Employee Discipline

• Employee Discipline: Meaning, Concept, Objectives,

Principles, Importance, Factors, Types and Other
Details
• Employee Discipline – Meaning and Definitions
➢Discipline is the orderly conduct by an employee in an expected
manner. It is the force or fear of a force that deters an individual
or a group from doing things that are detrimental to the
accomplishment of group objectives.
➢In other words, discipline is the orderly conduct by the
members of an organisation who adhere to its rules and
regulations because they desire to cooperate harmoniously in
forwarding the end which the group has in view.
➢Good discipline means that employees are willing to abide by
company rules and executive orders and behave in the desired
fashion.
➢Discipline implies the absence of chaos, irregularity and
confusion in the behaviour of a worker.
➢According to Calhoon, ‘Discipline is a force that prompts
individuals or groups to observe rules, regulations and
procedures which are deemed to be necessary for the effective
functioning of an organisation’.
• Violation of rules, regulations, procedure and norms is
considered as misconduct, that is, any act which is inconsistent
with the fulfilment of the expressed and implied conditions of
service
➢Every organization wants its employees’ behavior to be in
conformity with the required system which it has prescribed in
order to achieve the organizational goals. Thus, in brief,
discipline is orderly conduct by the employee in an expected
manner.
➢The purpose of discipline is to encourage employees to behave
sensibly at work, that is, adhere to rules and regulations.
Disciplinary action is called for when an employee violates one
of the rules.
Employee Discipline – 2 Concepts: Positive and
Negative Concepts of Employee Discipline

➢Positive discipline means a sense of duty to observe the rules

and regulations. It can be achieved when management applies
the principles of positive motivation along with appropriate
leadership
➢Negative discipline is known as punitive or corrective discipline.
Under it penalties or punishments are used to force workers to
obey rules and regulations. The objective is to ensure that
employees do not violate the rules and regulations. Negative
disciplinary action involves techniques such as fines, reprimand,
demotion, layoff, transfer etc.
➢While exercising negative discipline, management should
proceed in a sequential manner, viz. an oral reprimand, a
written reprimand, a warning, temporary suspension and
dismissal or discharge.
• Discipline should be imposed without generating resentment.
McGregor propounded the “Red Hot Stove Rule” which says
that a sound and effective disciplinary system in an organization
should have the following characteristics-
• 1. Immediate- Just as when you touch a red hot stove, the
burn is immediate, similarly the penalty for violation should be
immediate/ immediate disciplinary action must be taken for
violation of rules.
• 2. Consistent- Just as a red hot stove burns everyone in same
manner; likewise, there should be high consistency in a sound
disciplinary system.
• 3. Impersonal- Just as a person is burned because he touches
the red hot stove and not because of any personal feelings,
likewise, impersonality should be maintained by refraining from
personal or subjective feelings.
• 4. Prior warning and notice- Just as an individual has a
warning when he moves closer to the stove that he would be
burned on touching it, likewise, a sound disciplinary system
should give advance warning to the employees as to the
implications of not conforming to the standards of
behaviour/code of conduct in an organization.
Employée Discipline – 5
Important Objectives

