{"id":41828,"date":"2021-06-23T14:14:26","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T04:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/handle-workplace-misconduct\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T08:23:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T08:23:25","slug":"handle-workplace-misconduct","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/handle-workplace-misconduct\/","title":{"rendered":"How to handle workplace misconduct"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull resource-sticky-downloadable-template has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull blog-template-header has-light-violet-50-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div style=\"--bb--crumb-gap:.4em;\" class=\"blog-template-breadcrumb wp-block-employmentherocom2025-breadcrumb-block\"><nav role=\"navigation\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"breadcrumb\"><ol class=\"breadcrumb-items\"><li class=\"breadcrumb-item breadcrumb-item--current breadcrumb-item--home\"><span class=\"breadcrumb-item-name\">Home<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"item\":{\"name\":\"Home\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/employmenthero.com\\\/nz\\\/\"}}]}<\/script><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-template-tags-row is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--9)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-template-tags is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" class=\"taxonomy-resource-type eh-resource-type wp-block-post-terms\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-post-terms-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"icon-blog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/04\/Blog.png\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/guides-and-playbooks\/\" rel=\"tag\">Guides and Playbooks<\/a><\/div>\n\n<ul style=\"display: flex; gap: var(--wp--preset--spacing--2); padding-left: 0; flex-wrap: wrap;\"><li style=\"background-color: #e8e7e8;padding: var(--wp--preset--spacing--0-5) var(--wp--preset--spacing--3);border-radius: var(--wp--preset--spacing--8);margin: 0;display: inline-flex;align-self: center;\">\n                <span class=\"has-sm-font-size\" >\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/people-and-culture\" title=\"People and Culture\" style=\"font-weight: 500;\">People and Culture<\/a>\n                <\/span>\n                <\/li><li style=\"background-color: #e8e7e8;padding: var(--wp--preset--spacing--0-5) var(--wp--preset--spacing--3);border-radius: var(--wp--preset--spacing--8);margin: 0;display: inline-flex;align-self: center;\">\n                <span class=\"has-sm-font-size\" >\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/workplace-compliance\" title=\"Workplace Compliance\" style=\"font-weight: 500;\">Workplace Compliance<\/a>\n                <\/span>\n                <\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group social-icons-mobile is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-3 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2)\"><div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"facebook\" data-social-type=\"facebook\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"24px\" height=\"24px\" viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"> <title>Group<\/title> <path d=\"M14.4446 6.47609H11.4173V4.40033C11.4173 3.62078 11.9115 3.43904 12.2596 3.43904C12.6068 3.43904 14.3958 3.43904 14.3958 3.43904V0.0120058L11.4537 0C8.18772 0 7.44447 2.55599 7.44447 4.19168V6.47609H5.55566V10.0075H7.44447C7.44447 14.5394 7.44447 20 7.44447 20H11.4173C11.4173 20 11.4173 14.4856 11.4173 10.0075H14.0981L14.4446 6.47609Z\"><\/path><\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"twitter\" data-social-type=\"twitter\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"17\" height=\"18\" viewBox=\"0 0 17 18\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"> <g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_2187_1527)\"> <path d=\"M6.88269 10.3821L0.554058 18H2.05374L7.54889 11.3855L11.9379 18H17L10.363 7.99774L17 0.00924304H15.5002L9.69721 6.99436L5.06215 0.00924304H-5.51343e-07L6.88306 10.3821H6.88269ZM8.93683 7.90961L9.60929 8.90561L14.9598 16.8309H12.6563L8.33833 10.4349L7.66587 9.43894L2.05303 1.12518H4.35659L8.93683 7.90923V7.90961Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path> <\/g> <defs> <clipPath id=\"clip0_2187_1527\"> <rect width=\"17\" height=\"18\" fill=\"white\" transform=\"matrix(-1 0 0 -1 17 18)\"><\/rect> <\/clipPath> <\/defs> <\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"linkedin\" data-social-type=\"linkedin\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"17px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 17 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"> <title>Shape<\/title> <g id=\"Symbols\" stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"> <g id=\"Icons\/Social\" transform=\"translate(-74.000000, -2.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\" fill-rule=\"nonzero\"> <path d=\"M74.2155762,7.20409322 L77.8588786,7.20409322 L77.8588786,18 L74.2155762,18 L74.2155762,7.20409322 Z M76.0616143,2 C74.8146643,2 74,2.80609002 74,3.86411056 C74,4.90036967 74.7908238,5.72989508 76.0139333,5.72989508 L76.0371667,5.72989508 C77.3079571,5.72989508 78.0993476,4.90032981 78.0993476,3.86411056 C78.0755071,2.80609002 77.3079976,2 76.0616143,2 Z M86.8041976,6.95048874 C84.8702857,6.95048874 84.0038929,7.99790755 83.5205667,8.73245583 L83.5205667,7.20409322 L79.8761714,7.20409322 C79.924419,8.21687707 79.8761714,18 79.8761714,18 L83.5205667,18 L83.5205667,11.9708054 C83.5205667,11.6478911 83.5444071,11.3261725 83.6402952,11.0948476 C83.9041595,10.4502147 84.5037738,9.78266458 85.5095667,9.78266458 C86.8291714,9.78266458 87.3561714,10.773129 87.3561714,12.2237722 L87.3561714,18 L91,18 L91,11.8093881 C91,8.49339883 89.2027762,6.95048874 86.8041976,6.95048874 