Home / Accredited / QCTO Skills Programmes / Occupational Skills Programme: Managing Workplace Discipline – SP-250708
Quick Look Course Summary:Occupational Skills Programme: Managing Workplace Discipline – SP-250708
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Length: 10 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 30,841 EX VAT 3 Person R 19,995 EX VAT 10 Person R 14,932 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.
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Occupational Skills Programme: Managing Workplace Discipline – SP-250708
Managers and HR staff who investigate, chair and manage incapacity fairly and consistently under South African labour law – with a QCTO certificate at NQF Level 5.
A badly run disciplinary process can cost more than the misconduct it was meant to address: CCMA referrals, reinstatements and lost management time. The QCTO programme document links inconsistent procedures, a limited grasp of procedural fairness and a lack of practical skill to more internal disputes and avoidable referrals. This accredited workplace discipline course – the Occupational Skills Programme: Managing Workplace Discipline (SP-250708, NQF Level 5, 43 credits) – builds the knowledge and the practical ability to manage discipline and incapacity fairly, consistently and lawfully.
Learners interpret disciplinary codes and policies, apply the Labour Relations Act, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the Codes of Good Practice, manage evidence, investigate allegations, conduct disciplinary hearings and run incapacity proceedings for poor performance and ill health. Practice comes through case studies, role-plays, mock investigations and mock hearings, and learners build a workplace file between blocks.
The programme was developed with the Services SETA as Quality Partner and is linked to the occupation Labour Relations Officer. It runs over ten contact days and ends in a two-hour written case-study assessment set, run and moderated by BOTI under QCTO rules.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Disciplinary codes, policies and labour legislation applied consistently across managers
- Fewer procedural errors that lead to internal disputes and avoidable referrals
- Investigations that establish the facts, preserve the evidence and support the decision
- Hearings run with procedural and substantive fairness, from charges to sanction
- Poor performance and ill health managed as incapacity, not treated as misconduct
For your delegates
- A QCTO skills programme certificate: 43 credits at NQF Level 5
- Confidence to investigate, initiate and chair a disciplinary hearing
- Practice in mock investigations and mock hearings, with feedback
- A workplace file of templates and records you can use at work
What delegates will be able to do
- Interpret and apply a disciplinary code and policy in line with contracts, collective agreements and bargaining council rules
- Distinguish misconduct from incapacity and apply procedural and substantive fairness
- Plan and conduct a workplace investigation, collecting and preserving evidence and protecting personal information under POPIA
- Establish a prima facie case and draft clear disciplinary charges
- Conduct a disciplinary hearing: examine evidence, question witnesses, reach a verdict and apply an appropriate sanction
- Manage poor-performance incapacity with consultation, performance improvement plans, coaching and monitoring
- Manage incapacity due to ill health or injury, including medical reports, consultation and reasonable accommodation
- Document every stage of the process for internal records, a CCMA referral or a bargaining council
Who should attend
Line managers, supervisors and team leaders who must apply a disciplinary code; HR practitioners, officers and business partners; labour and employee relations staff; hearing chairpersons and initiators; compliance and risk officers; and shop stewards and employee representatives. It suits people already handling disciplinary matters who want structured, formal training, and those preparing to take on that responsibility. Entry requirement: an NQF Level 4 qualification with communication, as set in the QCTO programme document. Learners who do not hold it may gain access through recognition of prior learning (RPL) instead.
