In its basic terms, suspension is when an employee is still employed by the organisation but is not required to come into the workplace or carry out any work. There can be several reasons to suspend an employee from medical and health and safety grounds, to the most commonly considered disciplinary grounds.
Particularly in cases related to disciplinary action, suspension can be one of the first thoughts that comes to mind, in order to remove the employee from the workplace and the current situation. However, in all cases suspension should be the last resort, and all other alternatives should be considered first, which could include the employee doing restricted duties, being moved to a different area of the practice, working from home, or being supervised in their work.
Suspension should not be seen as a punishment for the individual, but instead as a means to allow a full investigation to happen, therefore the suspension should be as short as possible, the decision should be reviewed frequently to ensure that it is still the most appropriate form of action, and the employee would usually receive full pay for the duration.
Suspending an employee is definitely not a decision to be taken lightly, and we can help you with this, whether that be with the decision itself, or the process of actually suspending an employee. Please get in touch with us on 07526 029975 or email info@sapernhr.co.uk