Discipline in the Workplace

Discipline in the Workplace

S Rainey

BUS 5273.71 HUMAN RESOURCE ADMINSTRATION

TEXAS WOMAN’S UNIVERSITY

ABSTRACT

Businesses are organizations formed for a purpose or activity, usually to exchange goods and services to make a profit. Whether a business is privately owned, government owned, or not-for-profit entities. They can be mom-and-pop companies that are privately owned, or huge international corporate companies such as Walmart. Regardless of the size or form of the business, all workplaces must have rules to follow. Rules are in place to prevent chaos, to abide by federal, state, and local laws, to ensure the safety of employees, to project a positive image to customers, and many other reasons. With rules, comes the necessity of the “rules enforcer.” Dispensing of discipline falls on the shoulders for first-line supervisors or managers. The culture of the company guides the supervisor on what the organization’s employees can and cannot do and how the supervisor should handle problem situations.  The purpose of this paper is to explore the following questions: What is discipline in the workplace? What are the approaches to discipline?  Who determines the form of discipline in an organization? What governs discipline policies? How effective are traditional discipline policies?  What do employees think about discipline?

Workplace Discipline

        Traditionally, punishment and discipline have gone hand-in-hand. “Punishment is defined as an "undesirable event that follows an instance of unacceptable behavior and is intended to decrease the frequency of that behavior" (Guffey, 2001). Discipline attempts control employees with enforced obedience and dispense punishment whenever employees violate company rules or directives. However, discipline can also be used as training to strengthen employee behavior and commitment.  Company culture as well as federal, state, and local laws dictate how discipline is approached and used by management.  Effectiveness and costs associated with the traditional approach to discipline along with employee reaction to consistency and fairness or discipline have cause some major corporations to question their discipline policies.  Today, there are two approaches to discipline. The traditional or progressive approach which has been around since the 1930s and the positive approach which is gaining support in corporate America. Company

Literature Review

What is discipline in the workplace?

        There are many definitions of discipline as stated by Aimee Franklin in 2006 who cited Belohlav (1985) as defining discipline as necessary in “making and keeping people productive” and Robbins (1944) arguing “that the term refers to “actions taken by a manager to enforce the organization’s standards and regulations” (Franklin, 2006).  Discipline is necessary to maintain order and to effectively and efficiently meet company goals. Today, discipline can be used as a punishment for breaking rules or policies or it can be used to educate and recommit the employee to be an asset for the company.

What are the approaches to discipline?  

        There are two schools of thought on the approach to discipline—the traditional or progressive approach and the positive approach.  The traditional approach is found in most companies in the US. The traditional approach to discipline is a regimented step process where the employee is progressively punished for breaking company rules or policies. However, depending on the severity of the offense, not all steps are necessary to be followed, such as in the case of employee theft or violence. These steps are generally outlined in the employee handbook that all new employees receive and acknowledge when hired.  “In organizations with a union presence and collective bargaining agreements, uniform disciplinary practices are vital to ensure that supervisors handle cases consistently across time, increasing the likelihood that disciplinary actions will be upheld in grievance and, ultimately, arbitration actions” (Klingner, 1980). The progressive approach was developed in the 1930 to ensure fair and equal treatment in disciplining employees as an answer to the National Labor Relations Act of 1935. The progressive approach generally follows four steps from oral warning to written warning, to suspension without pay, to ultimate dismissal. The progressive model attempts to modify employee behavior by punishing them for wrongdoing. In the progressive model, punishment is the motivation, the few problem employees are the target, the past is the focus, adversarial relationships are encouraged, the employee is treated like a child, and managerial resistance is prevalent (Osigweh, 1989).

        The positive approach is an alternative to the progressive approach. “Instead of warning employees about the consequences of their actions, we remind employees of the standards and ask for their agreement to solve the problem. This isn’t just a difference in semantics. It has to be a difference in attitude and behavior. (Sunoo, 1996). The positive approach seeks to educated, remind, and recommit the employee to the company goals. Early coaching is used in an effort to avoid formal levels of action which include an oral reminder that is not put in the employee’s permanent file, but documented in the supervisor’s file, a written reminder where the employee is reminded of reasons for the policy and where the employee agrees to perform according to policy in the future, and a paid day of leave to decide whether or not the employee wishes to continue working for the company. The focus is on getting the employee to understand the policies and commit to following them, not punishing the employee for failing to abide by them. The positive approach emphasizes the recognition and reinforcement on the good performance of the majority of employees. “Focus is on commitment building and individual responsibility” (Osigweh, 1989).

Who determines the form of discipline in an organization?

“Every day first-line supervisors are confronted with employee behaviors that do not comply with the letter or the spirit of what the organization expects its employees to do and how that work is to be done” (Franklin, 2006). Company culture dictates how supervisors discipline. It the culture is to use discipline as progressive punishment towards ending employment of the worker, it is an often-dreaded task of the supervisor. And, as a result, discipline is not always done timely, consistently, or fairly. If discipline is viewed as an educational opportunity, the supervisor is more apt to take an active, timely role. The supervisor must use his discretion in deciding what requires action and what course of action to take. Of course, the company’s culture gives the supervisor guidelines to follow.

What governs discipline policies?

        Companies should have employee handbooks that details the company rules and policies so that employees know what is expected of them. The handbook should include detailed policies and procedures outlining the discipline methods used by the company.  Employees should sign an acknowledgement of receipt and understanding of the handbook that is kept in their permanent personnel files. “Employers should establish personnel policies to provide guidance and notice to employees, ensure consistent and fair application of workplace rules by management, and minimize legal liability” (Plump, 2010). In most states, employment is “at-will” and this should be noted in the employee handbook. However, there could be contracts such as employment agreements or collective bargaining agreements that replace the “at-will” status. In writing employee handbooks, employers must be mindful of all federal, state, and local laws in place protecting the rights of employees. Some of the federal laws regulating discrimination, employee leave, and wages are: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (AEDA), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA). These along with state and local laws should be reviewed and updated annually or more often if needed. Supervisors should be trained and retrained each year as a reminder of how these laws govern how they discipline and/or terminate employees.

How effective are traditional discipline policies?  

“Explanations are thus used to minimize the severity of negative response from the disciplined employee and to focus on important strategies of behavioral change.” (Cole, 2008). As a result of giving explanation, employees are better informed and can make behavioral adjustments to become more aligned with company policies and goals. A common complaint of traditional discipline policies is irregularity discipline is dispensed between supervisors. “One supervisor may manage ‘by the book’ and apply discipline in every case, whereas another may take a much more relaxed approach and only apply discipline in cases of blatant, repetitive rule-breaking” (Cole, 2007). The cost of recruiting, training, and retaining employees along with job dissatisfaction have caused larger companies, such as Union Carbide and Frito Lay, as well as the Internal Revenue Service to transition away from the traditional progressive approach to a more positive approach.