{"id":4913,"date":"2016-09-28T08:47:59","date_gmt":"2016-09-28T08:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplylaw.waydevelopers.com\/england-wales\/wiki\/dronsfield-v-university-of-reading\/"},"modified":"2023-11-04T13:12:06","modified_gmt":"2023-11-04T13:12:06","slug":"dronsfield-v-university-of-reading","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/simply.law\/england-wales\/articles\/dronsfield-v-university-of-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"Whose decision is it?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the recent case of Dronsfield v University of Reading<\/i>, the EAT has given further guidance on the role of investigation reports and how misconduct should be tested when determining whether a dismissal for gross misconduct is unfair.<\/span><\/p>\n

Facts<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Dr Dronsfield was an Associate Professor in Fine Art at the University of Reading. He was disciplined and dismissed for failing to disclose a relationship he had with one of his students.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was interviewed as part of the disciplinary process and once the investigation was concluded, drafts of the reports were reviewed and amended by the University\u2019s in house lawyer and HR department. As part of this process a number of comments that favoured Dr Dronsfield\u2019s position were deleted by HR and did not appear in the final version of the investigation report.<\/span><\/p>\n

Under University regulations, academic staff could only be dismissed for specified reasons, which included \u201cconduct of an immoral, scandalous or disgraceful nature incompatible with the duties of the office or employment\u201d. The disciplinary panel recommended dismissal and Dr Dronsfield\u2019s appeal was unsuccessful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr Dronsfield\u2019s claim of unfair dismissal was dismissed by the Employment Tribunal.<\/span><\/p>\n

EAT Decision<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

In upholding the appeal, the EAT held that when considering the fairness of a dismissal a tribunal is required to review every aspect of the process against the standards of a reasonable employer. The University should therefore have applied the wording of its regulations and considered whether Dr Dronsfield\u2019s actions amounted to a reason for dismissal under those regulations. The words should not have been given a narrow interpretation or merely converted into the more modern phrase of \u201cgross misconduct\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The EAT also noted that significant changes had been made to the investigation report which removed relevant views and findings regarding Dr Dronsfield\u2019s actions and intentions that went in his favour. The Tribunal had not asked the investigating officer whether he, as opposed to HR, had a genuine belief that Dr Dronsfield\u2019s conduct was immoral, scandalous or vexatious.<\/span><\/p>\n

Comment<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

This is an unusual situation.\u00a0 Most employers will not have statutory regulations governing the dismissal of their employees. However, it is clear that employers must be able to show they have considered their own disciplinary policy as well as general principles when effecting a dismissal, in particular, where an employer has a contractual disciplinary policy which sets out the parameters for summary dismissal. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The EAT\u2019s comments and views regarding the involvement of HR in an investigation process should be heeded. Individuals undertaking an investigation need to be clear about what is expected of them. Further, any report or finding produced by them must be a product of their own investigations. If an HR officer has had undue influence or involvement that is likely to jeopardise the fairness of the dismissal process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dronsfield v University of Reading UKEAT\/0200\/15<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The case has given further guidance on how misconduct should be tested when determining whether a dismissal for gross misconduct is unfair.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7975,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[12331,12329],"tags":[11600,11596,11597,11601,11598,11599,9323],"class_list":{"0":"post-4913","1":"articles","2":"type-articles","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-employment-law-for-employees","8":"category-employment-law-for-employers","9":"tag-disciplinary-process","10":"tag-dronsfield-v-university-of-reading","11":"tag-gross-misconduct","12":"tag-hr-department","13":"tag-investigation-dismissal-process","14":"tag-reports","15":"tag-unfair-dismissal"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhose decision is it? - Simply Law England Wales<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""Explore our comprehensive collection of legal articles covering various topics to help you navigate the complexities of the law. 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