Book Review: General Principles on Workplace Disciplinary Procedures

Written by Jonas Ileka

“General Principles on Workplace Disciplinary Procedures: A Namibian Perspective” by Marvin Awarab and Charles Mukaya is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to navigate the complexities of resolving labour disputes within the Namibian context. With its clear and concise presentation of Namibian legislation and rules, this book provides a comprehensive guide to understanding and implementing effective disciplinary procedures in the workplace.

One of the book’s greatest strengths lies in its ability to demystify the labour law principles, making them easily accessible to a wide audience. By breaking down key definitions and explaining various types of misconduct that employees may be charged with, the authors have ensured that readers who may need a legal background can grasp the core concepts with ease.

The authors go beyond mere explanation and delve into the practicalities of disciplinary procedures. They outline the step-by-step processes that should be followed when disciplining an employee, ensuring that organisations have a clear roadmap to follow. They also discussed relevant labour cases to draw valuable lessons and precedents. Moreover, the emphasis on compliance with substantive and procedural fairness is commendable, as it highlights the importance of upholding legal standards throughout the disciplinary process, ensuring that employees are treated fairly, and organisations are guarded against potential lawsuits and losses.

One aspect that sets this book apart is its discussion of mitigating and aggravating factors that inform disciplinary committee decisions. By addressing these factors, the authors provide valuable insights into how lenient or harsh punishments may be determined. This comprehensive approach ensures that disciplinary committees have a solid foundation for making wellinformed decisions and promotes consistency in the application of sanctions.

Furthermore, the book explores the rights of employees to appeal disciplinary sanctions and thoroughly explains the principles and process involved in labour matter appeals and reviews. This section is particularly important, as it empowers employees and highlights the importance of fairness and transparency in the workplace.

With just under 150 pages, the book strikes a balance between comprehensiveness and accessibility, making it an essential reference for employers, HR professionals, practising attorneys, and employees in Namibia. The authors’ expertise shines through in their ability to present complex legal concepts in a clear and understandable manner.

We highly recommend “General Principles on Workplace Disciplinary Procedures: A Namibian Perspective” as a must-have resource for anyone involved in employment relations in Namibia.

Dr Awarab is an author and senior lecturer at the School of Law at UNAM. He has vast experience in chairing disciplinary hearings and advising members of the disciplinary committee.

Dr. Veldsman is an organisational psychologist with 15+ years of experience across the HR value chain and lifecycle, having worked for and consulted with various organizations in EMEA, APAC, and LATAM. He has held the positions of Group Chief People Officer, Organizational Effectiveness Executive, Director of Consulting Solutions, and Chief Research Scientist.

Vera is an industrial engineer and business strategist at LOTS and the founder of Akah Consultancy where she assists companies to enhance efficiencies and profitability, and reduce costs and waste. She specialises in business process re-engineering and optimization, strategic planning, performance management, operations management, and organisational culture and change management.

Morna is a corporate communications and brand reputation strategist, with a passion for sustainable development, stakeholder engagement, and employee wellbeing.

Nobert is the owner and chairman of Master International, a management consulting company that develops, delivers, implements and supports a complete range of cloud-based tools for talent acquisition.

Lifa is an industrial psychologist and ethicist. He consults and conducts training on leadership, team building, emotional intelligence among others.

Paulina is a PROSCI-certified change practitioner and communications specialist with experience in the financial services, mining and governance sectors.

Annelise is a registered psychometrist with 10+ years of experience working with psychometric assessments and people data. She has developed talent acquisition strategies for different companies and worked on people projects, covering topics such as learning and development strategy, career pathing, and sales team performance improvement.