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#ChooseToChallenge this International Women’s Day
Katie Newbury
Conducting a proper internal investigation is the key to a fair disciplinary process. Employers should therefore be mindful of their own internal policy, take time to follow the steps that it sets out, and ensure that the employee being investigated is given a fair chance to present their case, which includes having all the necessary information and a clear understanding of the allegations against them.
This case concerned the constructive dismissal and sexual orientation discrimination of an openly gay primary school Head Teacher, Mr Aplin.
In events unconnected to the school and any of its students, Mr Aplin became involved with two 17 year old boys whom he met via a dating app. When this came to the attention of the Local Authority’s Social Services Department, it arranged a Professional Abuse Strategy Meeting in order to determine whether any criminal offence had been committed, or whether any child protection issues arose. It was decided, in both instances, that they had not.
Despite the Local Authority’s conclusion that safeguarding issues were not of concern in this case, the School proceeded to carry out its own internal disciplinary investigation in order to determine whether Mr Aplin’s conduct impacted on his ability to undertake his role as its Head Teacher. The investigating officer, Mr Gordon produced a report on his findings, which led to Mr Aplin’s disciplinary hearing and, ultimately, the School’s decision that he should be dismissed.
The investigatory and disciplinary procedure was heavily criticized by the original Employment Tribunal for a number of reasons, including:
When Mr Aplin appealed the School’s decision to dismiss him, he encountered many more procedural issues, including that the School:
Mr Aplin ultimately resigned in August 2016, before the appeal was heard, complaining that there had been a “totally inept and unfair investigation”.
Mr Aplin brought successful claims for sexual orientation discrimination and constructive dismissal in the Employment Tribunal. The school appealed.
The School’s appeal was dismissed. The EAT found that there could be ‘no challenge’ to the Employment Tribunal’s finding that the School’s conduct leading up to the dismissal amounted to breaches of the implied term of trust and confidence. Mr Aplin’s appeal gave the School an opportunity to remedy those breaches, however, further procedural errors ensued, entitling Mr Aplin to resign and claim constructive dismissal.
The mishandling of the procedure in this case were found to have amounted to a breach of the implied term of trust and confidence and a finding that Mr Aplin had been constructively dismissed.
Although the big issue for the Claimant was the sexual orientation discrimination which he had suffered, another relevant point for employers to note, is that this case throws spotlight on the significance of a reasonable and proper investigation. As demonstrated here, procedural errors during an internal process can give rise to a legitimate claim by an employee.
Eugenie is an Associate in our Employment team. She acts for a mixture of corporates and private individuals. Eugenie’s experience includes advising on dismissals, negotiating settlement agreements, advising on contractual disputes, including the enforceability of post-termination restrictions and drafting employment contracts and staff handbooks.
We welcome views and opinions about the issues raised in this blog. Should you require specific advice in relation to personal circumstances, please use the form on the contact page.
Katie Newbury
Punam Sood
Cate Maguire
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