Z\" id=\"Shape\"><\/path> <\/g> <\/g> <\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"link\" data-social-type=\"copy\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"18px\" height=\"19px\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 19\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"> <title>Group 7<\/title> <defs> <polygon id=\"path-1\" points=\"0 0 11.3597146 0 11.3597146 13.250495 0 13.250495\"><\/polygon> <polygon id=\"path-3\" points=\"0 0 11.4438464 0 11.4438464 13.237235 0 13.237235\"><\/polygon> <\/defs> <g id=\"Symbols\" stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"> <g id=\"Icons\/Social\" transform=\"translate(-115.000000, 0.000000)\"> <g id=\"Group-7\" transform=\"translate(115.000000, 0.000000)\"> <g id=\"Group-3\" transform=\"translate(6.640285, 0.000000)\"> <mask id=\"mask-2\" fill=\"white\"> <use xlink:href=\"#path-1\"><\/use> <\/mask> <g id=\"Clip-2\"><\/g> <path d=\"M9.6365839,1.06427739 L9.6365839,1.06407143 C7.63313006,-0.581342526 4.71799441,-0.287025772 3.06469376,1.72767436 L1.68152847,3.42787366 C1.2637913,3.94153775 1.3305731,4.70585509 1.8305341,5.13486964 C2.33069565,5.56409016 3.0749216,5.4955055 3.49265877,4.98184141 L4.8760246,3.28143615 C5.71089731,2.25863908 7.1949372,2.1243532 8.19104884,2.98176443 C8.20769415,2.99597567 8.22413891,3.01059882 8.24038313,3.02522198 C9.18174573,3.92361924 9.26838157,5.42383144 8.43691815,6.43015171 L5.5610895,9.96627791 L5.53461744,9.99634806 C5.38079871,10.1792405 5.20090901,10.3370058 5.00076417,10.4640831 C4.04676718,11.0718709 2.80719278,10.901748 2.04211006,10.0579301 C1.59709864,9.56877523 0.850065046,9.54303024 0.374169553,10.0002613 C-0.100522665,10.4562566 -0.127195273,11.2205739 0.315008503,11.7099348 C1.3991598,12.9045024 2.99670869,13.4575049 4.56377459,13.1800768 C4.80503134,13.1364133 5.04287882,13.0742134 5.27470991,12.9934771 C6.09434113,12.7094584 6.82152068,12.1980598 7.37542854,11.5155086 L10.2440375,7.98947441 C11.0680808,6.96832503 11.4617524,5.65182909 11.3372134,4.33183184 C11.2235039,3.05137889 10.6100339,1.87267016 9.6365839,1.06427739\" id=\"Fill-1\" fill=\"#000000\" mask=\"url(#mask-2)\"><\/path> <\/g> <g id=\"Group-6\" transform=\"translate(0.000000, 5.762765)\"> <mask id=\"mask-4\" fill=\"white\"> <use xlink:href=\"#path-3\"><\/use> <\/mask> <g id=\"Clip-5\"><\/g> <path d=\"M7.78481199,8.39527139 L6.54864687,9.91484383 C5.73222439,10.9339336 4.27946967,11.1129128 3.25127068,10.3214088 C2.2300908,9.49612727 2.05361038,7.97696676 2.85719793,6.92821874 C2.87083505,6.91050619 2.88447217,6.89299959 2.89851039,6.87569896 L5.82387388,3.27984437 L5.84553284,3.25492322 C5.99915102,3.07203079 6.17924127,2.91447144 6.37938611,2.78739415 C7.23972815,2.23645131 8.34754387,2.31595185 9.12506044,2.98449782 C9.2157072,3.06235067 9.30073868,3.14700021 9.37915214,3.23782854 C9.60657122,3.50207514 9.93486491,3.6513961 10.2784001,3.64665902 C10.6175233,3.64171598 10.9377951,3.48498047 11.155588,3.21764447 L11.1696262,3.20034383 C11.5426416,2.74620216 11.5342187,2.07930388 11.1497722,1.63546021 C9.42768425,-0.367088286 6.45118155,-0.55698335 4.50107292,1.21159465 C4.32298813,1.37306725 4.15713665,1.54813319 4.00472174,1.73555674 L1.08738009,5.32173121 C-0.548874157,7.35084854 -0.312430505,10.3492133 1.62043117,12.0813364 C2.56821124,12.921447 3.80678291,13.3317192 5.05377751,13.2188532 C5.20097822,13.2064956 5.34697566,13.1875473 5.49176982,13.1613904 C6.61362375,12.9593437 7.63039162,12.3585585 8.36398864,11.4636626 L9.59594229,9.94923914 C10.0136795,9.43578101 9.94709821,8.67146367 9.44693666,8.24224316 C8.94677511,7.81302264 8.20254916,7.8816073 7.78481199,8.39527139\" id=\"Fill-4\" fill=\"#000000\" mask=\"url(#mask-4)\"><\/path> <\/g> <\/g> <\/g> <\/g> <\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n            <span class=\"eh-social-sharing-button__copied_text\">\n            URL copied for sharing!        <\/span>\n    <\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title-mobile has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><h2 class=\"blog-template-title wp-block-post-title\">How to handle workplace misconduct<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-5 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"has-sm-font-size\">Published<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date has-sm-font-size\"><time datetime=\"2021-06-23T14:14:26+00:00\">23 Jun 2021<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns content-flex is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:55%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group sticky-downloadable-title has-light-violet-50-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-10 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--24)\"><h1 class=\"blog-template-title wp-block-post-title\">How to handle workplace misconduct<\/h1>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-9 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group content-wrapper content-single-content wysiwyg has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\nIf there\u2019s one thing that HR managers know well, it\u2019s that humans are a thoroughly imperfect species. Humans can have some major shortcomings; lapses in performance, moments of poor judgement and they can behave inappropriately from time to time.\n\nIf you combine these shortcomings with the personalities of other colleagues, stressors and requirements of working life, employees can slip up and conduct themselves in a way that is less than desirable in the workplace.\n<h2>What&#8217;s in the handling workplace misconduct guide?<\/h2>\nWhen misconduct occurs, tackling it head-on could <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/manage-toxic-staff-guide\/\">protect your workplace from toxicity<\/a> and legal consequences. Delaying addressing the issue or letting the problem go unchecked is the worst action the employer can take.\n\nSo how do you do it? In this guide, we\u2019ll cover:\n\n\n<ul class=\"listitem\">\n \t<li>What is workplace misconduct?