BRIEF ON INDUCING DISCIPLINE AMONG EMPLOYEES

1. PREFACE:
Discipline is the set norms of acceptable behaviours in accordance with the rules and
standards that enhances the productive environment inside the premises of the organization
and motivate employees to comply with the company’s performance standards to accomplish
the organizational goals.
The employee affected by disciplinary procedure is normally prejudiced against the
management. Therefore, policy on inducing discipline among the employees will be based on
“Hot Stove Rule”. Irrespective of the grade of employment, the employee concerned shall be
dealt as per the procedure laid down herein, when any reckonable misconduct is committed
and for the purpose of effectively restraining such employee to repeat such misconduct in
future.
Whenever the delinquency of an employee is reported, it is essential that the misconduct is
correlated with documents to affirm that the delinquency has actually been committed.
2. PRINCIPLE OF HOT-STOVE RULE:
(1) Meaning:
The principle of Hot Stove Rule is an analogy that is comparing between breaching
discipline of the company and touching a hot stove. In this principle, how an employer will
be able to impose disciplinary actions against its employee committing misconduct without
creating the feeling of resentment or annoyance in them. Inducing discipline will have a
connection only with the misconduct, but not on the employee who commits it,
irrespective of his status or rank or position in the organization.
(2) Importance of the principle:
(a) The concept of this principle is based on that any person who has been warned about
the consequences of touching a red-hot stove would never dare to demonstrate. No
one would like to experience the consequences of violating policies or norms of the
company after they have been clearly warned.
(b) When a person touches the red hot stove he gets burned immediately. It does not
matter, if the person touching the red hot stove is for the first time or without
consciousness, the person gets burn as soon as he touches it. An effective disciplinary
action must occur promptly so that the employee can relate clearly connection
between the reactions for his actions.
(3) Factors important to induce discipline based on the principle of Hot Stove Rule:
(a) The employer should make aware of the rules and regulations of the company.
(b) Employees must be issued Memorandum of Services and Notices when any breach of
discipline occurs.
(c) Employees should be provided with the company’s Standing orders for workmen and
the code of conduct for staff & executives, so that they would not be able to deny
knowledge of those rules.
(d) Disciplinary actions against the employee must be taken as soon as possible when any
misconduct is committed, especially major misconduct.
(e) Disciplinary actions must be same for all the employees, regardless the post or position
he/she holds in the company or the relationship he/ she has with the superiors.

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(f) Disciplinary actions must be flexible and progressive in nature. It must be

proportionate to the gravity of misconduct committed and also depends up on the
frequency of misconduct committed.
(g) The management shall not show more leniency or excessive harshness while imposing
discipline.
(h) The superior must show normal behaviour towards the employee, who is disciplined
for his misconduct committed.
3. NECESSITY OF DISICPLINE IN THE ORGANIZATION:
(1) General Characteristics of an employee:
(a) Employee is an important factor of production, but he cannot be treated as if a
machine. He is an extra-ordinary machine with mind and emotions. The employee
can’t be always treated solely as rational, social or economic. The employee is all of
these in varying degrees and at varying times. The whole person is hired (both abilities
and disabilities) in the organization and his nature surfaces at different levels and at
different degrees at different times.
(b) The behaviors of a person in the organization in his performance of duties will be quite
different from his normal and routine personal life. The pre-determined set of orderly
behaviors in the performance of assigned duties by the employees of the organization
is the means for accomplishing the objectives of the organization.
(2) Necessity of Discipline in the organization:
(a) The meaning of Discipline can be orderly behaviors of an employee according to
norms defined by the organization. The meaning of norms of behavior is the standard
or pattern, which an employee is required to behave in the organization while
performing his duties to satisfy the needs of the organization.
(b) Misconduct can be defined as any behavior which is not in accordance with the norms
of behaviors, which are explicitly or implicitly known to the employee and the
behaviors of the employee is detrimental to the effective functioning of the
organization.
(c) The needs of the organization for order and discipline are highly essential for its
viability and development. Rules and procedures for various service conditions can be
formulated so that individual employees behave in a manner to create environment
suitable and effective performance of organizational activities.
(3) Discipline, Code of Conduct or Standing Orders:
(1) Meaning:
Discipline is systematic instructions intended to train a person for manifesting orderly
behaviors. The instructions may be called Code of Conduct, Standing Orders, Rules of
Behaviors or Norms of behaviors; Discipline is the assertion of willpower over more basic &
personal desires and is usually understood to be synonymous with self-control and substitute
for self-motivation. Self-discipline is the product of persisted willpower, which is the strength
and ability to carry out a certain task. Self-discipline is the ability to use it routinely and even
automatically.

