Chapter 12
Employee
Discipline
Overview
Importance of Discipline
Categories of difficult employees
Administering Discipline
Discipline process
Approaches to Discipline
Discipline life cycle
Disciplinary action procedures
Counseling approaches
What is Discipline?
Discipline = Punishment
Discipline = Rule compliance
The word of discipline comes from Latin word discipulus, pupil
What is Discipline?
Discipline and punishment
Two definition of discipline:
• “Following the rules and procedures”
• “Action to ensure orderly conduct and
compliance with rules and procedures”
Discipline refers to action to ensure orderly conduct
and compliance with rules and procedures
Discipline:
• Treatment that punishes
• Orderly behavior in an organizational setting or;
• Training that molds and strengthen desirable conduct
Employee Discipline
Categories of Difficult Employees:
1. Performance is unsatisfactory
 Lack of ability to do the job
 Lack of training
 Lack of motivation
2. Performance is deteriorating
3. Violate the law
4. Consistently break company rules
Employee Discipline
Disciplinary Policies and Procedures
1. Justifiable reasons
2. Effective policies and procedures
DPP are important to provide
guidelines in taking
disciplinary action against
an employee.
Employee Discipline
Discipline Process:
1. Establishment of rules for work and behavior
2. Communicate rules and goals to all employees
3. Design the assessment mechanism
4. Evaluate employee behavior
5. Administering punishment or motivating change
Essentials of Successful
Discipline
Four Essentials of Successful Discipline

A complete set of rules that everyone knows and
understands

A clear statement of the consequences of failing to observe
the rules

Prompt, consistent, and impersonal action to reinforce the
rules

Appropriate recognition and reinforcement of employees’
positive actions
Essentials of Successful
Discipline
A complete set of rules that everyone knows and understands

Company policies, and directives and procedures relating to
disciplinary action.

Work rules relating to hours, absences, tardiness, sick days
meals, use of facilities, and equipment, uniforms and
grooming

Legal requirements and restrictions, such as health code
provisions, fire and safety regulations, liquor laws.

Job requirements, performance standards, job procedures.

Quality and quantity standards required.
Essentials of Successful
Discipline
If you do not set your
own rules
Everyone will set their
owns
Essentials of Successful
Discipline
Recognition and reinforce your employees’ positive
actions

Discipline is not only following rules, but also includes
recognizing those who are following rules and performing
standards.
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
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Thank you very much for your great support!
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Approaches to Discipline
Negative Approach
(fear and punishment approach)
 Old theory of motivation, the Theory X
 If employee breaks rules they’ve got to be
punished
 Fear and punishment are demotivators
 Shortcoming of supervisors have a substantial
contribution to nondisciplinary environment
 It is widely used with hourly employees in all
types of industries
 It creates underground power struggle
between employee and boss.
Four step formula to
disciplinary action
(progressive
discipline)
 Oral warning
 Written warning
 Punishment
 Termination
Approaches to Discipline
Positive Approach (Corrective Approach)
The first action is to inform and correct
 Continuous education and corrective training
 The philosophy behind the corrective approach is the Theory Y.
 They will do their job right if you tell them what you want them to do.
 This approach to discipline is the extension of coaching process
Three stage formula to disciplinary action (positive discipline)
 Oral reminder
 Written reminder
 Punishment
 Termination

Positive Discipline Works
Approaches to Discipline
Preventive Discipline
focuses on early correction of employee misconduct.
Corrective Discipline
disciplinary action is imposed.
Employee Discipline
Progressive Discipline System:
1. Censure (oral reprimand)
2. Written reprimand
3. Suspension (1-3 days
4. Suspension (longer than 3 days)
5. Dismissal
Employee Discipline
Factors considered in analyzing Discipline Problems:
1. Seriousness of the problem
2. Repeat violation
3. Nature of the violation
4. Mitigating factors
5. Effectiveness of organizational communication
6. History of the organization’s disciplines practices
7. Management backing
Employee Discipline
Life Cycle of Rules:
1. Rule creation
2. Rule acceptance
3. Rule rejection
 Rule creation
 moratorium
Employee Discipline
Disciplinary Action Procedure:
1. Clear statement of disciplinary Problem
2. Gather related facts
3. Preparing list of alternative penalties
 Suspension
 Reprimand
4. Implementing selected penalty
5. Follow up
Administering Discipline
• Enforcing the rules is one of
Some supervisory mistakes
applying discipline
the most reactive aspects of the
supervisor’s job.
• A new supervisor starts off being to
easy about enforcing the rules.
• A uniform discipline system
• Seldom are disciplinary
situations black and white
• Acting in anger
• Threatening to take any action that you
do not carry out.
• You may handle different
• Putting somebody down in front of the
other people
people differently for the same
violation
• Exceeding your authority
• Shifting disciplinary action to your boss,
personnel department or someone
working under you.
Administering Discipline
Taking the Essential Steps
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Collect all the facts
Discuss the incident with the employee
Decide on the appropriate action
Take the appropriate action
Write down all pertinent details
Follow up
Special Disciplinary
Concerns
Harassment:
Intimidating, hostile, or offensive behavior toward someone
Sexual harassment: “unwelcome advances requests for sexual
favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature”
“It is a form of gender discrimination under Civil Right Act”

Quid pro quo: “… something is given in exchange for something
else” Only supervisors or members of management can engage in
quid pro quo harassment.


Environmental sexual harassment: “..comments of a sexual
nature or innuendoes of a sexual nature or physical contact are
considered a violation”
Third-party sexual harassment:” involves a customer or client
or an employee”
Special Disciplinary
Concerns
Substance Abuse: “ Working under the influence of,
using, or being impaired by alcohol or any drug”

It is estimated that one in five American workers has a
drug and alcohol problem

About 4 percent of foodservice workers (400,000) use
illegal drugs.

Drug abuse costs us business between $75 billion and $
100 billion in lost time, accidents, breakage, healthcare,
and workers’ compensation costs.