Counseling and Disciplinary
On occasion, an employee’s performance may be impacted by absenteeism, a single incident (such as reported sexual harassment) or poor interpersonal relationships on the job). Corrective actions may range from simply counseling the employee to formal disciplinary procedures. Consider: • What are the facts surrounding the episode?• How serious is the infraction?• Was the employee informed of the work rules in advance?• Has there been adequate warning about the inappropriate behavior?• Have there been similar discipline problems in the past by this employee?• Has the employee been made aware of the consequences of this behavior?• Does the employee’s behavior hamper the day-to-day operation of the organization?• What has the history of the employee been with your organization? Has he/she been an otherwise satisfactory employee, or have there been previous documented problems or infractions of company rules?• Have you allowed the employee to tell his or her account of the infraction? (Take clear notes).• Has the employee been provoked in any manner?• Have you thoroughly investigated the issue or infraction?• Have you obtained enough evidence to prove that the employee displayed inappropriate behavior or violated the company’s policies or rules?• Has the investigation been fair and objective?• Has the investigation been timely?• Has your organization enforced rules and production standards consistently?• Have you remained uninvolved emotionally during this process?• Has the employee been referred to an Employee Assistance Program, if appropriate?• Does the discipline under consideration fit the infraction?• Is the employee aware of appeal procedures? Posted May 7, 2008 by Kevin Gramian