Discipline of personnel

Nature and scope of Discipline

Discipline is essential in organizations to manage employee behavior. Even with careful selection, job design, performance standards, and rewards, some employees may still pose disciplinary challenges. Traditional corrective measures may not always be effective in changing employee behavior. Discipline is a tool managers use to control and improve employee behavior when performance issues arise.

Need of discipline

The term “discipline” originates from the Latin word “disciplina,” which signifies teaching, learning, and personal growth. It is one of the 14 management principles initially outlined by Henri Fayol in 1916. In a managerial context, discipline can be defined as the state within an organization where employees align their behavior with the organization’s established rules and standards (De Cenzo & Robbins, 1998, p. 487).

In many cases, employees can exercise self-discipline when they are aware of the rules and regulations governing their behavior. The most effective and desirable form of discipline is self-discipline.

Self-discipline within an organization can be achieved under specific conditions:

1. Clear rules and understanding: All members should be well-informed about the organization’s rules, understand their reasons, and willingly commit to following them.
2. Mutual trust: There should be an atmosphere of mutual trust within the organization, fostering an environment where employees feel trusted and respected.
3. Judicious use of formal authority: Formal authority should be applied thoughtfully, allowing employees the space and opportunity to exercise self-discipline.

The earlier or traditional approach to discipline, known as the “big stick approach,” relied on threats and instilling fear in employees to control their behavior. This approach often involved issuing written warnings and threatening termination to make employees aware of potential consequences. While it could yield short-term results, it was termed “destructive discipline” by Marquis and Huston (2000) because it ultimately reduced employee morale and long-term productivity.

The modern approach to discipline, known as constructive discipline, aims to use punishment for improper behavior in a supportive and corrective manner. It focuses on helping employees grow and become self-directed in achieving organizational goals.

Common discipline problems

Problem employees are those people who exhibit chronic disruptive rule breaking or behavior requiring disciplinary intervention. They are classified as;

Employees with personality issues: Managers often encounter employees who display anger or withdrawal. Such anger may stem from unmet expectations or a loss of self-respect, potentially affecting interpersonal relationships and even extending to interactions with patients in healthcare settings. Withdrawn employees may lack the assertiveness required for making nursing decisions. Managers should identify aggressive and passive behaviors among employees and offer counseling and guidance to build mutual trust and foster group harmony

Substance abuse: Substance abuse is prevalent among healthcare workers, leading to psychological issues and changes in appearance. Those with alcohol and drug addictions may become irritable, withdrawn, and moody, exhibiting inappropriate responses. They often appear confused, forgetful, and less alert, with an unkempt appearance, flushed complexion, red eyes, and hand tremors. Constructive discipline for these employees involves counseling and referral to suitable treatment centers. Encouraging voluntary action is essential for healthcare workers facing such problems.

Absenteeism: Attendance issues pose a significant disciplinary challenge for managers, encompassing late arrivals, extended breaks, unauthorized absences, and misuse of sick leave. Contributing factors include ineffective supervision, strained working relationships, boredom, reduced work control, and burnout syndrome. Personal problems can also lead to absenteeism.

Burnout Syndrome: Nursing-related burnout is linked to work stressors like heavy workloads, rotating shifts, high patient acuity, ethical conflicts, exposure to death and acute illness, role ambiguity, and job security concerns (Maurier & Northcutt, 2000).

Outside act: These are those disciplinary problems that will take place outside organizational environment. These are therefore, also called off-the-job activities. They are resulted from activities of employees outside of their work and adversely affect the work performance. Unauthorized strikes, wage garnishing, decorating outside criminal activities, working for competitors are the examples of outside activities. Sometimes they impair the image of the organization. Hence, such activities should be checked properly for which there will be a need for disciplinary actions.

Decrease productivity: Personnel problems, including carelessness, neglect of duty, failure to follow established procedures, unclear job expectations, lack of motivation, and inadequate control systems, can lead to decreased productivity. Discipline issues may also contribute. Analyzing poor job performance should involve clarifying expectations and providing training, while recognizing and reinforcing positive performance is essential alongside addressing weaknesses.

Steps of progressive disciplinary action

When employees consistently exhibit undisciplined behavior, including rule violations or inadequate job performance, managers have the formal authority and responsibility to implement a progressive discipline process to address these issues and uphold expected standards of achievement. Most progressive discipline system includes five steps:

1. Counseling
2. Verbal reprimand
3. Written reprimand
4. Suspension
5. Termination

1.Counseling

The discipline process should typically begin with counseling. For instance, if a healthcare worker displays disrespectful or threatening behavior towards a patient or client for the first time, they should have an informal conversation with their supervisor. During this discussion, the supervisor should review the employee’s code of conduct, address the code violation, and offer guidance on improving communication with patients or clients. Counseling not only supports employees’ mental health but also fosters better understanding, self-control, self-confidence, and, consequently, improved work effectiveness.

