The Dos and Don’ts of Discipline

One of the most frustrating situations to address in any work setting is when an employee is not performing his or her job.  A constant display of positive discipline becomes imperative for the employee to understand that the manager disciplines because he or she cares about the employee’s success.   Positive discipline takes place through what I refer to as a counseling session.    This is not a warning notice or pink slip; these carry negative connotations.    Counseling is sharing with an employee the problem issue and giving the employee the opportunity to correct the behavior.  The focus shifts from the content of the session to the character and process of managers as they deliver the content.

 

If management can master the art of disciplining their employees through counseling, they will be known as being both fair and caring. In addition, by disciplining employees in this manner, managers can dramatically lower the potential for litigation while increasing the output level and degree of motivation in their workers.   Below is a list of practical and actual items to consider when giving a counseling session.

 

The Practical ITEMS in a Counseling Session                                                                             

 

·         Remember, if it wasn’t written, it didn’t happen. It is vital to maintain a proverbial paper trail of how you counseled with your employee both consistency and fairly.

 

·         Don’t wait. Provide discipline as soon as possible so as not to lose the impact of the incident.

 

·         Be sensitive. Show discretion and meet in a quiet location away from others.

 

·         Be prepared. Write up everything and have your support documents copied before the session begins.

 

Support the session with objective information only. Do not give opinions or personal bias.

 

Ask yourself the question, “If I were to leave tomorrow, and this issue went to court, would my counseling session report stand on its own merits?”

 

·         Follow the rule of just cause. Remember to treat everyone the same in the same situation.

 

·         Think about the session. Make sure your heart is focused on growing the employee, not showing you are right.

 

·         Always have a witness present for a counseling session, ALWAYS.   Your witness should be someone seen as being neutral, such as a representative from human resources.

 

If you are counseling an employee of the opposite sex, have your witness be the same sex as your employee.

 

·         Remember, how you present the counseling session is your choice; correcting the problem is the choice of the employee.

 

 

 

 

The ACTUAL Counseling Session                                                                                                

 

·         Don’t read the counseling report when starting off the session.  Share in a narrative format. This helps put the employee at ease.

 

·         Do read the counseling report at the end to make sure you have covered everything.   This ensures that what is said is the same as what is written.

 

·         Remember, an employee in a counseling session usually has one goal in mind: to leave the session! 

 

Let the employee know he/she will not leave until he/she can repeat back in his/her own words why he/she is at the session and what he/she will do to correct the problem.  Repeat the session as many times as it takes until this occurs.

 

Don’t be disheartened or angry if the employee can not repeat the session back to you the first time. His/her initial goal is to leave the session, not to listen.

 

·          Don’t try to lump together more than one discipline issue.   Use one counseling session for every problem.

 

·         Don’t be irritated if the employee refuses to sign the session.  Simply write “refused to sign” on the signature line.

 

·          Don’t get frustrated or mad during any part of the session.    Be calm, especially when you have to go over a session several times.

 

·         Directly after the session give the employee a copy of the counseling report.

 

·         Don’t ever forget your goal during discipline . . . to do everything possible for your employee to succeed.

 

·         Lastly, counseling sessions are not easy; they take practice, practice and more practice.

 

Role-play your sessions until you feel comfortable giving them.

 

As hard as it may be, administering discipline is an everyday part of a manager’s job description. The consistency of treating everyone the same in the same situation must become the benchmark if managers hope to be known for valuing others as they would want to be valued.    In closing, the Holy Bible paints the same picture in the book of Hebrews when it shares that “no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (NIV, 12:11).”  God honors positive discipline, the law requires it, and, if necessary, your employees desire it. Go now and make a difference.

 

 

 

 

 

About the author:

 

Ron Smedley is president of Synergistic Resource Associates, a full-service human resource/development consulting group that works directly with both marketplace and ministry organizations.  As a professional human resource generalist, Ron is often called upon in the area of labor law interpretation and policy/procedure writing with the focus on practically, strategically, and relationally synergizing the systems of the organization with the development of their leadership and employees.  Besides consulting full-time, Ron instructs graduate adult students at Biola University and Claremont Graduate Universities within leadership, performance management, personal and corporate conflict, human resource strategy and ethics courses.

 

Ron’s passion is seeing men, women and organizations grow beyond their paradigm and the “box” they so often place themselves within.  For questions or support surrounding this article or other people development areas, email him at ron.smedley@sraonline.net or call 714.993.5003. His office is located in Placentia, CA.