{"id":2036,"date":"2022-01-19T06:12:26","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T06:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uk.legalvision.com.au\/?p=2036"},"modified":"2026-03-31T23:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T22:34:10","slug":"companion-disciplinary-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/companion-disciplinary-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Role of a Companion in a Disciplinary Meeting in the UK?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In a disciplinary meeting, employees have the legal right to bring a companion for support. As an employer, failing to allow this could expose you to an employment tribunal claim. This article will explain the role of a companion in a disciplinary meeting, who can carry out this role and exactly what they are and are not allowed to do in the disciplinary meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What is a Disciplinary Meeting?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/conduct-disciplinary-investigation\/\">disciplinary meeting<\/a> or hearing is a meeting between you and your employee before you give any potential disciplinary action. These meetings allow you and your employee to express both sides of the story.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"box box--icon box--info\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is crucial that you do not take any disciplinary action before holding a meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once you hold a disciplinary meeting, you may find that the problem persists. In this case, you could take disciplinary action like:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">giving a follow-up warning;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/suspend-an-employee\/\">suspending your employee without pay<\/a>;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">demoting the employee; or<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/summary-dismissal-legal\/\">dismissing the employee<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Additionally, a disciplinary meeting should occur at a reasonable time and place. For example, holding a meeting outside of work hours would be unreasonable.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What is a Companion in Disciplinary Meetings?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a disciplinary meeting, your employee has a right to have someone with them. This is termed the \u2018right to be accompanied\u2019. The person who accompanies your employee is called a companion.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You should give your employee at least five days written notice of the disciplinary meeting. Likewise, let them know they have the right to a companion during the meeting. However, if your employee does not have enough time to arrange for a companion, you may need to rearrange the meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If your employee makes a reasonable request to be accompanied and you refuse, your employee could take you to an employment tribunal. If successful, you could be required to pay compensation amounting to two weeks of your employee&#8217;s pay but no more than a week&#8217;s pay of \u00a3544.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You should note that the right to a companion only relates to disciplinary meetings. So, the right to a companion does not exist if you:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">have an informal chat with your employee; or&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">schedule an appointment before any disciplinary meeting to establish what has happened.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, if your employee asks to be accompanied, you may allow it if you choose.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n    <div class=\"my-7 lg:my-10 border-y-2 border-gray-100 py-7 lg:py-10 flex flex-col sm:flex-row items-start gap-10\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"w-52 mx-auto my-0! rounded\" src=\"https:\/\/img.legalvision.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/21011453\/Screenshot-2025-01-21-at-12.14.38-pm.png\" alt=\"Front page of publication\"\n                 loading=\"lazy\" width=\"208\" height=\"298\">\n                <section>\n            <div class=\"text-2xl font-bold\">2025 Key UK Employment Law Changes<\/div>\n            <div class=\"body-text\">\n                <p>This factsheet outlines key developments in 2025 affecting workforce management. In particular, the proposed Employment Rights Bill (2024) will drive significant changes, anticipated to start late 2025.<\/p>\n            <\/div>\n            \n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/img.legalvision.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/22052013\/LegalVision_2025-Key-UK-Employment-Law-Changes-Factsheet.pdf\" class=\" block px-5 py-3.5 max-w-fit bg-orange button__hover transition rounded text-white font-bold text-lg no-underline uppercase leading-tight text-center\" target=\"\" rel=\"\">Download Now<\/a>        <\/section>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<a href=\"#content-next\"\n   class=\"block p-4 mt-10 text-xl font-bold text-center text-white no-underline bg-gray-800 rounded-t-xl\">\n    Continue reading this article below the form\n    <i class=\"text-xl fa-regular fa-arrow-down\"><\/i>\n<\/a>\n<div class=\"px-6 pt-10 pb-12 mb-10 text-center bg-gray-100 rounded-b-xl sm:px-12 test\">\n    <div class=\"mb-8 text-2xl font-bold text-orange\">\n        Need legal advice?\n        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Instead, the right to be accompanied concerns only certain types of people. These include individuals like a:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">work colleague;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">trade union representative; or<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">trade union official.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Where the companion is from a trade union, it does not have to be one that your business recognises. The companion can be from any trade union.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"box box--icon box--info\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Indeed, you cannot dictate which of the above three types of people your employee takes as their companion to the disciplinary meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, you may choose to allow your employees a wider choice of companions. If so, you should include these within your workplace policies under the section on disciplinary action and meetings. You can also specify these rules in your employee\u2019s employment contract. For example, you may state that where an employee cannot find a colleague to accompany them to a disciplinary meeting and are not in a union, they are allowed a family member or Citizens Advice worker to accompany them as their companion. However, you are not obliged to allow this.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Where your employee is disabled, you may be obliged by discrimination law to allow someone else as their companion rather than the three types of people your employee is legally entitled to bring. As an employer, you have a legal requirement to make reasonable adjustments for your employees with a disability. So, when conducting a disciplinary meeting, you could allow, for example, their carer or someone with a knowledge of the disability to accompany them.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What Does a Companion Do in a Disciplinary Meeting?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The role of a companion in a disciplinary meeting is to:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">take notes for your employee;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">present your employee\u2019s case;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">summarise your employee\u2019s case at the end of the meeting;&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">respond to your comments or points; <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">confer with the employee during the meeting; and<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">discuss the issues directly with you during the meeting.