Strategy for Human Resource

Management
Lecture 9

HRM 765
 Last Lecture
• Basic rights of employees
• Honesty/Drug Tests
• Whistle-blowing
• Employee Monitoring and Workplace Security
• Theft
• Revealing of trade secrets to competitors
• Using the customer database for personal gain

• Workplace Romance
• The Employment-at-Will Doctrine

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Topic

Employee Rights and HR Communications

(Part 2)

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Learning Outcomes

After reading this chapter, you will be able to

• Define discipline and the contingency factors that determine the severity
of discipline.
• Describe the general guidelines for administering discipline.
• Explain the elements of the Hot Stove Rule and their application to
discipline in the workplace.
• Identify important procedures to follow when firing an employee.

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Discipline and Employee Rights
Discipline

• A system of rules of conduct or method of practice.

• The trait of being well behaved.

– A condition where employees conduct

themselves in accordance with the
organization’s rules and standards of
acceptable behavior.

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Discipline and Employee Rights
Factors to consider when disciplining

1. Seriousness of the problem (dishonesty vs twenty minutes late)

2. Duration of the problem (1st time vs 5th time)
3. Frequency and nature of the problem (continuing pattern)
4. Extenuating factors (the death of her grandfather vs overslept)
5. Degree of socialization (an earlier effort to educate the person
6. History of organization’s discipline practices (past practices)
7. Management backing (need data to back up the necessity)

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Discipline and Employee Rights
• The most frequent violations requiring
disciplinary action involve:
– Attendance
– On-the-job behaviors
– Dishonesty
– Outside activities

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Discipline and Employee Rights
• Disciplinary Guidelines
– Make disciplinary action corrective rather
than punitive.
– Make disciplinary action progressive; i.e.
verbal warning, written warning,
suspension, dismissal.

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Discipline and Employee Rights
• Disciplinary Actions
– Written verbal warning
– Written warning
– Suspension
– Dismissal

Less Severe More Severe

Verbal Written Suspension Dismissal
Warning Warning

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Discipline and Employee Rights
• Disciplinary Guidelines
The stove is red so be careful.
Warning is issued so no chance of another violation.
Follow the Hot-stove rule; i.e. immediate
response; ample warning.

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Employee Counseling

• Direction or helpful suggestions regarding a decision or

future course of action.

• This approach is most appropriate when a performance

problem is not amenable to training and development or
mentoring and coaching.

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Employee Counseling
• Listen to the employee to uncover the
reason for poor performance.
• Focus on performance-related behaviors
• Get the employee to accept the problem,
and work to find solutions.
• Managers are not expected to solve
employee’s personal problems
• Employee Assistance Program
Fundamentals of Human Resource
Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
Using Employee Communications to Enhance
Employee Rights

• Why Use an Employee Handbook?

– Helps employees learn about the company
– Provides central information source
concerning policies, work rules and benefits.
– Helps ensure that HRM policies will be fair,
equitable, and consistently applied.

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
Using Employee Communications to Enhance
Employee Rights
• Why Use an Employee Handbook?
– Creates sense of security and
commitment
– Can be used to provide information
to new employees.
– Must be seen as useful, concise,
well-organized and must be
continually updated.

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Using Employee Communications to Enhance
Employee Rights
• Using Information Technology for
Employee Communications
– Provides greater flexibility and
timeliness of information.
– Networked communication - e-mail,
instant messaging, voice intranets and
extranets, and the talking Internet.
– Wireless communications - microwave
signals, satellites, radio waves and
radio antennas, and infrared light rays
Fundamentals of Human Resource
Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
Using Employee Communications to Enhance
Employee Rights

• Complaint Procedures
– Step 1: Employee-supervisor
– Step 2: Employee-employer relations
– Step 3: Employee-department head
– Step 4: Employee-president

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Using Employee Communications to Enhance
Employee Rights
• Why Companies Support Suggestion
Programs
– Allow employees to tell management what
they perceive they are doing right or wrong
– Connected to other management systems,
such as continuous improvement
processes
– Suggestions must be acknowledged and
employees recognized for their efforts

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Summary
• Discipline
• Factors to consider when disciplining
• The most frequent violations requiring disciplinary action involve
– Attendance
– On-the-job behaviors
– Dishonesty
– Outside activities
Make disciplinary action progressive; i.e. verbal warning, written warning,
suspension, dismissal.
Hot-stove rule; i.e. immediate response; ample warning.
Employee Counseling.
Why Use an Employee Handbook?
Complaint Procedures