I was recently on the receiving end of a very serious outburst from a colleague: verbal abuse, bullying, intimidation and physical aggression.

This occured publicly, so my employer announced that it would be fully investigated and appropriate action taken. It has come to light that this is not an isolated case, the individual has behaved this way before but it has never been addressed. (There may also be a sexual discrimination element to the track record).

I feel that the behaviour constitutes gross misconduct and the individual should be dismissed (although I’m not an employment lawyer!). My employer will not divulge their decision to me but appears that they will not dismiss him, but will give some form of warning. This seems to be because we have no written guidelines around appropriate behaviours and no track record in handling such behaviours.

Is my employer required to tell me what their decision is, and to explain the reasons for it?
What options are open to me if I disagree with my employer’s decision? What do you think would be appropriate action for the company to take?
Sonia Storr