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Managing workplace discipline

Managing Workplace Discipline

SP-250708 | NQF Level 5 | Credits 43

This Qualification can be customized to fit your requirements/schedule

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Platform:
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QCTO Recognized Training Provider – Prospen Africa
Revised and Updated:
16 September 2026
Date Venue Duration
Available on Request Available on Request 5 Days

Course Objectives

Who should attend?

Course Outline

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Course Introduction

The Managing Workplace Discipline Skills Programme equips learners with the knowledge and practical skills to manage workplace discipline and incapacity fairly, consistently, and in line with South African labour legislation and organisational policies. It covers misconduct, incapacity, progressive discipline, legislative compliance, evidence management, and workplace investigations.

 

Learners also build the practical skills to conduct disciplinary hearings and incapacity proceedings: assessing evidence, engaging with employees and their representatives, documenting decisions, and communicating outcomes. The programme reflects the Code of Good Practice: Dismissal published on 4 September 2025, which replaced Schedule 8 to the Labour Relations Act. On completion, learners can manage disciplinary matters in a fair, ethical, and legally compliant way while supporting appropriate workplace standards and employee relations.

Course Duration

5 Days

Entry Requirements

NQF Level 4 qualification with Communication

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the programme, learners will be able to:

  • Apply relevant workplace disciplinary legislation, policies, and codes of good practice, including the Code of Good Practice: Dismissal (2025)
  • Identify and appropriately manage misconduct, poor performance, and incapacity
  • Conduct fair and procedurally sound workplace investigations
  • Gather, assess, and manage the evidence required for disciplinary proceedings
  • Apply progressive discipline fairly and consistently
  • Prepare for and conduct disciplinary hearings
  • Conduct appropriate incapacity proceedings
  • Maintain accurate disciplinary records and documentation, and protect personal information (POPIA)
  • Engage professionally with employees, representatives, and other relevant parties
  • Promote fair, ethical, and legally compliant disciplinary practices in the workplace

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

This Skills Programme may contribute towards SABPP Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements for registered professionals, subject to the applicable SABPP accreditation and CPD requirements. The points allocated are those set out in the SABPP accreditation.

 

How to Claim CPD Points

  • Complete the accredited programme
  • Obtain your CPD or Skills Programme Certificate
  • Record the completed activity on your SABPP member profile or CPD system
  • Retain the certificate as supporting evidence; the points claimed must match the points allocated under the SABPP accreditation

Who should attend?

This programme supports career development in roles such as:

  • Human Resources Officers, Administrators, and Coordinators
  • Employee Relations, Labour Relations, and Industrial Relations Officers
  • Disciplinary and Grievance Officers
  • Workplace Relations Officers
  • Team Leaders, Supervisors, and Line Managers
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Training Methodology

Our diverse instructional approaches ensure effective learning:

– Lectures & Presentations: Engage with expert-driven, stimulating content.
– Course Material: Access well-crafted supporting resources.
– Group Work: Collaborate on discussions and case studies for practical insights.
– Workshops & Role-Play: Participate in immersive, scenario-based activities.
– Practical Application: Focus on applying theoretical knowledge in real situations.
– Post-Training Support: Receive extensive support after training for skill implementation.

