| Smoothing the Consequences of Miscounduct with | | | | suspension from work is the best final step for a |
| Accountability | | | | corrective action system. |
| For seventy-five years, American organizations have | | | | Withholding Pay Does Not Worktraditionally, this |
| used a fairly standardized procedure to handle familiar | | | | disciplinary suspension has been without pay. The |
| personnel problems such as absenteeism, poor | | | | intent is that by depriving the employee of pay, he will |
| performance, and other misconduct. This approach, | | | | come to his senses and return to work determined to |
| usually called "progressive discipline," provides for an | | | | do whatever is necessary to keep his job. |
| increasingly serious series of penalties - reprimands, | | | | But the theory rarely works in practice. Employees |
| warnings, suspensions without pay - when employees | | | | who are placed on a three-day disciplinary suspension |
| fall out of step with the organization's expectations. | | | | without pay don't often return having seen the error of |
| When problems arise, the job of the manager is to find | | | | their ways and a commitment to excellent |
| the punishment that fits the crime. | | | | performance. They usually come back angry, all the |
| But today, a growing number of companies are | | | | organization has accomplished is creating a bitter |
| moving away from using a criminal-justice mentality for | | | | employee. |
| employee performance improvement through | | | | There are other problems with using punishment as |
| corrective action. They are abandoning traditional | | | | the basis for disciplinary action. Supervisors, many of |
| approaches that focus exclusively on punishment. | | | | whom are in the tricky position of being both |
| Instead, they are adopting an approach of | | | | on-the-job boss as well as off-the-job friend, often |
| accountability - employees with unfavorable | | | | hesitate to place friends on an unpaid disciplinary |
| performance, conduct or attendance issues are | | | | suspension. |
| required to take personal responsibility for their choice | | | | Because they know the family is also getting punished |
| of behavior. | | | | by the loss of pay, they may cut their people more |
| Discipline and Recognition | | | | slack and open themselves to charges of favoritism. |
| One immediate difference is that traditional, | | | | And suspensions without pay just aren't appropriate |
| punishment-based discipline systems ignore the great | | | | for exempt, knowledge-worker individuals. |
| majority of people who never create disciplinary | | | | A Paid Disciplinary Suspension |
| problems. In a non-punitive, "Discipline Without | | | | A "Decision Making Leave," the final step of the |
| Punishment" approach, there's a new step added to | | | | responsibility-based Discipline Without Punishment |
| the process - a positive contact. Just as the policy is | | | | process, provides all of the advantages of a |
| expected to resolve employee problems when they | | | | disciplinary suspension as a final step and eliminates |
| arise, it also makes clear that supervisors are | | | | the drawbacks. This disciplinary suspension with a |
| expected to recognize employees when they perform | | | | twist suspends the individual for one day and one day |
| well. | | | | only. |
| Recognizing good performance is no longer just good | | | | On this day, the employee is required to make one of |
| advice handed out in a management training class. | | | | two choices: correct whatever problem brought him to |
| Now it's a formal policy requirement, a step of the | | | | this final step of the discipline process and make a |
| organization's overall discipline procedure. | | | | commitment to fully acceptable performance in every |
| Diffusing Problems | | | | area of his job in the future, or decide to quit and find |
| Supervisors continue to be responsible for beginning | | | | greener employment pastures elsewhere. |
| the correction process by employee coaching prior to | | | | Paying the employee for the day he's away on |
| formal disciplinary action. The exception is when the | | | | "decision day" changes the supervisor's role from |
| magnitude of the behavior warrants serious disciplinary | | | | adversary to coach. It demonstrates the organization's |
| action or even termination for a first offense. | | | | good faith in wanting to see him change and return to |
| In the early stages of disciplinary action, the Discipline | | | | fully acceptable performance, and is consistent with |
| Without Punishment approach replaces the familiar | | | | the values of almost every organization. By eliminating |
| responses of verbal reprimands and written warnings | | | | money as an issue, it doesn't impact the family's |
| with two comparable steps toward employee | | | | grocery budget and thus reduces the possibility of |
| performance improvement: Reminder 1 and Reminder | | | | anger, hostility and even workplace violence. |
| 2. Yes, they seem similar, but there's more than mere | | | | Agreed Accountability |
| semantic sleight-of-hand at work here. | | | | If the employee decides to remain with the |
| Instead of being reprimanded for his mischief or | | | | organization and commits to fully acceptable |
| warned about what will happen the next time he | | | | performance in every area of the job (as almost all |
| misbehaves, the employee is formally reminded of two | | | | people placed on decision making leave do) and then |
| important things. First, he's reminded of the | | | | doesn't live up to his commitment, termination turns out |
| organization's exact expectations of high-quality work, | | | | to be much easier and guilt-free. |
| on-time performance, or whatever else has triggered | | | | And should the employee challenge the termination in |
| the need for the discussion. And second, he is | | | | an EEOC complaint, unemployment hearing, or any |
| reminded that he has a responsibility for meeting the | | | | other venue, the fact that the organization gave the |
| organization's standards - he must do what he's being | | | | person a day at its expense to decide whether he |
| paid to do and he must do it well. | | | | was willing to do then job he was being paid to do and |
| The Last Chance | | | | the employee didn't live up to his own commitment |
| The biggest change from the traditional, | | | | assures legal defensibility. |
| punishment-based approach comes at the final step of | | | | Traditional discipline approaches may indeed convince |
| disciplinary action. When the employee is one step | | | | some problem employees to shape up, others to ship |
| away from termination, a dramatic gesture is needed | | | | out. But punitive tactics can't produce employees who |
| to forcefully drive home the message that the end is | | | | are genuinely committed to the goals of the |
| at hand - one more time and you're fired. But merely | | | | organization and the policies and rules by which they |
| giving the employee a "final written warning," or placing | | | | operate. We may be able to punish people into |
| her on probation for some period of time, or creating a | | | | compliance, but we can not punish them into a |
| employee performance improvement plan aren't | | | | commitment to employee performance improvement. |
| powerful enough to clearly communicate the message | | | | And a culture of commitment is what today's |
| "Once more and you're out!" That's why a disciplinary | | | | organizations really need. |