Progressive discipline means you move through increasingly stronger counseling or training in an attempt at causing or convincing the employee, in question, to bring his or her performance to an acceptable level. The critical ingredients are due notice, a chance to improve, and a review process. The following are the usual steps
Step 1 Talk to the employee and explain what is wrong and what changes must occur.
Step 2 If performance remains unacceptable; tell the employee you appreciate his or her efforts to improve, if there were efforts. Then place these concerns, a description of the desired improvement, and suggestions for ways to accomplish the improvement in writing. ALWAYS place a warning about the consequences of failure to bring performance to an acceptable level such as, If your attendance does not improve and if this improvement is not sustained, you will be subject to discipline. Failure to put this warning in writing will cause an arbitrator or judge to assume the employee did not have sufficient warning of need to improve before being disciplined. In this case, the judge or labor arbitrator will most often decide for the employee. In fact step 2, a reprimand, is often considered formal discipline.
Step 3 If the employee's performance remains poor and you feel you have provided enough counseling and assistance to cause the employee to bring the performance up to acceptable level, then follow through with your statement concerning discipline. ALWAYS attach copies of all documentation (counseling memos, witness statements, pictures and etc that help form the basis of the decision to discipline) to the proposed discipline.
Step 4 Offer to talk to the employee and their representative (union, attorney, fellow employee, friend, relative) before the decision to discipline is final and always check out what they have to say. ALWAYS make sure of what you are doing and that your final decision is fair. At this point it is important to listen to the employee and to objectively review the evidence from the employee's point of view. Often this objective evaluation is not performed leading to poor discipline decisions and losing court and arbitration cases.
Step 5 Finalize the discipline by following your polices. A simple letter informing the employee of the final decision and the effective date of the discipline is the most usual method of informing the employee of the organization's decision. If your policies do not prohibit it is best to let the employee go immediately with two weeks of extra pay to soften the blow, thus, avoiding any worker's compensation difficulties.
Step 1 Talk to the employee and explain what is wrong and what changes must occur.
Step 2 If performance remains unacceptable; tell the employee you appreciate his or her efforts to improve, if there were efforts. Then place these concerns, a description of the desired improvement, and suggestions for ways to accomplish the improvement in writing. ALWAYS place a warning about the consequences of failure to bring performance to an acceptable level such as, If your attendance does not improve and if this improvement is not sustained, you will be subject to discipline. Failure to put this warning in writing will cause an arbitrator or judge to assume the employee did not have sufficient warning of need to improve before being disciplined. In this case, the judge or labor arbitrator will most often decide for the employee. In fact step 2, a reprimand, is often considered formal discipline.
Step 3 If the employee's performance remains poor and you feel you have provided enough counseling and assistance to cause the employee to bring the performance up to acceptable level, then follow through with your statement concerning discipline. ALWAYS attach copies of all documentation (counseling memos, witness statements, pictures and etc that help form the basis of the decision to discipline) to the proposed discipline.
Step 4 Offer to talk to the employee and their representative (union, attorney, fellow employee, friend, relative) before the decision to discipline is final and always check out what they have to say. ALWAYS make sure of what you are doing and that your final decision is fair. At this point it is important to listen to the employee and to objectively review the evidence from the employee's point of view. Often this objective evaluation is not performed leading to poor discipline decisions and losing court and arbitration cases.
Step 5 Finalize the discipline by following your polices. A simple letter informing the employee of the final decision and the effective date of the discipline is the most usual method of informing the employee of the organization's decision. If your policies do not prohibit it is best to let the employee go immediately with two weeks of extra pay to soften the blow, thus, avoiding any worker's compensation difficulties.