Training Outline

Day 1 — Foundations and the Legal Framework
Module 1: Foundations of Workplace Discipline
  • The concept, purpose, and objectives of workplace discipline
  • Principles of fair and consistent discipline
  • Workplace disciplinary policies and procedures
  • Employment statutes, regulations, codes, and guidelines governing discipline
  • Practical Exercise: review a sample disciplinary code and identify gaps against the principles of fairness
Module 2: Legislative Compliance in Discipline and Incapacity Proceedings
  • The legal framework governing discipline and incapacity: the Labour Relations Act (LRA), Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), Employment Equity Act (EEA), and Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)
  • The Code of Good Practice: Dismissal (2025), which replaced Schedule 8 of the LRA, and other relevant codes, such as those on harassment and on the employment of people with disabilities
  • Procedural and substantive fairness, and the flexibility the Code allows for small employers
  • Collective agreements and organisational disciplinary codes, legal requirements relating to dismissal, and the CCMA and bargaining council dispute-resolution processes
  • Practical Exercise: assess a sample dismissal for procedural and substantive fairness
Day 2 — Misconduct and Incapacity
Module 3: Workplace Misconduct and Incapacity
  • Understanding workplace misconduct, and its types and categories
  • Distinguishing misconduct from incapacity
  • Progressive and corrective discipline, including informal correction before formal steps
  • Formulating appropriate disciplinary charges
  • Poor work performance, ill health or injury, and other incapacity
  • Reasonable accommodation, and fair and consistent management of incapacity cases
  • Practical Exercise: classify a set of workplace scenarios as misconduct or incapacity and choose the correct process
Day 3 — Evidence and Investigations
Module 4: Evidence Management
  • Principles of relevant, admissible, and reliable evidence
  • Different types and sources of workplace evidence, including documents, witness evidence, and electronic evidence such as CCTV, email, and messaging records
  • Collection and preservation of evidence
  • Evaluating the reliability and credibility of evidence, and the standard of proof (balance of probabilities)
  • Handling confidential and sensitive evidence, including protecting complainants and witnesses and holding parts of a hearing in private (in camera)
  • Practical Exercise: evaluate a bundle of sample evidence for relevance, reliability, and admissibility
Module 5: Managing Workplace Investigations
  • Planning and conducting workplace investigations, including precautionary suspension
  • Interviewing employees and witnesses
  • Recording investigation findings
  • Maintaining fairness and confidentiality, and preparing matters for disciplinary proceedings
  • Practical Exercise: plan an investigation and conduct a mock witness interview
Day 4 — Disciplinary Hearings
Module 6: Conducting Disciplinary Hearings
  • Preparing for disciplinary hearings, including notice, charges, and the right to representation
  • Conducting hearings in accordance with organisational and legal requirements, in person or virtually
  • Presenting and evaluating evidence, and managing witnesses and representations
  • Ensuring procedural fairness, determining findings, and choosing an appropriate sanction, taking aggravating and mitigating factors into account
  • Recording and communicating disciplinary outcomes, and responding to appeals
  • Practical Exercise: conduct a mock disciplinary hearing and write the finding and outcome letter
Day 5 — Incapacity Proceedings and Integration
Module 7: Conducting Incapacity Proceedings
  • Differentiating incapacity from misconduct
  • Managing incapacity due to poor performance: standards, evaluation, guidance, training, and a reasonable opportunity to improve
  • Managing incapacity due to ill health or injury: investigating the extent of the incapacity and considering alternatives
  • Consulting with affected employees, and performance improvement and support measures
  • Reasonable accommodation, considering alternatives to dismissal, and finalising incapacity proceedings fairly and lawfully
  • Practical Exercise: run a mock incapacity consultation and record the outcome
Module 8: Integration and Examination Preparation
  • Maintaining accurate disciplinary records and documentation, and protecting personal information (POPIA)
  • Engaging professionally with employees and their representatives
  • Integrated case study covering investigation, hearing, and outcome
  • Preparing for the examination
  • Practical Exercise: complete an integrated case study and review the examination format

Assessment and Certification

  • Learners who successfully complete the programme are eligible to write the FISA examination. On passing the examination, learners are awarded a Certificate of Competence from QCTO

Qualification Categories

ACCA Qualification ❯ CIPS Qualifications ❯ QCTO Qualifications ❯ QCTO Skills Programmes ❯ Services Seta Qualifications ❯ Occupational Health and Safety Qualifications ❯ View All Qualification Categories ❯

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FAQs – Managing Workplace Discipline

Master QCTO-accredited workplace discipline management, learning fair labor practices, progressive discipline procedures, initiating and presiding over disciplinary hearings, gathering evidence, and navigating CCMA/LRA compliance to ensure workplace equity and legal adherence.

What is covered in the Managing Workplace Discipline QCTO Skills Programme?
The skills programme covers workplace disciplinary procedures, fair labor practices under the LRA, handling employee misconduct, conducting disciplinary hearings, applying progressive discipline, and issuing formal warnings.
Who should attend the Managing Workplace Discipline Training?
This programme is designed for line managers, supervisors, HR practitioners, department heads, and business owners responsible for maintaining workplace discipline, managing employee performance, and chairing or initiating disciplinary hearings.
How does this course help ensure compliance with South African labor legislation?
Delegates learn how to navigate the Labour Relations Act (LRA) Code of Good Practice, ensuring both substantive and procedural fairness during disciplinary processes to minimize CCMA referrals and unfair dismissal claims.
Will delegates learn how to initiate and chair a disciplinary hearing?
Yes. The curriculum details the step-by-step role of the initiator and chairperson, including gathering evidence, drafting clear charges, leading witnesses, evaluating evidence objectively, and determining appropriate outcomes.
Is this programme accredited by the QCTO?
Yes. This course is structured according to Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) standards, providing delegates with recognized, unit-standard-aligned competencies in managing workplace discipline.
Why is effective management of workplace discipline essential for leaders?
Proper disciplinary management maintains operational standards, fosters a fair and consistent work culture, resolves workplace conflict constructively, and protects the organization against legal and financial exposure.

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