Which statement is least appropriate?

Best practice concerning the use of procedures that have been breached should make them comply with several criteria before they may be used in disciplinary action against an employee:

a. Procedures must be clear and concise.

b. They must be fully communicated to staff.

c. Their status should be set out, whether they constitute instructions, rules, advice or explanations.

d. The people who are affected should be clearly identified along with any measures to deal with further information or guidance that may be required.

e. They should explain how compliance will be monitored and what are the staff’s responsibilities in assisting this process.

f. The role of any warnings that will be given for instances of non-compliance.

g. The consequences of non-compliance must be defined, particularly where this is serious, e.g. a disciplinary and possible summary dismissal.

h. Important procedures should be reissued regularly and meetings used to convey their importance.

i. They may form part of the induction training for new starters.
j. Any non-compliance, even if it was not deliberate, may be used for charges of gross misconduct.
k. They should be fair, consistently applied and meaningful.