Human Resources 9: Employee Discipline Issues in Your Business

This continues our series on human resource issues that affect your business. We acknowledge Dr. Lori Wadsworth for the information included in this post. We also encourage you to consult with an HR or legal professional if you need more guidance.

You may find employees that fail to do the job you want done, do not fit into your team, or return a good investment on what you pay them. You may also encounter employees with persistent tardiness, absenteeism, or poor work ethic. As a result, you will probably need to discipline at least one employee in your business.

Reasons Owners Fail to Address Employee Issues

• The replacement could be worse
• The problem will go away
• It won’t work anyway
• You might be sued
• Upper management won’t support you
• You’re too tired and overloaded
• You may not discipline or terminate right
• It will be a lot of work
• Hate conflict
• It’s unpleasant

Guidelines Governing the Discipline Process

Effective recruiting and selection, training and development, job design, and performance appraisal systems remain the best way to avoid discipline issues. You discipline employees to reinforce standards or deter improper conduct. Four principles guide the disciplinary system:

• Be consistent
• Be fair
• Consider the facts (avoiding hearsay or assumptions)
• Document the facts, objectives, solutions, and actions of problems or infractions
• Act on problems

Doctor Wadsworth outlines the following guidelines:

• Set organizational goals
• Establish rules for the organization
• Communicate the rules to employees
• Observe performance
• Take appropriate discipline
• Return to communicate the rules step if necessary)

Forms of Discipline

Progressive: follows certain steps to a conclusion: verbal warning, written warning, suspension, and then termination

Positive or Motivational Discipline: verbal reminder, written reminder, decision-making day, and termination.

Traits of positive discipline:

• Focus in on future expectations
• Remind employees of the standards and the need to meet them
• Obtain the employee’s agreement
• State the needed changes they must make
• Emphasize that the responsibility lies with the employees
• Develop a plan to comply
• Express confidence they will succeed

Monday we will continue our review of human resources terminating an employee