2. Verbal Reprimand

This is the mildest form of a warning and is most effective when conducted in a private and informal setting. During this step, the manager should clearly communicate to the employee the specific rule that has been violated. They should also provide the employee with an opportunity to respond and justify their inappropriate behavior, as well as allow them to explain how they plan to correct their behavior. The manager should inform the employee that further action will be taken if the problem recurs. If the oral warning proves to be effective, it may prevent the need for further formal disciplinary action.

Since oral comments can be easily forgotten, supervisors are advised to document the time, place, occasion, and the essence of the reprimand in an anecdotal note.

3. Written Reprimand

If rule breaking occurs after verbal reprimand, the manager issues a written warning.  Since the written reprimand becomes the part of employee’s personal file, it is formal in nature. The copy of the written reprimand is usually sent to the personal department and the higher authorities.

The procedural steps taken usually are:

• To inform the employee about the nature of violation and its effects and ask him/her to justify by it calling an explanation about the act, and
• Inform about the future consequences of such violations or deviant behavior in future

Many institutions administer at least the two written reprimands to allow the employ to correct his/ her behavior before they take the next severe step of progressive discipline.

4. Suspension

The fourth step in progressive discipline is usually a suspension from the work without pay. If the employee continues with the undesired or inappropriate behavior despite verbal and written warnings,  the manager should remove the employee from his or her job for a brief time. Ellis and Hartley (2004) argue that this gives the employee time to reflect or make some self-corrections or behavior modifications. It also reflects that the  management is serious about the violation committed by the employee. Sometimes, management can suspend the employee without serving oral and written warning when the violation of rule is grave in nature.

5. Termination

The last step in progressive discipline is involuntary termination or dismissal from the job. If the rule-breaking or policy violation continues despite repeated warnings, the employee should be terminated. Repeated failures to meet performance standards, lack of compliance with agency policies, and staff reduction are just causes for termination, and it should follow a progressive approach. In cases of a serious offense that demonstrates gross mistreatment of a patient, the healthcare worker could be terminated with the first such violation.

In many countries, offenses such as the abuse of patients and visitors, theft, gambling, disorderly conduct, willful destruction of property, or falsification of records are grounds for immediate termination of employees.

A decision to dismiss an employee should be carefully considered. For most individuals, losing a job is an emotionally traumatic experience. A person’s job holds significant importance as it serves as a source of self-esteem and livelihood, often resulting in feelings of loss and grief. Therefore, termination should always be viewed as a last resort when addressing poor performance.

General guidelines for progressive discipline

1. Objectivity
2. Positive attitude
3. Make discipline progressive in nature
4. Promptness and consistency
5. Maintaining privacy
6. Follow up

1.Objectivity: Objectivity is crucial in investigating the situation that has led to the employee’s disciplinary action. It is recommended to collect factual information that can provide answers to the following questions.

• How severe or grave is the problem or misconduct?
• Was the rule made clear beforehand to understand that this employee was breaking the rule?
• Is there any special circumstance that could have contributed to this problem?
• Has this employee been involved in such situation before, and disciplined for this?
• Does this employee have the history of other disciplinary problems?
• What is the quality of performance of this employee in work setting?
• What is the employee’s side of story about the problem?
• What disciplinary actions are suggested by the policy for the problem of this nature?

2. Positive attitude: A manager’s attitude is crucial in correcting an employee’s behavior. The individual should not be treated as a suspect during the investigation but should instead expect the best from the staff. When disciplining the employee, the emphasis should be placed on the unacceptable behavior rather than on the person.

3. Make discipline progressive in nature:  It should advance through counseling and follow successive steps, except in exceptional cases, such as very serious offenses. Managers must ensure that employees understand that their behavior was contrary to the organization’s regulations and why such regulations are necessary. This approach helps employees avoid disciplinary actions.

4. Promptness and consistency: Because of unpleasantness involved with disciplinary action, managers/ supervisors may delay it. If penalty is delayed for longer, the chance is that the person will forget his/her action and feel that will he/she did not deserve the disciplinary action.

All employees with similar offence should be treated equally or consistently. This equal treatment should be based on enterprise’s rules and policies for discipline. Consistency increases employees receptivity to discipline actions. When rule violations are enforced in an inconstant manner, employees morale will decline and they will start questioning the competency of the manager.

5. Maintaining privacy: Disciplinary actions can impact employees’ self-esteem. Therefore, to help employees preserve their dignity, increase the chances of cooperation, and reduce the possibility of future resentment, disciplinary actions should be taken in private.

6. Follow up: Managers should conduct quiet and careful investigations to assess the employee’s behavioral change towards acceptable standards.

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Sources: Singh, L,. (2010). Leading and Managing in Health (5th extended ed.). Dhapasi, Kathmandu: Mr. J. B. Singh