<\/li>\n \t<li>How to navigate misconduct outside of work<\/li>\n \t<li>How to prevent and respond to misconduct<\/li>\n \t<li>And more!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"legal\"><em><strong>Disclaimer<\/strong>: Please note that this information is general in nature and should not be constituted as professional advice. While due care has been taken in preparing the document, no responsibility is accepted by the author for the accuracy or suitability of the information contained. All liability is expressly disclaimed for any loss or damage which may arise from any person relying on, using or acting on any information contained therein. Professional advice from a registered legal practitioner should be sought before terminating a staff member\u2019s employment. You may also wish to source advice on the general topic of misconduct.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nTo learn more about handling various workplace conflicts, check out our guide on managing team conflict in the workplace <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/workplace-conflict-management-guide\/\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.\n\n<strong>Misconduct in the workplace.<\/strong>\n<strong>Manage it with our guide.<\/strong>\n<strong>Download the guide now.<\/strong>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group content-wrapper content-single-content_secondary_container wysiwyg has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2>What is misconduct in the workplace?<\/h2>\nMisconduct in the workplace is when an employee engages in conduct which breaches <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/blog\/what-is-an-employee-code-of-conduct\/\">standards of acceptable behaviour<\/a>. These standards may sometimes be set out in company policies, employment contracts or applicable laws.\n\nThis can happen if unacceptable behaviour is observed by employers or if other employees report misconduct in the workplace.\n<h2>Managing misconduct in the workplace<\/h2>\nDealing with employee misconduct at work can be tricky even for the most seasoned business owner. If you have an employee who&#8217;s not meeting expectations or is not behaving in an appropriate way, you must deal with the issue head-on and make a plan to improve it.\n\nOf course, there are varying degrees or types of employee misconduct, so how you deal with the issue head-on depends to some extent on the severity of the matter.\n\nFor a deeper dive into HR basics and managing misconduct, download our comprehensive guide on managing human resources <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/intro-to-hr-management\/\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.\n\nTo understand how to manage misconduct, it&#8217;s important to understand what employee misconduct examples look like.\n<h3>Examples of general misconduct in the workplace<\/h3>\nGeneral misconduct is any behaviour that doesn&#8217;t meet the standards of acceptable workplace behaviour. This can be seen as minor misconduct.\n\nSome examples of general misconduct in the workplace include:\n<ul>\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/working-hours-policy\/\">Lateness to work<\/a><\/li>\n \t<li>Using inappropriate language<\/li>\n \t<li>Wearing inappropriate clothing<\/li>\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/telephone-mobile-internet-policy\/\">Internet misuse<\/a><\/li>\n \t<li>Failing to follow reasonable instructions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Examples of serious misconduct in the workplace<\/h3>\nGross misconduct is a more serious breach than simple misconduct and is usually offensive behaviour that, if proven, would result in immediate termination.\n\nSome examples of gross misconduct in the workplace include:\n<ul>\n \t<li>Violent behaviour<\/li>\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/workplace-harassment-and-bullying-policy-template\/\">Harassment and bullying<\/a><\/li>\n \t<li>Negligence<\/li>\n \t<li>Theft or fraud<\/li>\n \t<li>Endangering the health and safety of the employee and others<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<em><strong>Read more: <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/workplace-conflict-management-guide\/\">How to handle conflict in the workplace<\/a><\/strong><\/em>\n<h2>How to handle misconduct in the workplace<\/h2>\nWhatever the issue, dealing with the matter head-on does not mean making a rash decision and <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/discipline-termination-policy\/\">firing someone on the spot<\/a>. There are certain steps you need to follow.\n\nSo, we&#8217;ve asked Human Resources expert Stephanie Hosking from our partner,<a href=\"https:\/\/keyba.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Key Business Advisors<\/a>, on how she helps her clients deal with tricky employee conduct issues in the workplace.\n<h3>Workplace code of conduct<\/h3>\n<strong>EH: Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. Handling employee misconduct is a vexed issue for business owners. What advice do you give your clients?<\/strong>\n\nSH: You know, the very best way to deal with conduct issues is to prevent misconduct in the workplace from initially happening. You can minimise the chance of issues arising by fostering a work environment where expectations are clear.\n\nA great way to do this is by having a workplace code of conduct and the right <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/blog\/what-is-a-workplace-policy\/\">workplace policies<\/a> in place. All were uniformly communicated and consistently enforced.\n\nYour workplace policy manual is not so much an HR document but one of the most important business documents you have. It&#8217;s your set of guidelines on how your people should act and <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/blog\/negotiables-and-non-negotiables-employment\/\">what they can and can&#8217;t do as an employee<\/a> of your business.