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is not a legal requirement for you to allow the companion to answer questions you put to your employee in a disciplinary meeting. However, you may choose to enable this if you wish.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div  class=\"box box--icon box--info\">\n    <p>You should note that a companion can only address the meeting if the employee allows them to. A companion is not allowed to stop you from presenting your side of the story or stop or disrupt the disciplinary meeting from taking place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Importantly, if the companion is a colleague of your employee and, therefore, one of your employees, you are not allowed to discipline them for agreeing to be a companion.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your employees are legally entitled to a companion at a disciplinary meeting. You must make them aware of this right before the meeting and provide enough notice to arrange a support person. There are rules about the companion\u2019s role and restrictions on who legally qualifies as a companion. There are also rules about what a companion can and cannot do in a disciplinary meeting. Importantly, not allowing your employee their right to a companion could lead you to face an employment tribunal.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LegalVision provides ongoing legal support for businesses through our fixed-fee legal membership. Our experienced <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment-lawyers-lp\/\">employment lawyers<\/a><\/strong> help businesses manage contracts, employment law, disputes, intellectual property, and more, with unlimited access to specialist lawyers for a fixed monthly fee. To learn more about LegalVision\u2019s legal membership, call <a href=\"tel:+448081968584\" class=\"AVANSERnumber dynamic-number\">0808 196 8584<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/membership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">visit our membership page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1642572469204\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>What is a companion in a disciplinary meeting?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A companion in a disciplinary meeting is someone your employee chooses to accompany to the meeting to help them with their case. In addition, there are rules about the companion\u2019s role and restrictions on who legally qualifies as a companion.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1642572480993\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>What is the role of a companion in a disciplinary meeting?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">The role of a companion in a disciplinary meeting is to help your employee present their case to you. They may, for example, take notes or summarise your employee\u2019s case at the end of the meeting.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1774996233903\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Can an employee bring a lawyer as a companion?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">No. The law limits companions to colleagues, trade union representatives, or trade union officials. However, you may choose to expand this in your workplace policies.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1774996244903\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Do disabled employees have additional companion rights?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Yes. Discrimination law may require you to allow a carer or disability specialist as a companion, as part of your reasonable adjustments obligation.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n<div class=\"not-prose m-feedback-prompt\">\n    <!-- Thumbs up\/down bar -->\n    <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__main\">\n        <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__title\">Was this article helpful?<\/div>\n        <div>\n            <!--span class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button--text\">Thanks!<\/span-->\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button m-feedback-prompt__button--yes\"\n                    data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:yes\" aria-label=\"Agree\">\n                <i class=\"fa-regular fa-thumbs-up fa-3x\"><\/i>\n            <\/button>\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button m-feedback-prompt__button--no\"\n                    data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:no\" aria-label=\"Disagree\">\n                <i class=\"fa-regular fa-thumbs-down fa-3x\"><\/i>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <!-- Feedback form -->\n    <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form\">\n        <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--thanks \">\n            <div>Thanks!<\/div>\n            <p>\n                We appreciate your feedback \u2013 your submission has been successfully received.            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n        <form id=\"contact-form\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--form\" action=\"\" method=\"post\">\n            <input type=\"hidden\" id=\"authenticity_token\" name=\"authenticity_token\" value=\"9eb4f72322\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036\" \/>            <input value=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/companion-disciplinary-meeting\/\" type=\"hidden\" name=\"currenturl\"\n                   id=\"currenturl\">\n            <input value=\"What is the Role of a Companion in a Disciplinary Meeting in the UK?\" type=\"hidden\" name=\"currenttitle\"\n                   id=\"currenttitle\">\n            <label>\n                <!-- display on thumbs-up -->\n                <span class=\"m-feedback-prompt__feedback m-feedback-prompt__feedback--yes\">\n                    Can you tell us <span class=\"font-semibold\">why<\/span> you found it helpful?\n                <\/span>\n\n                <!-- display on thumbs-down -->\n                <span class=\"m-feedback-prompt__feedback m-feedback-prompt__feedback--no text-lg\">\n                    How can we better improve this article?\n                <\/span>\n                <textarea name=\"feedbackmessage\" id=\"feedbackmessage\" required><\/textarea>\n            <\/label>\n\n            <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--error\" id=\"form-submit-error\"><\/div>\n            <button id=\"submit-contact-form-button\" type=\"submit\" name=\"commit\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--submit\"\n                    data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:submit\">\n                Submit            <\/button>\n        <\/form>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a disciplinary meeting, employees have the legal right to bring a companion for support. As an employer, failing to allow this could expose you to an employment tribunal claim. This article will explain the role of a companion in a disciplinary meeting, who can carry out this role and exactly what they are and<a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/companion-disciplinary-meeting\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"sr-only\">&#8220;What is the Role of a Companion in a Disciplinary Meeting in the UK?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13414,"featured_media":553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"1575,1986,886,2247,1206,1358","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[20,21,313,449,450,451],"class_list":["post-2036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employment","tag-small-business","tag-medium-business","tag-disciplinary-investigation","tag-disciplinary-meeting","tag-support-person","tag-companion"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Role of a Companion in a Disciplinary Meeting | LegalVision UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Employees have a right to a companion to accompany them to a disciplinary meeting. 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