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(2) Standing Orders for workmen:

(a) The conditions of services of the workmen are defined along with the list of misconduct
and procedure for punishment for the misconduct is defined in the Standing Orders for
Workmen. It is obligatory on the part of the management to get certification of the draft
Standing Orders, when the workmen on the rolls of the establishment is fifty or above for
the preceding twelve months.
(b) The regulations on certification of Standing Orders will be as per the applicable provisions
of the “Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act and Rules made thereunder”. The
certified Standing Orders shall be displayed on the notice board of the establishment in
Kannada language for information and understanding by all the workmen concerned.
(c) When the workmen on the rolls of the establishment is less than fifty, then the “Model
Standing Orders” as stipulated in the Schedule of “Industrial (Employment) Standing
Orders Act and Rules made thereunder” is applicable.
(3) Code of Conduct for Staff and Executives:
The patterns of behaviors expected by the staff and executives while they are on duty are
enumerated as Code of Conduct and adopted. The code of conduct is made known to all the
staff and executives for their understanding and adherence.
(4) Causes of Indiscipline in the organization attributable to Management:
(1) The following are some of the important causes of indiscipline among the employees and
the reasons of which are attributable to the management:
(a) Unfair Labour Practices,
(b) Defective Communication,
(c) Varying Disciplinary Measures,
(d) Defective Supervision,
(e) Inadequate Attention to Problems,
(f) Absence of full engagement of employee during shift hours,
(g) Absence of Code of Conduct,
(h) Divide and Rule Policy,
(2) The following are the important causes of indiscipline among the employees and the
reasons of which are attributable to the employee concerned:
There are two major deviances that cause indiscipline by the employee - Personal deviance
and Organizational deviance.
(a) Personal deviance:
When the employee is unable to cope-up with his assigned work, due to personal reasons and
unable to adhere to the Code of Conduct or Standing Orders, then it is called Personal
deviance. The personal deviance can be for many reasons such as emotional instability,
unsatisfactory personal life, and personal problems and so on. In such situations, the
employee concerned would not be cordial with his colleagues and supervisors. The behaviors
under personal deviance result in frequent absenteeism, carelessness in work performance,
and non-compliance to process driven activities and short-tempered resulting in disgruntled
behaviors with others.

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(b) Organizational deviance:

Organizational deviance occurs when the employee with-holds his efforts in performance of
his assigned work. The reasons for this deviance may be attributed to the following:
(i) Prejudice against the management of the organization for any personal reasons or due
to sub-culture group attitudes,
(ii) Jobs allotted are lower in grade than the abilities of the employee to perform the higher
grade of jobs,
(iii) Agitation by the employee resulting in working slow tactics,
(iv) Strong feelings that the salary and benefits are meager when compared to the efforts
put by the employee in performance of allotted jobs.
(v) Shortage in allocation of resources by the management, in-spite of repeated requests by
the employee.
4. DOCUMENTS RELEVANT FOR MISCONDUCT:
(1) Report prepared on misconduct of the worker should be supported by some references in
terms of documents, witness statements, records or any materials that supports the
committing of misconduct by employee.
(2) The documents for references for the misconduct may be as follows:
(a) Incident report of the immediate superior of employee
(b) Shop-floor Log book entries related to production and quality,
(c) Attendance record of employee,
(d) Remote surveillance photos,
(e) Smart phone photos,
(f) Witness account of incident,
(g) Preliminary enquiry report on the incident conducted by the HOD,
(h) Job allocation sheet (Job cards),
(i) Training attendance sheet,
(j) Previous performance records of the employee,
(k) Notice that is displayed on storage and availability of resource materials,
(l) Displayed work-instructions,
(m) Stipulations in the form of Notice or Circulars regarding work performance,
(n) Acknowledgement for Job descriptions explained to workman,
(o) Periodical performance evaluation of employee and feedback given to employee,
(p) Previous notices/memos of misconduct of the employee,
And such other documents and records.
5. PREVENTION OF OCCURRENCE OF DELINQUENCY
(1) The following are the factors on abetting the delinquency in the organization.
(a) Unfair Management Practices,
(b) Defective Communication,
(c) Varying Disciplinary Measures,
(d) Defective Supervision,
(e) Inadequate Attention to Problems,
(f) Absence of Code of Conduct,