\n\nA good policy manual includes a code of conduct and a policy for managing underperformance. This is where you define misconduct in the workplace and the consequences that outline your process, along with the <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/blog\/warning-procedures\/\">disciplinary actions<\/a> for dealing with such behaviour.\n\nFor further insights on preventing bullying, check out our guide on how to stamp out bullying in the workplace <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/how-to-stamp-out-bullying-in-the-workplace\/\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.\n\nYour employee handbook should also include other policies covering any areas of behaviour you expect from your staff, such as:\n<ul>\n \t<li>The appropriate use of telephones, email and the internet in your business<\/li>\n \t<li>How to protect confidential information and company property within your business<\/li>\n \t<li>Guidelines on discrimination and harassment<\/li>\n \t<li>Acceptable dress code<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Enforcing dress codes<\/h3>\n<strong>EH: Stephanie, you mentioned dress code. Many business owners are confused about stipulating dress codes; what&#8217;s your take?<\/strong>\n\nSH: You can make directions about the appearance of your staff, but you have to be careful about making blanket rules around appearance because it&#8217;s important not to breach <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/equal-employment-opportunity-and-anti-discrimination-policy-template\/\">discrimination laws<\/a>.\n\nYou need to make sure the reason relates to a genuine requirement for the business or to the occupation. If it relates directly to <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/whs-policy-template\/\">workplace health and safety<\/a>, this should be straightforward to enforce.\n\nAnd should a worker not wear their safety gear without good reason &#8211; despite education and training\u00ad &#8211; you can consider it serious misconduct and follow up with the employee according to your <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/discipline-termination-policy\/\">disciplinary policy<\/a>.\n<h3>Employee misconduct training<\/h3>\n<strong>EH: What&#8217;s the best way for businesses to ensure everyone abides by their code of conduct?<\/strong>\n\nSH: Business owners need to communicate the company policy with everyone and provide training where necessary. It&#8217;s good practice to remind your employees on a regular basis of your behavioural expectations.\n\nThere&#8217;s no better way to promote great behaviour than to reward it. Make civility part of your every day in your internal newsletter articles or part of your recognition and rewards program.\n\nManagers need to lead by example and understand their roles as managers. Whenever something happens, they act upon it quickly and in the right way. So, it&#8217;s vitally important to train supervisors and managers on what to do, including conducting <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/grievance-handling-policy\/\">workplace investigations into allegations of misconduct<\/a>.\n<h3>Following the process of handling misconduct<\/h3>\n<strong>EH: Despite their best efforts to ward off any undesirable behaviour in their workplace, things do happen. Stephanie, what guidance do you give to your clients about handling a misconduct issue?<\/strong>\n\nSH: I&#8217;d say there are just three things business owners need to remember about handling a misconduct issue. And they are: Process. Process. Process.\n\nEven where you have reasonable grounds to dismiss an employee, it&#8217;s critically important to follow due process. This means you must take all reasonable steps to investigate the matter or concerns, explain the allegations to the employee, and give them an opportunity to respond.\n\nYou must consider the employee&#8217;s explanation when considering dismissing or taking disciplinary action for employee misconduct. Procedural fairness is fundamental to how the Fair Work Commission decides on unfair dismissal cases.\n\nIf you suspect managerial issues are contributing to workplace misconduct, our guide on how to deal with bad managers <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/how-to-deal-with-bad-managers\/\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a> can provide valuable insights.\n\nSo, should an unfair dismissal claim arise after you dismiss an employee for misconduct, then you need to be able to substantiate every step you made to reach the decision. It&#8217;s at times like these that the<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/should-you-hire-an-hr-manager\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> value of having an HR expert to hand<\/a> is abundantly clear to see.\n\nYou need to document all aspects of the process which calls for some top-notch record-keeping, including:\n<ul>\n \t<li>Detailed meeting notes.<\/li>\n \t<li>A thorough investigation report showing the person was at fault.<\/li>\n \t<li>Evidence that you provided the employee with the opportunity to respond and you took this response into consideration, such as a written warning or disciplinary hearing.<\/li>\n \t<li>The termination letter explaining why the employee was dismissed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nAs you can see, if you fail to meet with the employee in question or you don&#8217;t investigate the matter thoroughly taking extensive notes, your business will find it difficult to defend the action you took.\n\nIn matters of unfair dismissals, the process you follow is just as important as the facts of the misconduct of employees.\n<h3>Document employee misconduct<\/h3>\nHere&#8217;s a specific process I follow with my clients:\n<ol>\n \t<li>Invite the employee to an interview to discuss the misconduct issue giving at least 24 hours notice to prepare.