Be Disciplined About Discipline
08/19/08
Today, the prospect of disciplining employees in the workplace fills even the most seasoned managers with dread. There are so many war stories: Lawsuits. Tantrums. Rumors. Humiliation. No wonder so many errors are made. Businesses are scared. And managers are untrained.
The good news is, by following the right steps, knowing and complying with the law and company policies, and being respectful, honest and consistent, bosses can take and keep control in all disciplinary situations. The outcome? Some rehabilitated employees and some terminated ones. The payoff? Peace of mind.
What’s the Problem?
First things first: Classify your employee’s problem. Is it a performance or a behavior issue? The former encompasses such things as not meeting necessary goals, standards or deadlines. The latter refers to less than professional conduct such as consistent tardiness or insubordination.
You must be able to state exactly what is falling below expectations, and be prepared with specific, documented examples, before you approach the employee.
What’s the Law?
To steer clear of personal and workplace liability, make 100 percent sure you are not reprimanding an employee for something he or she is permitted to do by law an/or your company. If, for example, your employee has been demonstrating excessive absenteeism, make sure he/she is not entitled to leave law coverage or other accommodations. If he or she is, learn what you need to do to comply and then follow through. Your HR department or an employment attorney can walk you through policies and procedures.
“May I See That in Writing?”
You’ve heard it before. You’ll hear it again. You must document absolutely everything when it comes to employee performance and discipline. In the eyes of the law, if it’s not in writing, it didn’t happen.
If you have been keeping a Supervisor's Performance Journal on each of your reports (and you should be; see our article “Track Performance Regularly” in last month’s E-newsletter), you should have lots of specific examples of the problem you’re addressing. Along with those examples, provide:
• a clear statement of the deficiency
• a restatement of your expectations
• the consequences of continuing to not meet your expectations (with goals and dates)
• a schedule for follow-up,
• and a memo for the employee to sign acknowledging he/she understands the contents of your meeting
You also will want to note any impressions of the meeting in your journal.
Back to Basics: Progressive Discipline
Progressive discipline is a technique rooted in the belief that discipline is, as noted in the beginning of this article, a learning opportunity.
In progressive discipline, each step in the process more strongly encourages change and is accompanied by progressively greater consequences. These steps may include verbal counseling (which should be documented in the employee’s file with the date and details), a first written warning, a second written warning with a short suspension, and finally, if no improvement has been made and consequences have been outlined, termination.
Keep in mind that progressive discipline is not appropriate in every situation (e.g., theft or violence), and company policy should give management discretion to deviate from these steps to address serious disciplinary matters.
The Golden Rule
Whatever your personal feelings or frustration, remember to treat all employees as you want to be treated. Be respectful, firm, consistent and honest. Give the employee a chance to talk and ask questions. And keep all disciplinary matters private and confidential. These things may not save an employee, but they will save you heartache.