Industrial Discipline

Discipline - Definition
 “Discipline is a force that prompts an individual or a
group to observe the rules, regulations, and
procedures, which are deemed to be necessary to the
attainment of an objective.”
— William R. Spriegel and Edward Schultz

 “Discipline is the state of employee self-control and

orderly conduct that indicates the extent of genuine
teamwork within an organization.”
—R. Wayne Mondy
Objectives of Discipline
 Goal Accomplishment

 Changing Employee Behaviour

 Improving Morale and Motivation

 Exercising Better Control over Employees

 Ensuring Consistency in Action

 Promoting Industrial Relations

 Substituting Personal Supervision

Mc. Gregor’s Red Hot Stove
Rule
 It says that a sound and effective disciplinary
system in an organization should have the
following characteristics:

 Immediate

 Consistent

 Impersonal

 Prior warning and notice

Causes of Indiscipline
 Unfair Management Practices
 Absence of Effective Leadership
 Communication Barriers
 Varying Disciplinary Measures
 Defective Supervision
 Inadequate attention to personnel Problems
 Victimisation
 Absence of Code of Conduct
 Divide and Rule Policy
 Deferring settlement of Employee Grievances
 Mis-judgment in Promotion and Placements
Disciplinary Procedure
Types of Discipline

 Positive Discipline

 Negative Discipline

 Self Discipline and Control

 Progressive Discipline
Positive Discipline

 Positive discipline in a business is an atmosphere of

mutual trust and common purpose in which all
employees understand the company rules as well as
the objectives and do everything possible to support
them

 Discipline takes the form of positive support and

reinforcement for approved actions and its aim is to
help the individual in moulding his behaviour and
developing him in a corrective and supportive manner
Negative Discipline
 Negative discipline is interpreted as a sort of check
or restraint on the freedom of a person. Discipline is
used to refer to the act of imposing penalties for
wrong behaviour.

 If employees fail to observe rules, they are

punished.

 The fear of punishment puts the employee back on

track.
Self Discipline and Control
 Megginson clarified the term as –
 “By self-discipline we mean the training that corrects
moulds and strengthens.
 It refers to one’s efforts at self-control for the purpose
of adjusting oneself to certain needs and demands.
 This form of discipline is raised on two psychological
principles.
 First,punishment seldom produces the desired
results. Often, it produces undesirable results.
 Second, a self-respecting person tends to be a
better worker than one who is not”.
Progressive Discipline

 It states that penalties must be appropriate to the

violation.
 If inappropriate behaviour is minor in nature and
has not previously occurred, an oral warning may
be sufficient.
 If the violation requires a written warning, it must
be done according to a procedure.
 After written warnings, if the conduct of the
employee is still not along desired lines, serious
punitive steps could be initiated.
Types of Disciplinary Actions

 Oral Reprimand

 Written Warning

 Denial of Increments, Promotions and Pay Hikes

 Pay Reductions and Disciplinary Demotions

 Suspension

 Discharge or Dismissal
Elements of a Good Disciplinary
System
 Clarity in Discipline Goals
 Fairness of the Procedure
 Transparency
 Prior Warning
 Adequate Privacy
 Immediate Response
 Consistency
 Progressive Discipline
 Documentation
 Appeal Procedure
 Review and Feedback
Reference
 Human Resource Management by Pravin Durai
 https://www.economicsdiscussion.net/human-resource-
management/employee-discipline/31795
 https://www.whatishumanresource.com/Causes-Of-
Indiscipline
Thank You!