<\/li>\n \t<li>Clearly explain the specific example of inappropriate behaviour and try to find out if the workplace rule is unclear or unknown to the employee. The rule may be poorly explained or has not been uniformly communicated and enforced.<\/li>\n \t<li>Offer help, support, encouragement, and training if it seems that the employee lacks knowledge of the rule.<\/li>\n \t<li>Agree with them on a concrete plan for improvement and spell out what changes are expected in their behaviour. Outline the consequences if there is no noticeable improvement.<\/li>\n \t<li>Document everything you agree on, and give the employee a copy of your meeting notes.<\/li>\n \t<li>Set a date for a short review meeting.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIf the employee&#8217;s behaviour doesn&#8217;t improve, only then consider <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/blog\/formal-warning-letter\/\">taking further disciplinary action<\/a>. Should you need to do so, your notes will need to accurately document the efforts you made to resolve the inappropriate behaviour over a reasonable period.\n<h2>Want more?<\/h2>\nHaving employees working in a hostile work environment is not only detrimental to their morale, but it can also lead to a whole host of legal problems for your business.\n\nThat&#8217;s why it&#8217;s so important to have a process in place for dealing with misconduct should it arise.\n\nWhile it&#8217;s impossible to predict everything that might happen in your workplace, by handling misconduct the right way, you can protect your business from any potential fallout.\n\nRemember: process is key. So document, document, document!\n\n<strong>Pro tip:<\/strong> Having a<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/solutions\/employee-management-software\/\"> digital employee management system<\/a> like <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/\">91±¬ΑΟ<\/a> allows you to have a digital trail of employee interactions, all available in one place. <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/request-a-demo\/\">Reach out to our business specialists today<\/a> to find out how we can help!\n\nIf you&#8217;d like to learn more about handling misconduct in the workplace, download our guide now.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column form-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group form-v2-violet-box-shadow-pattern is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-employmentherocom2025-marketo-form-v2 is-layout-flow wp-block-marketo-form-v2-is-layout-flow\">\n                                                            <section class=\"eh_marketo_form-title-section eh_marketo_form-title-section--small\" aria-labelledby=\"marketo-form-title\">\n        <div class=\"eh_marketo_form-title-container\">\n                                        <h2 id=\"marketo-form-title\" class=\"eh_marketo_form-title\">To download the guide, we just need a few quick details:<\/h2>\n                    <\/div>\n            <\/section>\n                            <div class=\"eh_marketo_form-container_v2\" data-marketo-form=\"{&quot;is_multi_steps&quot;:false,&quot;form_data&quot;:[{&quot;base_url&quot;:&quot;\/\/hr.employmenthero.io&quot;,&quot;munchkin_id&quot;:&quot;387-SZZ-170&quot;,&quot;form_id&quot;:&quot;1737&quot;,&quot;css_classes&quot;:&quot;&quot;}],&quot;submit_text&quot;:&quot;Download now&quot;,&quot;success_handling_method&quot;:&quot;thank_you_page&quot;,&quot;redirect_url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;thank_you_message&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;add_lead_linking_id&quot;:false,&quot;add_drift_campaign_id&quot;:false,&quot;drift_campaign_id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;thank_you_page_id&quot;:&quot;41811&quot;,&quot;thank_you_page_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/thank-you\/downloadable\/resources\/?origin=handle-workplace-misconduct&amp;origin_id=bCjRNMKMM1x%2F83mTz4TnzKHFzEhKbqgXBZ0GawADytt6RXAPUCBMtGLN0RBe8Of95QKo75QM8s3UEIAIlAb9hw%3D%3D&quot;,&quot;progress_indicator_type&quot;:&quot;progress-bar&quot;,&quot;enable_revenue_hero&quot;:false,&quot;revenue_hero_router_id&quot;:&quot;4668&quot;,&quot;revenue_hero_thank_you_message&quot;:&quot;Thank you for booking!&quot;}\"><\/div>\n                                <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group social-icons-desktop is-content-justification-center is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-14 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--4);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--4)\"><div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"facebook\" data-social-type=\"facebook\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"24px\" height=\"24px\" viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"> <title>Group<\/title> <path d=\"M14.4446 6.47609H11.4173V4.40033C11.4173 3.62078 11.9115 3.43904 12.2596 3.43904C12.6068 3.43904 14.3958 3.43904 14.3958 3.43904V0.0120058L11.4537 0C8.18772 0 7.44447 2.55599 7.44447 4.19168V6.47609H5.55566V10.0075H7.44447C7.44447 14.5394 7.44447 20 7.44447 20H11.4173C11.4173 20 11.4173 14.4856 11.4173 10.0075H14.0981L14.4446 6.47609Z\"><\/path><\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"twitter\" data-social-type=\"twitter\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"17\" height=\"18\" viewBox=\"0 0 17 18\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"> <g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_2187_1527)\"> <path d=\"M6.88269 10.3821L0.554058 18H2.05374L7.54889 11.3855L11.9379 18H17L10.363 7.99774L17 0.00924304H15.5002L9.69721 6.99436L5.06215 0.00924304H-5.51343e-07L6.88306 10.3821H6.88269ZM8.93683 7.90961L9.60929 8.90561L14.9598 16.8309H12.6563L8.33833 10.4349L7.66587 9.43894L2.05303 1.12518H4.35659L8.93683 7.90923V7.90961Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path> <\/g> <defs> <clipPath id=\"clip0_2187_1527\"> <rect width=\"17\" height=\"18\" fill=\"white\" transform=\"matrix(-1 0 0 -1 17 18)\"><\/rect> <\/clipPath> <\/defs> <\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"linkedin\" data-social-type=\"linkedin\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"17px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 17 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"> <title>Shape<\/title> <g id=\"Symbols\" stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"> <g id=\"Icons\/Social\" transform=\"translate(-74.000000, -2.