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(g) Divide and Rule Policy.

(2) The following are the vices that are followed in Unfair Management Practices:
(a) Wage discrimination – Not following equal wages for equal work,
(b) Non-compliance with promotional policies and transfer policies – Non-transparency in
promotions and victimization in transfers,
(c) Discrimination in allotment of work – Favoritism and nepotism in allotment of work,
(d) Defective handling of grievances – Not resolving appropriately the genuine grievances
of employees,
(e) Payment of wages – Low and delayed payment of wages,
(f) Low quality work life – Unsafe & unhygienic working conditions and ill treatment to
employees,
(3) The following are the factors that make the communication defective or non-effective:
(a) Insensitive and thoughtless words spoken by superiors to subordinates,
(b) Not encouraging and taking cognizance of upward communication,
(c) Not making amply clear to the employees, about the organizational Policies,
(d) Ill treatment to employees through verbal assault,
(e) Responses to employees without empathy,
(4) The following are the important factors while taking disciplinary action against the
misconduct of an employee:
(a)The implementation of disciplinary measures should be free from bias, undue
privilege or favoritism,
(b) The same standard of disciplinary measures should be taken against similar
delinquency of employees,
(c) The management needs to function judiciously on matters of discipline and there
shall be equal justice to all the employees,
(5) Supervisors/Managers are the immediate superiors of their subordinates (Lower
management and operatives). The following discreet behaviors are the seed of the
indiscipline:
(a) Taking credit for self for the jobs done by his subordinates,
(b) Nepotism with a few selected employees & Picking on the few subordinates often,
for sundry reasons,
(c) Not treating the subordinates with respect and ill-treating and harming the self-
esteem of the subordinates.
(d) Not supporting the subordinates in their effort for better performance,
(e) Inappropriate distribution of limited resources of the company to the subordinates
for their job performance,
(f) Not making effective monitoring and guidance for the good performers,
(g) Disloyal by the superiors to the work and organization.
(6) The inadequate attention to the following problems of the subordinates may lead to
abetting delinquency:
(a) Non Redressal of grievances of employees,
(b) Inordinate delay in resolving issues raised by the employees,

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(c) Snubbing the subordinates when complaints are made that are obstructing for
better performance.
(7) Absence of employee’s complete engagement with work during full shift hours is most
essential which gives fillip for developing discipline among the employees. The following
points may be noted and implemented by the management:
(a) Employees are hired for full shift hours,
(b) The Management needs to engage them in productive work for all the duration of
shift hours,
(c) Punctuality and full engagement of employees up to the close of the shift hours is
highly essential to develop discipline among employees,
(d) Employees should be engaged for developing them professionally for their career
development.
(8) It is essential that transactions with the employees in a positive sense will enhance the
propensity of enhancing discipline among the employees. If the transactions create
negative environment, it enhances delinquency among the employees:
(a) The employees always desire to make such transactions that are helpful in resolving
job related issues, enhance their competency, and developing work-satisfaction and
self-esteem,
(b) Public/open reprimands, micromanaging, loud talking, threatening, scolding, etc.
lead to undermining the self-esteem of the employees,
(c) Disrespect, slanging, altercation, bullying or harsh and loud talking to the
employees will always lead to disloyalty and indiscipline.
The organization without discipline will not only be unable to develop its competitiveness, and
also its viability will also be in question.

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