What is gross misconduct?
Gross misconduct can be any conduct where you have behaved in a way that represents a serious breach of your contract, making any continuing relationship with your employer impossible. This could be something specific in relation to your particular industry sector or job title, and which may not apply to employees who do similar roles for different employers.
Examples of acts of “gross misconduct” include:
- theft;
- dishonesty;
- violence at work;
- intoxication from drink or drugs;
- fighting or other physical abuse;
- continued refusal to obey the reasonable instructions of your manager;
- serious breach of health and safety rules.
Employers usually set out in the contract of employment what amounts to gross misconduct, although this isn’t a necessary pre-requisite for action to be taken.