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\" fill-rule=\"nonzero\"> <path d=\"M74.2155762,7.20409322 L77.8588786,7.20409322 L77.8588786,18 L74.2155762,18 L74.2155762,7.20409322 Z M76.0616143,2 C74.8146643,2 74,2.80609002 74,3.86411056 C74,4.90036967 74.7908238,5.72989508 76.0139333,5.72989508 L76.0371667,5.72989508 C77.3079571,5.72989508 78.0993476,4.90032981 78.0993476,3.86411056 C78.0755071,2.80609002 77.3079976,2 76.0616143,2 Z M86.8041976,6.95048874 C84.8702857,6.95048874 84.0038929,7.99790755 83.5205667,8.73245583 L83.5205667,7.20409322 L79.8761714,7.20409322 C79.924419,8.21687707 79.8761714,18 79.8761714,18 L83.5205667,18 L83.5205667,11.9708054 C83.5205667,11.6478911 83.5444071,11.3261725 83.6402952,11.0948476 C83.9041595,10.4502147 84.5037738,9.78266458 85.5095667,9.78266458 C86.8291714,9.78266458 87.3561714,10.773129 87.3561714,12.2237722 L87.3561714,18 L91,18 L91,11.8093881 C91,8.49339883 89.2027762,6.95048874 86.8041976,6.95048874 Z\" id=\"Shape\"><\/path> <\/g> <\/g> <\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"link\" data-social-type=\"copy\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"18px\" height=\"19px\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 19\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"> <title>Group 7<\/title> <defs> <polygon id=\"path-1\" points=\"0 0 11.3597146 0 11.3597146 13.250495 0 13.250495\"><\/polygon> <polygon id=\"path-3\" points=\"0 0 11.4438464 0 11.4438464 13.237235 0 13.237235\"><\/polygon> <\/defs> <g id=\"Symbols\" stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"> <g id=\"Icons\/Social\" transform=\"translate(-115.000000, 0.000000)\"> <g id=\"Group-7\" transform=\"translate(115.000000, 0.000000)\"> <g id=\"Group-3\" transform=\"translate(6.640285, 0.000000)\"> <mask id=\"mask-2\" fill=\"white\"> <use xlink:href=\"#path-1\"><\/use> <\/mask> <g id=\"Clip-2\"><\/g> <path d=\"M9.6365839,1.06427739 L9.6365839,1.06407143 C7.63313006,-0.581342526 4.71799441,-0.287025772 3.06469376,1.72767436 L1.68152847,3.42787366 C1.2637913,3.94153775 1.3305731,4.70585509 1.8305341,5.13486964 C2.33069565,5.56409016 3.0749216,5.4955055 3.49265877,4.98184141 L4.8760246,3.28143615 C5.71089731,2.25863908 7.1949372,2.1243532 8.19104884,2.98176443 C8.20769415,2.99597567 8.22413891,3.01059882 8.24038313,3.02522198 C9.18174573,3.92361924 9.26838157,5.42383144 8.43691815,6.43015171 L5.5610895,9.96627791 L5.53461744,9.99634806 C5.38079871,10.1792405 5.20090901,10.3370058 5.00076417,10.4640831 C4.04676718,11.0718709 2.80719278,10.901748 2.04211006,10.0579301 C1.59709864,9.56877523 0.850065046,9.54303024 0.374169553,10.0002613 C-0.100522665,10.4562566 -0.127195273,11.2205739 0.315008503,11.7099348 C1.3991598,12.9045024 2.99670869,13.4575049 4.56377459,13.1800768 C4.80503134,13.1364133 5.04287882,13.0742134 5.27470991,12.9934771 C6.09434113,12.7094584 6.82152068,12.1980598 7.37542854,11.5155086 L10.2440375,7.98947441 C11.0680808,6.96832503 11.4617524,5.65182909 11.3372134,4.33183184 C11.2235039,3.05137889 10.6100339,1.87267016 9.6365839,1.06427739\" id=\"Fill-1\" fill=\"#000000\" mask=\"url(#mask-2)\"><\/path> <\/g> <g id=\"Group-6\" transform=\"translate(0.000000, 5.762765)\"> <mask id=\"mask-4\" fill=\"white\"> <use xlink:href=\"#path-3\"><\/use> <\/mask> <g id=\"Clip-5\"><\/g> <path d=\"M7.78481199,8.39527139 L6.54864687,9.91484383 C5.73222439,10.9339336 4.27946967,11.1129128 3.25127068,10.3214088 C2.2300908,9.49612727 2.05361038,7.97696676 2.85719793,6.92821874 C2.87083505,6.91050619 2.88447217,6.89299959 2.89851039,6.87569896 L5.82387388,3.27984437 L5.84553284,3.25492322 C5.99915102,3.07203079 6.17924127,2.91447144 6.37938611,2.78739415 C7.23972815,2.23645131 8.34754387,2.31595185 9.12506044,2.98449782 C9.2157072,3.06235067 9.30073868,3.14700021 9.37915214,3.23782854 C9.60657122,3.50207514 9.93486491,3.6513961 10.2784001,3.64665902 C10.6175233,3.64171598 10.9377951,3.48498047 11.155588,3.21764447 L11.1696262,3.20034383 C11.5426416,2.74620216 11.5342187,2.07930388 11.1497722,1.63546021 C9.42768425,-0.367088286 6.45118155,-0.55698335 4.50107292,1.21159465 C4.32298813,1.37306725 4.15713665,1.54813319 4.00472174,1.73555674 L1.08738009,5.32173121 C-0.548874157,7.35084854 -0.312430505,10.3492133 1.62043117,12.0813364 C2.56821124,12.921447 3.80678291,13.3317192 5.05377751,13.2188532 C5.20097822,13.2064956 5.34697566,13.1875473 5.49176982,13.1613904 C6.61362375,12.9593437 7.63039162,12.3585585 8.36398864,11.4636626 L9.59594229,9.94923914 C10.0136795,9.43578101 9.94709821,8.67146367 9.44693666,8.24224316 C8.94677511,7.81302264 8.20254916,7.8816073 7.78481199,8.39527139\" id=\"Fill-4\" fill=\"#000000\" mask=\"url(#mask-4)\"><\/path> <\/g> <\/g> <\/g> <\/g> <\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n            <span class=\"eh-social-sharing-button__copied_text\">\n            URL copied for sharing!        <\/span>\n    <\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull eh-single-resource-whitepapers-layout has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-light-violet-50-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div id=\"stop-el\" class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-16 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-link-arrow is-style-link-arrow--3\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-btn-brand-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"\/resources\/\">View all<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-query blog-3-col-query-loop is-layout-flow wp-block-query-is-layout-flow\"><ul class=\"columns-3 alignfull wp-block-post-template is-layout-grid wp-container-core-post-template-is-layout-1 wp-block-post-template-is-layout-grid\"><li class=\"wp-block-post post-57097 resources type-resources status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry resource-type-guides-and-playbooks\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-neutral-100-border-color has-white-background-color has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-19 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"border-width:1px;min-height:100%\"><figure style=\"aspect-ratio:16\/9;width:100%;height:100%; padding-bottom:0;padding-top:0;margin-bottom:0;\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/executive-faq-new-technology-leadership-questions\/\" target=\"_self\"  style=\"height:100%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/exec-faqs-thumbnail-NZ.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"How to secure executive sign-off on new people technology\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/exec-faqs-thumbnail-NZ.webp 1600w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/exec-faqs-thumbnail-NZ-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/exec-faqs-thumbnail-NZ-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/exec-faqs-thumbnail-NZ-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/exec-faqs-thumbnail-NZ-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/exec-faqs-thumbnail-NZ-440x248.webp 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-3-col-details wp-container-content-3 is-vertical is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-18 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-17 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" class=\"taxonomy-resource-type eh-resource-type wp-block-post-terms\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-post-terms-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"icon-blog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/04\/Blog.png\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/guides-and-playbooks\/\" rel=\"tag\">Guides and Playbooks<\/a><\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/executive-faq-new-technology-leadership-questions\/\" target=\"_self\" >How to secure executive sign-off on new people technology<\/a><\/h3>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt has-text-color has-contrast-2-color has-small-font-size wp-container-content-2\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Get clear, confident answers to leadership\u2019s toughest questions about bringing in new technology. Address risk, strategy, cost, and workforce decisions. <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<a style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-elements-9dfcbcb7662772ecb2d671e8976a6c51 wp-block-read-more has-text-color has-violet-500-color\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/executive-faq-new-technology-leadership-questions\/\" target=\"_self\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">: How to secure executive sign-off on new people technology<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/executive-faq-new-technology-leadership-questions\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"group-block-link\"><\/a>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-57080 resources type-resources status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry resource-type-templates\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-neutral-100-border-color has-white-background-color has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-22 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"border-width:1px;min-height:100%\"><figure style=\"aspect-ratio:16\/9;width:100%;height:100%; padding-bottom:0;padding-top:0;margin-bottom:0;\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/ai-policy-template\/\" target=\"_self\"  style=\"height:100%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/ai-policy-thumbnail.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"AI policy template and guide\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/ai-policy-thumbnail.webp 1600w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/ai-policy-thumbnail-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/ai-policy-thumbnail-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/ai-policy-thumbnail-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/ai-policy-thumbnail-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/ai-policy-thumbnail-440x248.webp 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-3-col-details wp-container-content-6 is-vertical is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-21 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-20 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" class=\"taxonomy-resource-type eh-resource-type wp-block-post-terms\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-post-terms-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"icon-blog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/04\/Blog.png\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/templates\/\" rel=\"tag\">Templates<\/a><\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/ai-policy-template\/\" target=\"_self\" >AI policy template and guide<\/a><\/h3>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt has-text-color has-contrast-2-color has-small-font-size wp-container-content-5\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Discover the essential components of an AI policy template to ensure effective governance. Download the template. <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<a style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-elements-9dfcbcb7662772ecb2d671e8976a6c51 wp-block-read-more has-text-color has-violet-500-color\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/ai-policy-template\/\" target=\"_self\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">: AI policy template and guide<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/ai-policy-template\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"group-block-link\"><\/a>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-57047 resources type-resources status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry resource-type-guides-and-playbooks\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-neutral-100-border-color has-white-background-color has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-25 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"border-width:1px;min-height:100%\"><figure style=\"aspect-ratio:16\/9;width:100%;height:100%; padding-bottom:0;padding-top:0;margin-bottom:0;\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/ai-policy-guide\/\" target=\"_self\"  style=\"height:100%\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/NZ-thumbnail-ai-policy.