INDEPENDENT CHAIRPERSON ROLES

Disciplinary hearings in the workplace are subject to civil procedures as regulated by legislation. The South African Constitution remains the bedrock upon which all disciplinary proceedings are based, and every person has the right to fair labour practices, while employees accused of misconduct remain innocent until proven guilty on a balance of probabilities. Among others, this means that the presiding officer at disciplinary hearings should maintain an independent and neutral stance during proceedings. In response to this requirement, Neutral Mediator serves as independent chairperson for purposes of disciplinary hearings. This offering includes the formulation and delivery of a written verdict and imposing disciplinary sanction where an employee is found guilty of misconduct. Chairperson roles are offered through Zoom, Skype or Microsoft Teams. Further service offerings in this regard include the drafting of an employee Code of Conduct clearly laying out the differences between acceptable conduct, misconduct and gross misconduct, and the consultative implementation of this code in the workplace.