Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Code of practice definition

What does Code of practice mean? In legal practice, a code of practice is authoritative written guidance setting standards and procedures that organisations and individuals are expected to follow in a particular regulatory area. The term is descriptive rather than a single statutory definition; a code’s legal weight depends on the legislation under which it is made or approved and on case law. Across the UK and Ireland, many codes have statutory status: courts and tribunals may, or must, take them into account, and non-compliance is persuasive evidence of breach even though a code is not, by itself, law. Examples include: the ACAS Code of...

Acas disciplinary and grievance Code: legal effects of non-compliance on tribunal findings and compensation adjustments (up to 25%)—Great Britain

Published by a LexisNexis Employment expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note sets out the consequences of failing to adhere to the Acas Code of practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures. Both employers and employees must follow the fairness principles contained in the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures. The Code’s foreword further urges employers and employees to try to settle disciplinary and grievance matters at work before taking them to the tribunals. As this encouragement appears in the foreword rather than the main text of the Code, it is not a statutory obligation. Acas has also issued a guide to the Acas Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures. Although that guidance carries no statutory force, tribunals may consult it where there is uncertainty about the meaning of the Code itself. Such references are made solely to aid interpretation where the Code’s provisions are unclear or genuinely ambiguous.

Key principles

A breach of any requirement within a relevant Acas Code of Practice does not, in isolation, create liability...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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