Discipline AND Grievance S: Discipline and Grievances Are Each One Side of The Same Complaints Coin's

DISCIPLINE
AND
GRIEVANCE
S
Discipline and Grievances are each
one side of the same ‘complaints
coin's.
DISCIPLINE
AND
GRIEVANCE
• Discipline is a ‘Management’s
Complaints’ against an S
employee.
• Grievance is an ‘Employee’s
complaint’ against
management.
WHY
DISCIPLINING
EMPLOYEES?
• Employees experience conflict at work
and sometimes break the rules.
• It then becomes your job to minimize the

conflict and get things going back on
track.
• Disciplinary policies and actions play the

prime role in prohibiting unwanted
employee behaviors.
DISCIPLINARY
POLICY
GROUND
• Employees should know what they can
and can’t do. RULES
• You should clearly communicate the
discipline that will take place if
employees break your rules.
• For this reason, company need to have

a good disciplinary policy in place and
well communicated to everyone.
DISCIPLINARY
POLICY
• The policy must be communicated to
employees by periodically providing
a copy, posting it, or including it in
an employee handbook.
• Employees should be required to sign an

acknowledgment that they have
received and read the policy.
• The policy also should be covered in

new employee orientation.
CORRECTIVE
DISCIPLINE
• The purpose of discipline is to assist employees
in changing their unwanted behavior.
• Absenteeism
• Poor Performance or
• Inappropriate Behavior
• Employees should have adequate information

about their current performance versus the
desired performance.
• This will also decrease your legal risk!

DISCIPLINARY
SYSTEMS
• There are many systems available
for disciplining employees.
• One system, called progressive discipline,

is very popular.
• It requires the employer to progress

through each step before proceeding to
the next.
TYPES OF
DISCIPLINARY
ACTIONS
• There are four general types of
disciplinary action available:
1. Verbal counseling
2. Written warning
3. Suspension
4. Termination
TYPES OF
DISCIPLINARY
ACTIONS
1. Verbal counseling:
• This is generally the first step. However,
for a serious problem, skip this step.
• Verbal warnings should always be
done privately.
• Verbal counseling sessions should
be documented by a formal
memo or
informal note in the employee’s
personnel file.
TYPES OF
DISCIPLINARY ACTION
2. Written
Warning S
• should include, at a minimum, the following
elements:
• The date of the warning
• The employee’s name
• The name of the supervisor administering the warning
• A description of the misconduct or
inadequate performance
• The date of the misconduct or poor
performance
• A signature line for the supervisor
• A signature line for the employee, indicating his
receiving only!
• A signature line for the witness.
• An action plan to fix the behavior in a given time
TYPES OF
DISCIPLINARY
ACTIONS
3. Suspension.
• This may range from one day to two weeks or
more, depending upon the circumstances,
and is almost always unpaid.
• Next step may be suspension of
increasing length or directly go to
termination.
• Whatever it is, should be stated in the
suspension letter!
TYPES OF
DISCIPLINARY
ACTIONS
3. Termination.
• Before termination, the personnel file and all
relevant documents must be reviewed to ensure
that the termination is appropriate and defensible
in a subsequent lawsuit
• Some behavior warrants automatic dismissal, like:
• Violent behavior or threats of violence;
• Drug and alcohol use on duty;
• Carrying a weapon on company property;
• Theft, destruction of company property
• Insubordination;
• Abandonment of job
TYPES OF
DISCIPLINARY
5. ACTIONS
Other forms of discipline.
• Demotion,
• Transfer and
• Reduced raises or bonuses.
• Many employees can be very

satisfactorily managed by economic
concerns, such as bonuses and raises.
DISCIPLINE: THE
UNION
CONTEXT
• If a union represent your employees, your
disciplinary system is most likely governed by your
collective bargaining agreement or CBA.
• All of your managers and supervisors are well
trained on
how to follow the disciplinary procedure in the
CBA.
• The CBA will most likely have progressive discipline
steps and provide that the employee can grieve any
disciplinary action.
• Disputes that are not resolved through the grievance
process end up in the hands of an arbitrator!
FACTORS TO
CONSIDER
• Mitigating factors
• long service with the company
• history of satisfactory appraisals
• prior commendations or awards
• Aggravating factors
• short length of service
• history of unsatisfactory performance
• prior instances of
performance/conduct/attendance
problems
• Once you have made the choice, stick with it
and remember to document all of your steps!
EMPLOYEE
GRIEVANCES
• Employee Grievances
• A method for employees to use to
resolve conflicts when they feel
they have been treated unfairly by
management.
EMPLOYEE
GRIEVANCES
EMPLOYEE
GRIEVANCES
• Typical procedure:
• Discuss problem with manager
• Discuss problem with manager's superior
• Superior may refer problem to grievance
committee or CEO
• Union employee grievances are

handled differently...
UNION
EMPLOYEE
GRIEVANCE
• Union grievances are often
resolved through: S
• Arbitration - A hearing before
someone empowered to resolve the
dispute.
• Mediation - Negotiation between two

parties, using a neutral intermediary
to assist in settling a dispute.
GRIEVANCE IDENTIFICATION
TECHNIQUES
Observatio
Grip
ns
Boxes
Open
Exit Door
Intervie
w Policy
GRIEVANCE IDENTIFICATION
`
TECHNIQUES
1. OBSERVATION
• Knowledge of human behavior is requisite quality of
good manager. From the changed behavior of
any employee , he should snuff the causes of
grievances, without its knowledge to the
employee.
2. GRIP BOXES
• The suggestion boxes, for instance are placed
at easily accessible spots to most employees in
the organization. Theemployees can file
anonymous complaints about their dissatisfaction
in these boxes.
GRIEVANCE
IDENTIFICATION
TECHNIQUES
3. OPEN DOOR POLICY
• Most of the organizations still don’t practice this but
open door policy demands that the employees,
even at the lowest rank, should have easy access
to the Chief Executive to get his grievances
redressed.
4. EXIT INTERVIEW
• These interviews are conducted to know the reasons
for leaving the job. Properly conducted exit interviews
can provide significant information about the
strengths and weaknesses of the organization and
can pave way for further improvements.
BENEFIT
Enables the S
management to know the pulse
of its employees.
Provides a channel to the aggrieved to
express their grievances.
Provides clues about the behavior and
attitude of the managers and supervisors
towards their subordinates.
Gives an assurance to the employees about
the existence of a mechanism for the prompt
redressal of their grievance.
Keep up the morale of the employees.
CONCLUSION
• Managers must use judgment,
empathy, consistency, and fairness
when administering employee
discipline.
• All disciplinary actions should be

documented in a factual,
nonjudgmental way.
• Employees can use the

grievance procedure to resolve
conflicts with management.

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DISCIPLINE

• It then becomes your job to minimize the

• Disciplinary policies and actions play the

• For this reason, company need to have

• Employees should be required to sign an

• The policy also should be covered in

• Employees should have adequate information

• This will also decrease your legal risk!

• One system, called progressive discipline,

• It requires the employer to progress

• Many employees can be very

• Union employee grievances are

• Mediation - Negotiation between two

• All disciplinary actions should be

• Employees can use the

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