{"id":1405,"date":"2022-01-10T00:24:10","date_gmt":"2022-01-10T00:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uk.legalvision.com.au\/?p=1405"},"modified":"2026-03-27T03:02:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T03:02:58","slug":"ordinary-gross-misconduct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/ordinary-gross-misconduct\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Difference Between Ordinary, Serious and Gross Misconduct in the UK?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As an employer, there will be times when your employees do not follow workplace rules. These actions may vary in severity and can amount to ordinary, serious, or gross misconduct<\/a>. While all instances involve inappropriate employee behaviour, there are significant differences between each level. You must understand these differences so that the actions you take are appropriate and do not result in accusations of unfair dismissal or discrimination. This article will explain the differences between different types of misconduct and relevant ways to respond to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Ordinary Misconduct?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As an employer, you are likely to have company rules in place<\/a>, such as those in your employee\u2019s employment contract. There may also be implied rules within the workplace. Y<\/span>our contracts would not s<\/span>pell these out<\/span>, but your employee should reasonably expect<\/span> them to exist.<\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Employee ordinary misconduct is when an employee does not behave appropriately and, therefore, breaks the workplace rules, such as being late or taking unauthorised absences from work. Ordinary misconduct mainly concerns breaking minor rules.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is Serious Misconduct?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Employee misconduct can constitute more serious behaviour than ordinary misconduct. As an employer, you may have an internal procedure in place to help distinguish between different types of conduct. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serious misconduct is where an employee’s behaviour has caused severe harm to the business or organisation. This could be:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n