Again, this is not necessarily so. An idealistic belief that disputes can never arise between equals means that many cooperative and community businesses are totally unprepared to cope with them when they do. In fact, the consensus which is the great strength of such businesses can be maintained only by acknowledging, understanding and resolving personal differences, which in a conventional business might simply be suppressed. Occasional conflict is both inevitable and healthy. More seriously, mutual trust and a reliance on the self-discipline of those involved can be, and sometimes is, abused by an individual.
Disciplinary procedures enable the group to protect itself.
Similarly, proper grievance procedures are necessary to protect individual employees from unfair treatment by the group. All employers are required by law to have a set of rules and procedures for dealing with each type of dispute. In general, it is better to appoint or elect a 'personnel' officer or a small team of two or three people to deal with the first stages of any dispute. It is important to understand that a disciplinary warning is not equivalent to notice of dismissal. Even at the end of a disciplinary procedure which may take as long as a year, the business must allow the individual to work out their entitlement to notice, or give them pay in lieu.