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Building a corporate AI policy that actually works\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/NZ-thumbnail-ai-policy.webp 1600w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/NZ-thumbnail-ai-policy-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/NZ-thumbnail-ai-policy-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/NZ-thumbnail-ai-policy-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/NZ-thumbnail-ai-policy-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/05\/NZ-thumbnail-ai-policy-440x248.webp 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-3-col-details wp-container-content-9 is-vertical is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-24 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-23 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" class=\"taxonomy-resource-type eh-resource-type wp-block-post-terms\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-post-terms-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"icon-blog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/04\/Blog.png\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/guides-and-playbooks\/\" rel=\"tag\">Guides and Playbooks<\/a><\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/ai-policy-guide\/\" target=\"_self\" >Building a corporate AI policy that actually works<\/a><\/h3>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt has-text-color has-contrast-2-color has-small-font-size wp-container-content-8\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Most corporate AI policies fail in practice. Learn what actually makes an AI policy work in real organisations, and how&hellip; <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<a style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-elements-9dfcbcb7662772ecb2d671e8976a6c51 wp-block-read-more has-text-color has-violet-500-color\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/ai-policy-guide\/\" target=\"_self\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">: Building a corporate AI policy that actually works<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/ai-policy-guide\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"group-block-link\"><\/a>\n<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s how to handle workplace misconduct effectively and fairly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":24011,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_lite_auth_enabled":false,"_lite_auth_trigger_method":"scroll","_lite_auth_scroll_percent":25,"_lite_auth_click_element_query":"","exclude_from_algolia":false,"reading_time":"7 min read","display_reading_time":false,"registration_open_datetime":"","registration_close_datetime":"","event_start_datetime":"","event_end_datetime":"","time_zone":"","location":"","link_video":"","video_type":"","file_video":"","download_content_type":"file","download_file":"354","download_url":"","download_cta_label":"","footnotes":""},"resource-type":[161],"topic":[97,379],"industry":[61,28,50,41,62,43,45,46,63,47,48,73,69,75,67],"search-tags":[],"audience":[],"business-size":[],"product-tag":[],"funnel-stage":[],"region":[],"pain-point":[],"persona":[],"post_features":[],"class_list":["post-41828","resources","type-resources","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource-type-guides-and-playbooks","topic-people-and-culture","topic-workplace-compliance","industry-agriculture","industry-construction","industry-consumer-services","industry-education","industry-entertainment","industry-financial-services","industry-healthcare","industry-hospitality","industry-legal","industry-logistics-manufacturing","industry-media-communications","industry-real-estate","industry-retail","industry-technology","industry-utilities-public-services"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/41828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/resources"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/41828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51588,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/41828\/revisions\/51588"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type?post=41828"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=41828"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=41828"},{"taxonomy":"search-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/search-tags?post=41828"},{"taxonomy":"audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/audience?post=41828"},{"taxonomy":"business-size","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/business-size?post=41828"},{"taxonomy":"product-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product-tag?post=41828"},{"taxonomy":"funnel-stage","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/funnel-stage?post=41828"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=41828"},{"taxonomy":"pain-point","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pain-point?post=41828"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=41828"},{"taxonomy":"post_features","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_features?post=41828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}