FREE online courses on Employee Grievances and Discipline - Discipline
Discipline is required for both the organization and the
individual. In the organization it is needed to regulate the behavior of people,
maintain peace and channel their efforts towards organizational goals. Sad to
state, most people do not exercise self-discipline and this fact makes external
control necessary for bringing order within an organization.
Discipline is not a glamorous term. It is viewed with fear
and suspicion in organizations. The multiple explanations advanced by different
experts in the field have only added to the prevailing confusion.
Traditionally, discipline is interpreted as a sort of check
or restraint on the freedom of a person. Discipline is used to refer to the act
of imposing penalties for wrong behavior. If employees fail to observe rules,
they are punished. The fear of punishment puts the employee back on rails.
“Discipline is the force that prompts an individual or a group to observe the
rules, regulations and procedures which are deemed to be necessary to the
attainment of an objective”.
Employees comply with rules not out of fear of punishment but
out of an inherent desire to cooperate and achieve goals. Where the
organizational climate is marked by two-way communication, clear goals,
effective leadership, adequate compensation employees need not be disciplined in
the traditional way. There is a conscious cooperative effort on the part of
management to secure compliance to company norms from the employees. Positive
discipline, according to Spriegel enables an employee, “to have a greater
freedom in that he enjoys a greater degree of self-expression in striving to
achieve the group objective, which he identifies as his own.”
The differences between the two approaches may be summarized
in table below:
Table: The differences between the two Disciplines
|
Point
|
Negative Discipline
|
Positive Discipline
|
|
Concept
|
It is adherence to
established norms and regulations, out of fear of punishment.
|
It is the creation of a
Conducive climate in an organization so that employees willingly confirm to
the established rules.
|
|
Conflict
|
Employees do not
perceive the corporate goals as their own.
|
There is no conflict
between Individual and organizational goals.
|
|
Supervision
|
Requires intense
supervisory control to prevent employees from going off the track.
|
Employees exercise self
Control to meet organizational objections.
|
Behavioral scientists view discipline as a self-control to
meet organizational objectives. Megginson clarified the term thus: “By
self-discipline he means the training that corrects, moulds and strengthens. It
refers to one's efforts at self-control for the purpose of adjusting oneself to
certain needs and demands. This form of discipline is raised on two
psychological principles. First, punishment seldom produces the desired results.
Often, it produces undesirable results. Second, a self-respecting person tends
to be a better worker than one who is not”.
The concept of progressive discipline states that penalties
must be appropriate to the violation. If inappropriate behavior is minor in
nature and has not previously occurred, an oral warning may be sufficient. If
the violation requires a written warning, it must be done according to a
procedure. After written warnings, if the conduct of the employee is still not
along desired lines, serious punitive steps could be initiated. In case of major
violations such as hitting a supervisor may justify the termination of an
employee immediately.
In order to assist a manager to recognize the proper level of
disciplinary action, some firms have formalized the procedure. One approach in
the establishment of progressive disciplinary action is shown in Figure below.
Figure: The Progressive Discipline Approach
Without the continual support of the subordinates, no manager
can get things done. But, disciplinary action against a delinquent employee is
painful and generates resentment on his part. Hence, a question arises as to how
to impose discipline without generating resentment? This is possible through
what Douglas McGregor called the “Red Hot Stove Rule”, which draws an analogy
between touching a hot stove and undergoing discipline.
According to the Red Hot Stove rule, disciplinary action
should have the following consequences:
(a)
Burns immediately: If disciplinary
action is to be taken, it must occur immediately so the individual will
understand the reason for it. With the passage of time, people have the tendency
to convince themselves that they are not at fault.
(b)
Provides warning: It is very important to provide advance
warning that punishment will follow unacceptable behavior. As you move closer to
hot stove, you are warned by its heat that you will be burned if you touch it.
(c)
Gives consistent punishment:
Disciplinary action should also be consistent in that everyone who performs the
same act will be punished accordingly. As with a hot stove, each person who
touches it is burned the same.
(d)
Burns impersonally: Disciplinary
action should be impersonal. There are no favorites when this approach is
followed.
Though there is no rigid and specific procedure for taking a
disciplinary action, the disciplinary procedure followed in Indian industries
usually consists of the following steps:
(a)
Issuing a letter of charge: When an
employee commits an act of misconduct that requires disciplinary action, the
employee concerned should be issued a charge sheet. Charges of misconduct or
indiscipline should be clearly and precisely stated in the charge sheet. The
charge sheet should also ask for an explanation for the said delinquent act and
the employee should be given sufficient time for answering this.
(b)
Consideration of explanation: On
getting the answer for the letter of charge served, the explanation furnished be
considered and if it is satisfactory, no disciplinary action need be taken. On
the contrary when the management is not satisfied with the employee's
explanation there is a need for serving a show-cause notice.
(c)
Show-cause notice: Show-cause notice
is issued by the manager when he believes that there is sufficient prima facie
evidence of employee's misconduct. However, this gives the employee another
chance to account for his misconduct and rebut the charges made against him.
Enquiry should also be initiated by first serving him a notice of enquiry
indicating clearly the name of the enquiring officer, time, date and place of
enquiry, etc.
(d)
Holding of a full-fledge enquiry:
This must be in conformity with the principle of natural justice, that is, the
employee concerned must be given an opportunity, of being heard. When the
process of enquiry is over and the findings of the same are recorded, the
Enquiry Officer should suggest the nature of disciplinary action to be taken.
(e)
Making a final order of punishment:
Disciplinary action is to be taken when the misconduct of the employee is
proved. While deciding the nature of disciplinary action, the employee's
previous record, precedents, effects of disciplinary action on other employees,
etc., have to be considered.
(a)
When the employee feels that the enquiry conducted was not
proper and the action taken is unjustified, he must be given a chance to make an
appeal.
(f)
Follow up: After taking the
disciplinary action, a proper follow up action has to be taken and the
consequences of the implementation of disciplinary action should be noted and
taken care of.
