PROBLEM EMPLOYEES
PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE
Bill Ramsey
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
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PROBLEM EMPLOYEES
Know how to give positive & corrective
feedback
Know the key principles of human
interaction
Understand the logic of progressive
discipline
PROBLEM EMPLOYEES
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OVERVIEW
The inverted pyramid
The One Minute Manager
Key Principles
Managing Disciplinary
Meetings
THE INVERTED PYRAMID
ONE MINUTE MANAGER
“Catch somebody doing something right”
FEEDBACK
> Positive
> Corrective
Bad is stronger than Good
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
1
2
What you did
Why it was a good thing
CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK
1
2
3
What you did
What you might have done that
would have been better
Why it would have been better
5 or 6 GOOD THINGS
5 or 6 BAD THINGS
FEEDBACK EXAMPLES
KEY PRINCIPLES
Maintain or enhance self
esteem
 Listen and respond with
empathy
 Ask for help in solving the
problem
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DISCIPLINE
Don’t reinforce behavior you
don’t want to see repeated.
 Don’t Rush!!!!!!!!
 Calmly determine consequences
 Get a second opinion (or 3rd)
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DISCIPLINE
You want the employee to
improve
You don’t want to punish the
employee
DISCIPLINE MEETING MANAGEMENT
1
2
3
State your position & current situation
clearly & non-threateningly
Ask for the employee’s reaction &
comment
Focus on the real issue and ask for
suggestions from the employee
DISCIPLINE MEETING MANAGEMENT
4
5
6
Develop a plan of action that both of
you can live with including
consequences
Set a meeting time to review what’s
been done
Express your confidence in the
employee’s ability to accomplish what’s
been agreed to
MEETING PREPARATION
1
2
3
Clear statement of what you want to
accomplish
List what employee might say in
response for each step
Think of things for the employee to
suggest as ways to solve the problem in
case they can’t think of anything in the
meeting
MEETING PREPARATION
4
5
Go through each step and rehearse
what you will say
Meet with your boss to get agreement
on consequences before you meet with
the employee
KEEPING PEOPLE FROM GOING
OVER YOUR HEAD
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Check with boss and boss’s boss
before you tell employee of
consequences
Start by being more approachable
than the people over your head
Be the most reasonable person in
chain of command
KEEPING PEOPLE FROM GOING
OVER YOUR HEAD
Offer to go over your own head
if you think someone’s going to
anyway
 Don’t tell anyone to go over
your head
 If all else fails, at least warn the
boss
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DISCIPLINE EXAMPLES
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Oral warning
Written reprimand
One day
suspension
Multi-day
suspension
Firing