How To Discipline An Employee

How To Discipline An Employee

How To Discipline An Employee

How To Discipline An Employee: Discipline can be an effective tool to improve your team's efficiency, productivity and morale. This VideoJug film will show you how to discipline an employee to its greatest effect.

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Step 1:

Why discipline

Discipline is intended to improve performance, deal with unhelpful attitudes or correct damaging behaviour. The idea is to give the employee opportunity to turn their performance around before suspension or dismissal is even mentioned. It's not the same as punishment - The perfect manager is more like a "kindly shepherd" than an "evil dictator".

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Step 2:

Be specific

Make it clear to your employee exactly what you are disciplining them about. Statements like "you need to improve your attitude" are extremely unhelpful. Generic statements will only put them on the defensive. Relate unacceptable behaviour to specific standards that have been broken: "You've been late every day this week - this isn't acceptable."

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Step 3:

Put it in context

Explain to the employee how their behaviour is impacting on the company or department: "because you've been late, Dave's had to pick up your phone calls - this means he's not been able to do his own work." The employee needs to know why this is an issue to you or the department. The context will help them determine the importance of the situation.

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Step 4:

Specify changes

Tell the employee what you expect to change about their behaviour: "I need you at your desk ready to work by 9am every morning…" Be as specific as you can so they don't see this as a personal attack on them; it's simply a change that you would ask anybody to carry out.

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Step 5:

Explain consequences

As this is a verbal warning, outline the consequences if their behaviour doesn't change: "If you're late again, I'll have to request a formal disciplinary hearing…" Ensuring they understand the results of not changing makes them feel more responsibility for it

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Step 6:

Provide support

Finish on a positive and express your support for their efforts to change: "Let's avoid that though, you're a valuable member of the team, and I know you can do better…" By doing this, they accept responsibility and start thinking positively about the changes, rather than being defensive.

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Step 7:

Disciplining your friends

You spend a significant amount of your life at work, so it's natural that you're going to make friends with some of your workmates. Unfortunately, you're still their boss and when it comes to discipline you need to be consistent. It will do team morale no good if you overlook unacceptable behaviour in one person but discipline others.

As with all disciplinary action, your treatment of the situation should be impersonal… you can let them know you are happy with their work, and by introducing this change you can see only positive results in the future. This way, you aren't making this a personal issue, but one where everyone wins.