Gross misconduct

1. What is gross misconduct?
2. What counts as gross misconduct?
3. Does this mean I can decide for myself what conduct merits instant dismissal?
4. What would a tribunal consider in deciding whether a dismissal for gross misconduct was fair?
5. What would a tribunal consider in deciding whether a dismissal for gross misconduct was reasonable?
6. But surely our response to misconduct has to be consistent?
7. I thought instant dismissal meant sacking someone on the spot, and that was that?
8. Should we spell out what we would consider to be gross misconduct in the employee's terms and conditions?
9. If an employee has done something which obviously counts as gross misconduct, what procedure should I adopt?
10. If we have to sack someone for gross misconduct, should we give pay in lieu of notice?
11. If an employee who has been sacked for gross misconduct tries to sue us, what will they be suing for?
12. Can we be sued by a fixed term contract employee whom we have sacked for gross misconduct?
13. How long will it take for a case to come to the Employment Tribunal?
14. How much is it likely to cost us to defend such a case?
15. Would we do better just to pay the offending employee to go away?
16. If we are sued, what sort of evidence do we need to be able to present to defend our case?