Course outline
Days 1-2 – Foundations and legislation
Foundations of workplace discipline (Knowledge Module 900449-000-00-KM-01, NQF 4, 3 credits)
- The purpose and goals of discipline and incapacity proceedings
- How disciplinary policies come into being and their legal status
- Applying policies alongside employment contracts, collective agreements and bargaining council rules
- Progressive discipline and consistency
Legislative compliance in discipline and incapacity (Knowledge Module 900449-000-00-KM-03, 4 credits)
- Sources of law: statute, case law and collective agreements
- Codes of Good Practice, including those on dismissal and sexual harassment
- The Labour Relations Act, Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Employment Equity Act and Occupational Health and Safety Act
- The legal framework for incapacity due to poor performance or ill health
- Dispute resolution at the CCMA and bargaining councils
Workplace misconduct and incapacity (Knowledge Module 900449-000-00-KM-02, 8 credits)
- Misconduct versus incapacity, and why the difference matters
- Types of dismissal, and procedural and substantive fairness
- Employee rights and representation
- Sanctions, termination of employment and the legal considerations involved
Days 3-4 – Evidence and investigations
Evidence management (Knowledge Module 900449-000-00-KM-04, 4 credits)
- Relevant, admissible and reliable evidence in workplace hearings
- Direct, documentary, digital, circumstantial and hearsay evidence
- Handling and preserving evidence, including chain of custody
- Presenting and evaluating evidence at a hearing
- Sensitive cases, such as sexual harassment hearings held in camera
Managing workplace investigations (Practical Module 900449-000-00-PM-01, 4 credits)
- Planning an investigation: the nature and severity of the allegations and its objectives
- Collecting evidence: witness interviews, digital records, surveillance footage and documents
- Keeping the process neutral and confidential, and protecting personal information under POPIA
- Evaluating evidence, documenting findings and writing the investigation report
- Mock investigation on a case study
Days 5-6 – Disciplinary hearings
Conduct disciplinary hearings (Practical Module 900449-000-00-PM-02, 10 credits)
- Establishing a prima facie case, and drafting and issuing clear charges
- Preparing for the hearing: policy, contract, legal framework and formal notices
- Chairing the hearing: examining evidence, questioning witnesses and managing cross-examination
- Keeping the proceedings fair and unbiased
- Reaching a verdict and applying an appropriate sanction
- Documenting the hearing and communicating the outcome
- Mock hearings with role-play and feedback
Days 7-8 – Incapacity proceedings
Conduct incapacity proceedings (Practical Module 900449-000-00-PM-03, 10 credits)
- Identifying and assessing incapacity due to poor performance
- Consultation, performance improvement plans, coaching, mentoring and monitoring
- Finalising a performance incapacity outcome, including possible dismissal where there is no improvement
- Ill health or injury: medical reports, consultation and reasonable accommodation
- Deciding on continuation or termination of employment and documenting the decision
- Managing incompatibility
Days 9-10 – Consolidation and final assessment
Consolidation
- Review of the workplace file built between blocks
- Resolving disputes and conflict arising from disciplinary action
- Integrated case study from allegation to outcome
Final Integrated Supervised Assessment (FISA)
- Written case study or scenario assessment of up to two hours
- Short-answer theory questions and simulated practical tasks
- Marked out of 100; 60% needed to be declared competent
- Online sittings recorded and camera-monitored
How it is delivered
Ten contact days, 08:30-16:00. BOTI recommends five two-day blocks over about eight weeks – foundations and legislation; investigations; hearings; incapacity; consolidation and the final assessment – with learners building a workplace file between blocks. The programme can also run on consecutive days. There is no work-experience module. Training runs at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at BOTI's venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or live online, for one learner or a group of up to about 20. Learner material and case studies are provided.
What our clients say
“The training was presented through an interesting and easy-to-use online platform, and we were impressed by its quality.”
“[The organisation] confirms that BOTI delivered the contracted services over the 24-month period, and we have no hesitation in recommending Business Optimization Training Institute (Pty) Ltd to any organisation seeking a similar e-Learning or skills development solution.”
“Throughout both interventions, BOTI demonstrated a high level of professionalism, subject matter expertise, and commitment to quality training delivery. Their ability to effectively manage virtual learning environments and engage participants contributed significantly to the success of the programmes.”
Frequently asked questions
Is this workplace discipline course accredited?
Yes. It is a QCTO occupational skills programme (SP-250708, NQF Level 5, 43 credits), and BOTI is accredited by the QCTO to deliver it (07-QCTO/SDP040926111631, valid to 26 August 2031). The QCTO issues the certificate. The last date for enrolment is 11 July 2031.
How is it assessed?
Continuously through assignments, tests, scenarios, simulated investigations and mock hearings, with a formal assessment at the end of each module. The final assessment is a two-hour written case study with short-answer and simulated practical tasks, marked out of 100; learners need 60% to be declared competent.
Are there entry requirements?
Yes. Learners need an NQF Level 4 qualification with communication, as set in the QCTO programme document. Learners who do not hold it may gain access through recognition of prior learning (RPL) instead, and competencies already held may be credited through RPL.
Do we have to release staff for ten days in a row?
No. We recommend five two-day blocks over about eight weeks, so learners apply each block at work; consecutive days are also possible.
Is this legal advice?
No. The programme teaches the legal framework and fair procedure as general guidance. For a specific case, take advice from an employment law specialist.
Is there a shorter, non-accredited option?
Yes. BOTI's non-accredited Chairing Disciplinary Hearings Course covers hearings in a short format; delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
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