(a) To obtain a willing acceptance of the rules and regulations

or procedures of an organization so that organizational goals
may be attained.
(b) To develop among the employee a spirit of tolerance and a
desire to make adjustments.
(c) To give direction or responsibility.
➢(d) To increase the working efficiency or morale of the employ-
ees so that their productivity is stepped up and the cost of
production brought down and the quality of production im-
proved.
➢(e) To create an atmosphere of respect for the human
personality or human relations.
➢Discipline is essential for the smooth running of an
organization for the maintenance of industrial peace which is
the foundation of industrial democracy. Without discipline, no
enterprise would prosper.
Employee Discipline – 7 Important Principles for
Maintenance of Discipline
➢(a) As far as is possible, all the rules should be formed in cooperation
or collaboration with the representatives of employees.
➢(b) All the rules should be appraised at frequent or regular intervals
to ensure that they are and continue to be, appropriate, sensible and
useful.
➢(c) Rules should be uniformly enforced if they are to be effective.
They must be applied without exception.
➢(d) Penalties for any violation of any rule should be clearly stated in
advance.
➢(e) Extreme caution should be exercised to ensure that infringe-
ments are not encouraged.
➢(f) If violations of a particular rule are fairly frequent; the
circumstances surrounding them should be carefully investi-
gated and studied in order to discover the cause or causes of
such violation.
➢(g) Define or precise provisions for appeal or review of all disci-
plinary actions should be expressly mentioned in the employee’s
handbook.
What is progressive discipline?
• Progressive discipline is a practice in which management takes a
series of steps to help employees improve their work performance.
After making a mistake, an employee has time to either correct their
professional conduct or experience fair consequences.
• The steps of a progressive discipline procedure depend on
three key factors:
• Type of issue: The circumstances of the mistake can influence the order of
discipline. If a minor mishap occurs, the discipline may progress slowly,
while major mishaps can trigger escalation more quickly.
• Industry: Every workplace may have a different viewpoint of the severity of
an error, affecting how it administers consequences. For example, typing
words incorrectly may be more serious for a social media manager than for
a cashier.
• Supervisor: Supervisors also have their preferences for disciplining
members of their team. One leader may place a strong emphasis on one
task, while another may be less stringent about it.
Steps of progressive discipline
• 1. Verbal warning
• A verbal warning is the first step of progressive discipline.
Management identifies a problematic situation and schedules a
private meeting to talk to the employee who's at fault. Now the
employee knows of their mistake, and they can discuss with their
supervisor how to perform better
• 2. Written warning
• A written warning documents the rise in progressive discipline. It
states that the professional's behavior has remained unchanged since
they received the verbal warning and it includes the date and a
description of the situation. Written warnings enable managers to
track the consequences they've issued, which helps them determine
the next step in counselling the employee.
• 3. Performance improvement plan
• The Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is a protocol that states the
time an employee is given to improve their workplace behavior
before they face more serious corrective actions. It specifies the
consequences the employee may face.
• 4. Suspension
• Suspension prohibits employees from fulfilling their roles for a
specified period. The length of the suspension depends on the
severity of the infraction. Organizational leaders may suspend
employees during an investigation of a workplace incident.
Why is progressive discipline important?
Progressive discipline is important for several reasons, including:
1. Allows managers to recognize and address problematic employee
behavior before it escalates
2. Helps employees to be more productive and perform at higher
levels
3. Fosters better communication between employees and managers
4. Increases employee retention rates and decreases employee
replacement expenses
5. Ensures employees understand why they're receiving discipline and
what their expectations are
6.Provides employees with several opportunities to improve before
resorting to more severe disciplinary actions
How to implement progressive discipline in the
workplace
• 1. Clearly define steps
• Ensure employees have a clear understanding of the steps you plan to
take in the instance that disciplinary action is required. Consider
describing the company's disciplinary policy as soon as an employee
begins work and holding regular training sessions to maintain
understanding.
• 2. Investigate before assigning discipline
• When an issue arises with an employee, ensure you fully understand
the situation and its cause before taking disciplinary action. This may
require you to interview other team members, though it's important
to do this without revealing your intentions for the sake of employee
confidentiality.
• 3. Document all progressive disciplinary actions
• When you do choose to discipline an employee, keep written
documentation of each step of the progressive discipline approach.
Include all relevant information in your documentation, including
what the issue is, the dates the behavior occurred, when you issued
warnings to the employee and the impact of the issue on
productivity.
• 4. Stay consistent
• It's important to remain fair and consistent in the disciplinary actions
you take. If two employees exhibit the same unwanted behaviors, use
the same approach for both of them. This can show that the policy is
unbiased and can apply regardless of personal feelings.
• 5. Check employee improvement
• Keep track of the employee's improvement after issuing warnings or
other disciplinary actions. If they don't make satisfactory
improvements, move on to the next step in your progressive
discipline plan. Try to document unwanted behavior to help justify
escalating discipline