Discipline

Management of Employee Discipline in Organisations

- Discipline is normally associated as negative actions taken by managers,

with actions such as excessive tardiness, absenteeism, dishonesty, theft,
and violence warranting serious and immediate discipline.

- However, it can also be positive in that it encourages positive behaviours

amongst employees in organisations.

- A useful way to think about discipline is that it sends a strong signal to

employees about how they should behave or otherwise perform at work.

- The organisation must have a framework of policies, rules and procedures

that enable all of its members to work together in an orderly, systematic
manner to achieve organisational goals and to satisfy personal needs,

- Without order and system, operations become chaotic and inefficient and
the existence of both the organisation and the jobs it provides are
threatened.

- Discipline encompasses three interrelated factors -

a) the framework of policies, rules and procedures established by the

organisation

b) the extent to which the employees comply with this framework

c) The leadership process - including giving instructions and training and

setting examples - all of which influence the employee’s compliance.

Objectives of Disciplinary Action (Grobler et al, 2006)

1. The primary objective of disciplinary action is to motivate an employee to

comply with the company’s performance standards. An employee receives
discipline after failing to meet some obligations of their jobs.

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2. The other objective is to create or maintain mutual respect and trust
between the supervisor and the employee, which then emphasises that
discipline must be handles properly, and as a last resort to improving the
performance of employees.

- Disciplinary action may be defined as the steps taken by management to

correct a condition of poor discipline. It implies some kind of penalty
backed up by the authority of the organisation and also denotes corrective
training and instruction, which may well be the applicable action.

Progressive Discipline

- Progressive discipline is defined as a process by which an employee with

disciplinary problems progresses through a series of disciplinary stages
until the problem is corrected.

- A procedure for progressive discipline normally proceeds from oral

warning to a suspension or dismissal. An ideal procedure includes a
verbal warning, written reprimand, suspension and then termination of
services.

- In order for progressive discipline to be effective, however, employers

need to ensure that there is a platform to ensure employees a) know the
problem, b) know what they must do to fix the problem, c) have a
reasonable period of time to fix the problem, and d) they understand the
consequences of inaction.

- However, on the other hand, progressive discipline has its own

drawbacks; for example, it stretches the patience of some managers to
tolerate poor employee behaviour and performance whilst they “wait out”
the progressive discipline process. Here is a statement by Von Holdt in
Webster and Von Holdt (2005:60) as he quotes one supervisor; “…in the
past we didn’t take shit from anybody. But nowadays a guy gets disciplinary
forms over and over, but nothing happens to him. He gets his representative and
off they go to the office, and he gets shit out, and the next week it’s the same thing.
It’s getting worse and worse every day because nothing happens to that guy…”
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- This is besides the idea that it is time consuming and requires proper
documentation.

- According to Cascio (2010), by affording an employee second and third

chances to change their inappropriate behaviours and conform to the
company’s standards of conduct, progressive disciplinary policies are
generally regarded as family friendly and less susceptible to challenge in
litigation than its alternative approaches without progressive steps, e.g the
use of surveillance systems

- The “red-hot-stove-rule” of McGregor argues that discipline, if it is to

result in effective modification of behaviour should be;

1. Immediate (just like touching a hot stove)

2. With warning (employees must have adequate warning of the

consequences of their undesirable behaviour)

3. Consistent (discipline must be administered consistently, given similar

circumstances surrounding the undesirable behaviour)

4. Impersonal (a hot stove is blind to who touches it, hence no

favouritism)

What amounts to incorrect Discipline?

1. Punitive discipline

2. Negative feedback

3. Late intervention

4. Inadequate definition of a problem

5. Labelling employees, not behaviours

6. Misplaced responsibility

Preventive Discipline
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- This is the most desirable form of discipline in the workplace.

- It is concerned with managing employees in a manner that prevents

behaviours that need to be disciplined, that is, creating an organisational
climate that is conducive to high levels of job satisfaction and employee
productivity.

- This may also be undertaken within a workplace where there is a close

match of employees in their job, proper orientation of the employee into
their job, clarification of employee behaviours, frequent and constructive
feedback to employees on their performance, and facilities for employee
voice among other things.

Positive Discipline

- This approach corrects unsatisfactory employee behaviour through

support, respect, and people oriented leadership.

- Its primary purpose is to help, rather than harass an employee; not an

attempt to soft-pedal or side-step an employee problem

- Lepak and Gowan (2010:277) define positive discipline as “...the

disciplinary process that is not punitive, but rather focuses on constructive
feedback and encourages employees to take responsibility for trying to
improve their behaviours or performance at work...”

- Grobler et al (2006) argue that it is a management philosophy that assumes

that improved employee behaviour is most likely to be long-lived when
discipline is administered without revenge, abuse, or vindictiveness.

- The positive approach to discipline - also referred to as the corrective,

constructive or human relations approach - assumes that the average
person can seek responsibility and demonstrate self-control and self-
direction in reaching a desired goal. Emphasis is directed at action to
improve employees' conduct and their capability for self-direction.

- Steps to positive discipline include a) clarifying responsibility for

discipline, b) defining expected employee behaviours, c) communicating

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 the discipline policy, procedures and rules, d) collecting performance data,
e) administering progressive discipline, and f) administering corrective
counselling techniques.

Negative Discipline

- The negative approach is traditional

- It is also referred to as punitive or autocratic. It involves rigid

adherence to the rulebook and the application at penalties.

- It is based on the recognised right of management to give instructions

to subordinates.

- Compliance with the framework of policies, rules and procedures is

attained chiefly through fear of penalties.

- Disciplinary action is considered as part deterrent and part justice. Its

adherents are little concerned with the root cause of the problem and
the future performance of the punished individual.

The Disciplinary Procedure

- The following guidelines to disciplinary procedure are designed to

help ensure the attainment of the two main objectives of disciplinary
action ~ the protection of the interests of the organisation and the
protection of the rights of the individual.

1. Establishing the Policy and Procedure

2. Communicating the Rules

3. Encouraging Good Discipline

4. Investigating the Case

5. Taking Prompt Action

6. Acting in Good Faith

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 7. Burden of Proof

8. Consistency of Treatment

9. Circumstances of the Case

10. Progressive Discipline

- Simple oral warning.

- Oral warning plus a record of that warning in the employee's

personal file.

- First written warning.

- Second written warning.

- Final written warning.

- Suspension from employment followed by application for

permission to discharge.

11. Right of Representation

12. Right of Appeal

13. Disciplinary Records

14. Follow-Up

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