain
If you've an unauthorised absence from work and/or failure to complete a scheduled shift whilst at work.
If you fail to comply with the requirements of your role, specifically relating to your failure to complete/pass the Insurance compliance test.
Breaches of Central Bank of Ireland guidelines or acts contrary to the conduct rules set by the CBI, including breaches of our Regulated Sales Policy.
If you smoke in unauthorised areas.

This list isn't exhaustive, and other allegations could be treated as gross misconduct.

17. Where can I go for additional support?

Your wellbeing is important to us, and throughout your time at Currys, we want to make sure you’re kept safe, happy and well. We’ve lots of support and resources available to you that can be accessed via Wellbeing Corner, our dedicated area for all wellbeing support. Here you’ll find information on our Mental Health First Aiders and our partnership with Champion Health, where you can access a personalised hub of support tailored to your needs.

We know that during this period you might need some additional support. But please don’t worry we’re here to help. You can speak to your manager at any point, however if you’d like to speak to someone independent too, you can contact our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). They offer free independent and confidential advice and can support with a variety of issues at work or at home. Click here to access more information about our EAP including contact details to speak to a qualified counsellor.

18. Document retention

Please make sure that you follow the document retention guidelines in our Data Retention Policy (UK&ROI) for any records created as a result of these processes.

A quick note. If you’ve printed this document, remember that it could be out of date and might not be reliable. For the most up to date information please visit the policy section within People Place. Please also be aware that this policy is non-contractual and may be amended from time to time.

19. Other relevant policies

20. Document Control Details


Document Point of Contact:	ER Team
Version:	4
Published and Effective From:	January 2024

Appendix One – The Disciplinary Process at a glance

Click here to access a copy of this document.

Appendix Two – Informal Discussion Document (IDD)