EVERY organisation, including institutions of learning, has established rules and regulations that all members of the community must be aware of and seek to adhere to.

Failure to comply with these rules results in disciplinary action from those who are so authorised to administer discipline. But the punishment must fit the crime. In other words, discipline must be progressive.

The objective of progressive discipline is to ensure that the employee/student is given an opportunity to change his/her undesirable behaviour within a reasonable time frame. Punishment is administered gradually, depending on the gravity of the situation. So if someone were to be late for work or school, the first recourse would not be dismissal. However, if the individual were to steal company property, dismissal would certainly be in order.

The process of progressive discipline

* Counselling. This is the first step that must be taken. It sees the individual in breach being told that his behaviour is unacceptable even as he is provided with the opportunity to discuss the factors that may have led to the undesirable behaviour.

The meeting should be carried out in a non-threatening, private setting that allows the employee to freely express himself. At the end of the discussions, he should make a commitment as to the necessary adjustments in his behaviour. He must be told that if he fails to live up to his commitment, further disciplinary action will be taken.

* Written warning. At this stage there is little or no improvement in the behaviour and so the employee is officially written to.

In the letter, he is reminded of the counselling session and the commitment that was made then. The employee must again be allowed to explain his behaviour. The letter must be detailed, stating clearly the events that led to the present action, as well as the next action that will be taken if there is no improvement.

* Suspension without pay. At this stage a more drastic disciplinary action is taken as the employee has made no appreciable change in behaviour.

He is again written to and advised that he will be requested to stay away from work for a period of time, usually between one and three days. The suspension letter should clearly indicate the effective date of the suspension, as well as when he is expected to return to work. There should be no ambiguity in the letter. The employee must be advised in the letter of the reasons for the suspension and that this will be the final warning.

* Termination. This is the final step of progressive discipline and is only applied after the previous steps fail to bring any change. At this stage, the employee must understand and appreciate that he has been given every opportunity to make improvement but he chose not to apply himself accordingly and that he has no other person to blame but himself.

The process must be handled in a professional manner ensuring that the employee’s dignity remains intact.

— Wayne Powell is a human resources professional of more than a decade. He can be contacted at crisscounsellor@yahoo.com.