Disciplinaries & dismissals

What does 'gross misconduct' mean?
When is an employee entitled to be accompanied?
Is an employee entitled by law to bring his lawyer with him as a companion?
No. In the context of disciplinaries and grievances the law stipulates a fellow employee or a paid or lay trade union official who is certificated by the union to act as a companion. Some Company’s procedures extend to allowing spouses, friends or lawyers but this is beyond the legal requirement. For flexible working and retirement requests a ‘companion’ is restricted to a fellow employee.
What do I need to write in a disciplinary letter?
What are the costs of getting it wrong?
Do statutory grievance, disciplinary & dismissal procedures apply to employees with less than a years service?
What should do I do to contact an employee who has not turned up for work and not made contact?
How can I dismiss an employee who I cannot contact without breaking the law?
Where an employee has not turned up for a dismissal hearing, do I still need to give an opportunity for them to appeal?
What sort of investigation should I undertake prior to disciplinary/dismissal hearings?
I am the only manager. Can I conduct an investigation, chair a hearing and an appeal?