Summary
Disciplinary investigations can harm the employees involved.
This chapter discusses the professional, reputational, financial, health, emotional, social and family domains of wellbeing affected by investigations.
Each of the potential impacts may be amplified for people in marginalized groups.
Introduction
There has been a growing awareness of the impact that disciplinary processes can have on individuals taken through them.
The case of Amin Abdullah, a nurse who took his own life following a seriously flawed, unfair and protracted disciplinary procedure (Verita, 2018), led to discussion about the impact of these processes. An independent investigation of the organization followed, leading to the development of national guidance on employee investigations and robust communication from NHS England stating that ‘sadly, Amin's experiences are far from unique’ and that ‘we owe it to him and the others who have suffered in similar circumstances to act now’ (NHS Improvement, 2019).
Subsequent research has identified a wide range of impacts on employees ‘under investigation’. This includes exposure to extreme psychological pressure, distress linked to confusion, loss of agency, shame, and social and emotional isolation (Hussain, 2022). The distress is likely to have an impact on an employee's mental health and, in some cases, this can be severe and long- lasting.
