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Chapter 20Discipline and Employee Assistance

Programs

• Essentials of Discipline

• Approaches to Discipline

• Administering Discipline

• Termination

• Special Disciplinary Concerns

• They Supervisor’s Key Role

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Essentials of Discipline

• Discipline: (1) Condition or state of orderly conduct and compliance with rules. (2) Action to ensure orderly conduct and compliance to the rules.

• Both sides are the responsibility of the supervisor.

• Discipline is essential to supervisory success.

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Steps in the Discipline Process.

• Establish and communicate ground rules for performance and conduct.

• Evaluate employee performance and conduct.

• Reinforce employees for appropriate performance and conduct, work with them to improve when nessicary.

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Essentials to Successful Discipline

• A set of rules that everyone knows and understands.

• A clear statement of the consequences of failing to observe the rules.

• Prompt, consistent, impersonal enforcement of the rules.

• Appropriate recognition and reinforcement of employees’ positive actions.

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Negative Approaches to Discipline

• Negative discipline: Maintaining discipline through fear and punishment, with progressively severe penalties for rule violations.

• Negative discipline has never been successful at turning chronic rule breakers into cooperative employees.

• Fear-and-Punishment are de-motivators.

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Negative Discipline - 4 Stage Model

• Oral warning

• Written Warning

• Punishment (suspension)

• Termination

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Positive Discipline• Positive Discipline: Punishment

free - replaces penalties with reminders and features a decision making leave with pay.

• When rules are broken you inform and correct.

• Theory Y view of people.• Positive discipline works!!• Shifting from negative to positive

discipline is easier said then done.

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Positive Discipline: 3 Stage Formula for Chronic Rule Breakers

• Oral Reminder

• Written Reminder

• Termination, Compliance, or Resignation

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Advantages

• Keeps discipline problems from developing.

• Improves relations between boss and workers.

• Fosters early and consistent rule enforcement.

• Lower costs: less turnover, fewer problems, better work, no chronic discipline problems.

• Avoids grievances in union settings.

• Turns some offenders around.

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Administering Discipline

• Uniform discipline system: prescribes the specific action for each rule violation.

• You must be able to adapt your own leadership style to: your workers, their needs, their actions, and the circumstances.

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Mistakes to Avoid• Starting off easy

• Neglecting to take action

• Acting in anger

• Threatening action and not carrying it out

• Criticizing in front of others

• Exceeding authority

• Shifting responsibility for discipline

• Unexpectedly enforcing commonly violated rules

• Criticizing person instead of behavior

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Essential Steps• Step 1: Collect all the facts.• Step 2: Discuss the incident with

the employee.• Step 3: Decide on appropriate

action (if any).• Step 4: Take the appropriate actions

and develop an improvement plan with the employee.

• Step 5: Make sure everything is documented.

• Step 6: Follow up.

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Termination: Salvage or Terminate?

• The Dehire: (Not recommended) Trying to make the employee want to resign.

• Destructive way of handling a person.

• Legally it opens various discrimination lawsuits.

• From the productivity point of view and your own frustration level, it would be better to simply terminate.

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Factors to be Considered• Length of service• Past record• Need for worker’s skills,

worker’s need for job• Possibility of trouble

making over firing• Effect of firing on others• Cost of keeping vs. Cost of

terminating• Your authority• Salvage options

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Just Cause Terminations• Employee is terminated because

the offense affected specific work he did or the operation as a whole in detrimental ways.

• Some questions to ask: Did the employee know the rule? Were expectations reasonable? Did management make a reasonable effort to help?

• For more see questions to ask when considering a just cause termination.

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The Termination Interview Checklist

• Select a good time and place to conduct the interview

• Determine who will be present• Develop your opening statement• Determine how best to respond to

possible reactions• Determine final pay• Develop a list of clearance

procedures to be performed at the end of the interview

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Steps for the Termination Interview• Avoid small talk. Tell the employee

that they are being dismissed and why in a firm calm manner.

• Listen to and accept responses of the employee.

• Say something positive to them.• Move on to discuss final pay,

benefits, etc.• Explain clearance procedures.• End the interview by standing up

and moving towards the door.

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Special Disciplinary Concerns• 3 Types of sexual harassment:

– Quid pro quo: Submission to or rejection of a sexual favor used as the basis for employment decisions regarding the employee.

– Environmental: Comments, innuendoes, or physical contact of sexual nature is a violations when it interferes with work performance or creates a intimidating, offensive, or hostile environment.

– 3rd party: Involves a customer, client, or employee.

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Supervisory Responsibilities Surrounding Sexual Harassment

• Recognizing, confronting, and preventing.

• Being familiar with sexual harassment policy.

• Educating employees.• Investigating.• Taking action when

appropriate.• Following up.

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Other Forms of Harassment

• All forms of harassment based on national origin, race, color, religion, gender, disability, or age are illegal.

• Harassment is defined s intimidating, hostile, or offensive behavior towards someone or the creation of an environment based on these factors.

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Substance Abuse

• 1 in 5 Americans have a drug or alcohol problem.

• Employees with these problems tend to be late, take more days off, are involved in more accidents, may be involved in violence or robberies, and are more likely to file for workmen's compensation.

• The Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 requires most federal contractors to provide a drug free workplace.

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Supervisors Responsibilities for Dealing with Substance Abuse

• Any action should be based on observable job related factors.

• Know your facilities policy on substance abuse.• Identify and constructively confront employees

who are substance abusers to get help.• Don’t try to diagnose or give advice.• Employee assistance programs provide counseling

and referral service to employees with substance abuse and family problems.

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The Supervisors Key Role

• Effective supervisors establish framework of orderly discipline and act promptly to correct mistakes and solve problems.

• Fear- and- punishment supervisors create resentment, anger, and chronic discipline problems.

• The supervisor creates the prevailing condition of supervision.