"Treat discipline as a means to educate employees and elevate their behavior,
not as a form of punishment."
not as a form of punishment."
Effective discipline flows from clear communication. If you and your employer provide clear, written guidelines to employees on your standards and expectations for acceptable behavior, then discipline becomes a simple, straightforward educational and enforcement tool.
Your employee handbook should state your policy for responding to improper conduct or poor performance. As long as you dispense discipline in a uniform manner, you can address inappropriate or unacceptable behavior using a fair, consistent approach.
- At the same time, however, the best disciplinary policies allow for flexibility. While you must explain the consequences of poor behavior, you don't want to confine yourself to following the same course of action in every situation. You may favor progressive discipline (that starts with an oral warning for a first offense and a written warning for a second offense), but your policy should permit immediate termination in the most severe cases.
- If you're nervous about having to discipline employees, realize it's the first line that can prove most harrowing. Once you get over that initial hump, you'll feel more relaxed. An all-purpose opening line is, �I'd like to discuss a concern about your behavior/performance.