Posted: September 9th, 2022

Progressive Discipline Policy

PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE POLICY
The company expects that all employees are entirely aware, understand, and follow the policies and regulations put in place in the work environment. The Progressive Discipline Policy defines the procedure to be followed in correcting one and repeat episodes of an employee’s failure to adhere to the regulations and the workplace expectations on conduct (Nordberg, 2020). This is a procedural process whose main objective is modifying the unacceptable behaviors, which also permits discipline to begin at a higher step depending on the situation’s severity and circumstances.
Discipline Issues to be Addressed
The discipline policy looks to address numerous discipline issues which will be related to employee misconduct and work-performance challenges. Notably, some of the disciplinary matters to be handled include:
● Employee misconduct is considered a more serious disciplinary problem finding it is usually a deliberate act of defiance. These actions include mishandling of company property, poor worker relations, dishonesty, workplace violence, disregard of company values and practices, poor or inappropriate relationships between the employee among misconducts.
● Performance problems such as poor attitude towards work affecting productivity, the lack of effort or motivations, misuse of work resources, failure to follow protocol or procedures consistently in conducting one’s duties.
● Attendance and absenteeism: Each employee has their type of attendance, shift hours, and schedules that guide them as they carry out their duties. A new employee is allowed thirty days to fully understand the individual and the organization’s attendance and scheduling. In the event of any mishap, the employee needs to inform their work supervisor immediately to avoid any conflicts (The BC Cook Articulation Committee, 2015). Failure to adhere will mean the employee deliberately chooses not to comply with the time rules promoting a disciplinary action.
The Steps to Be Followed in The Disciplinary Process
For any disciplinary case that is brought forth, the process will undergo four steps. Verbal counseling is the initial step, which entails informing the employee on the disciplinary issues. The discussions focus on alleviating any misunderstandings and clarifying the directions to be taken to correct the mistake. The second step is written warning after the error was not rectified after the verbal counseling sessions. The written notice points out that the verbal counseling had occurred, a description of the current situation including the employee’s explanation and a statement that describes the future in terms of the expectations and consequences in case the mistake prevails. The third step is to suspend the employee with no form of payment. This step depends on the particular situation, and it runs for some time. The last step is the termination of the employee’s contract. The termination of an employee has to be a formal written letter given to the employee in a face to face meeting. The letter needs to be signed and acknowledged by the involved parties.
It is prudent to note that the discipline policy is a standard policy that applies to all the disciplinary issues faced in the organization. Nonetheless, the policy can undergo modifications under particular circumstances. The attendance policy could be modified in favor of both employer and employee to create a fair work environment for all/ to this effect, if the employee gets a flexible working schedule not written in the standard policy, then any deviations from normalcy is not to be treated as a disciplinary issue. Notably, different issues will be handled on a case by case basis to ensure that disciplinary actions are done fairly. Any circumstance that deems it appropriate to have the policy modified, the process could either choose to exclude a step, repeat a level, or accelerate the steps (Hastings & SPHR, 2018).
Notably, the supervisors of each employee have the mandate to carry out the initial disciplinary steps independently. These steps are primarily verbal counseling and a written warning statement. Nonetheless, if the employee gets challenging to work with, the HR manager needs to be involved before proceeding to the other disciplinary steps. The manager’s involvement will ensure a fair resolution of the situation while reiterating the company’s policies and procedures. For instance, in the case of Avery Foster v Federal Express 2006, a clause indicated that one’s employment and compensation could be terminated without cause or notice or any liability whatsoever. In case a disciplinary case reaches to this point, then the HR is to be involved to ensure that a suspension or termination is done correctly. The HR will obtain the original documentation concerning the disciplinary actions then will assist in making a better decision. They can advise on the investigation report’s presentation to ensure that all vital issues have been addressed. The HR could also aid the supervisor with other similar disciplinary cases to ensure the decisions made are consistent (Charlton, 2016).
The involvement of HR means that the situation has become a severe challenge that needs proper consideration. In this case, the HR could advise that witnesses are brought in during the listening of the case. These witnesses could give an account in favor of the employee or illustrate that the indiscipline did affect the proper running of operations. This information is to advise the HR and the supervisor before making significant decisions tha6 could impact the employee’s contract in the organization.
Merit Increases in Relation to Disciplinary Actions
When an employee has violated the company’s policies and procedures, disciplinary actions are expected to begin immediately to correct the mistakes. Notably, these employees are typically aware of their responsibilities and have had their merit increased. During the disciplinary period, in case the employee is showcasing exemplary performance in other areas, they are eligible to have their merits increased and even get awards. Disciplinary action will not mean that they are not eligible to be acknowledged for better performance. The employee is expected to take in constructive criticism and use it to achieve positive adjustments in their work performance. During the disciplinary period, the employee is expected to have regular meetings with their supervisor, which is at least in thirty days unless advised otherwise.
Notably, the disciplinary actions have to be done in a manner in which there is no harassment or discrimination against the employee. The activity is primarily focused on eradicating the employee’s wrongful actions and improving their performance levels. Human Resource Management is allowed to make modifications or change any regulations whenever necessary to ensure that the disciplinary actions are done fairly.

References
Charlton, J. (2016). What is the HR role in disciplinary procedures after the Ramphal case? Retrieved from https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/hr-role-disciplinary-procedures-ramphal-case/
Hastings, R. R., & SPHR. (2018, April 11). Designing a progressive discipline policy. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/designingaprogressive.aspx
Nordberg, T. K. (2020). Progressive discipline. Retrieved from https://hr.vanderbilt.edu/policies/progressive-discipline.php
The BC Cook Articulation Committee. (2015, June 17). Progressive discipline and termination processes – Human resources in the foodservice and hospitality industry. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/humanresourcesinfoodservices/chapter/progressive-discipline-and-termination-processes/

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