Suspension During an Investigation at Work Letter by Acas
This template is a formal letter used by an employer to inform an employee of their suspension from duty during a workplace investigation. It clarifies that the suspension is not a disciplinary action but a measure to facilitate the investigation into allegations. The letter outlines the conditions of the suspension, including pay, contact availability, and restrictions on workplace access and communication.
Suspension During an Investigation at Work Letter (Template)
[RECORDED DELIVERY]
PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL
[Today’s date]
[Employee's name]
[Employee's address]
RE: suspension during an investigation
Dear [employee's name]
I am writing to confirm your suspension from duty on your usual pay in your post of [post title] in the [department].
The purpose of the suspension is to enable us to investigate an allegation made against you. It is alleged that you have:
[List reasons for suspension – include enough detail for the employee to be very clear on the reasons for suspension]
[reason for suspension]
[reason for suspension]
Before taking this action, I considered the following changes to your working arrangements:
[List the changes you considered. For example:
a change of shifts
working in a different part of the organisation
working from home
working from a different office or site
stop handling stock if the investigation is about a large amount of stock going missing
working with different customers or away from customers if the investigation is into a serious complaint from a customer
removing access to the organisation's finance system if the investigation is into a large amount of missing money]
However, [due to the seriousness of the allegation / allegations / other reason if applicable] I decided that alternative duties instead of suspension were not appropriate in the circumstances.
Your suspension [starts / started] from [time, day, date of receipt of letter / time, day, date of verbal notification] and will continue for up to [X] weeks. During this time, we will review the situation and the suspension period may be extended or ended.
Just to confirm: suspension on your usual pay is not disciplinary action. At this stage we are only investigating the allegation and no decision has been reached.
During suspension, we might need to contact you for more information. This means you need to be available for contact during [normal working hours / the time we have agreed].
You must not return to your place of work during suspension without first getting approval from your line manager. Unless agreed with us, you must not discuss the investigation with any work colleague or service user in any way including via email or social networks. Also, you must not use work equipment (including IT equipment) provided for your employment without permission.
We will now undertake an investigation into the allegations made against you. We will appoint an Investigating Officer and you will need to attend an investigation meeting – we will contact you again shortly with the arrangements for this.
[Optional] You are entitled to be accompanied in that meeting by a colleague or a trade union representative, if you wish. Please contact us to discuss this.
[Contact name] is your point of contact during this investigation and they will be available should you need to speak to anyone. Their contact details are: [telephone number].
If you have any queries about any of the above, or if you need any support, you should contact [contact name] or your trade union representative, if you are a member of one. You can also use any of the following [set out available support, for example an employee assistance programme (EAP)].
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your position]
cc [HR Services – Personal File]
[Advice & Support Team]
Enclosed: [Suspension policy] [Investigation policy]
5.0 out of 5 on Google
Read reviewsAs seen in
Frequently asked questions
A template isn't binding on its own - like any contract, it becomes binding once it's properly completed and signed. Templates in our curated library are professionally drafted for US or UK law; review any template before you sign it.
Yes. Chat with GitLaw to edit any section, or make changes directly in the editor.
Yes, read about team plans here.
Describe what you need in the chat and GitLaw will draft it for you.
Templates in our curated library are professionally drafted for US or UK law. The wider library comes from the GitLaw community and public sources - a solid starting point, but check any template fits your situation before you rely on it.
Mostly US and UK law. Some templates use general commercial terms that work across jurisdictions, and many note which law they're written for.
It depends on the situation. Templates work well for routine business agreements. For anything involving significant money, complex IP, employment, or areas you're unsure about, it's worth getting professional advice before you sign. GitLaw provides templates and tools, not legal advice.
Open any template in GitLaw and describe the change you want in the chat — 'make clause 4 mutual' or 'add a 30-day notice period', for example. GitLaw drafts the revised language and shows it as a suggested edit. You accept, reject, or keep editing from there.
Yes. Upload a Word, PDF, or Markdown file and GitLaw will open it in the editor. You can review, edit, or chat with GitLaw about it the same way you would with any template from the library.
Trusted by thousands of businesses
From template to signed, in one place
Every template opens in an editor with an AI agent alongside it.
Open
Pick a template and open it. Nothing to download, and no credit card to start.
Free to open
Edit with AI
Describe your situation in chat and the agent adapts the wording, clause by clause.
Tracked changes you can review
Send and sign
Share it for negotiation, then collect signatures without leaving GitLaw.
eSign included
Built for your legal work, with practicing lawyers
Trained on 5.5K+ clauses and specialist areas of law. Built with a standards committee of independent lawyers.
As seen in
Start free
No sales calls, no credit card. Just chat with GitLaw.
GitLaw provides templates and tools, not legal advice. Templates are a starting point, not a substitute for advice on your situation - for anything significant, speak to a qualified lawyer.