Protect Yourself with Progressive Discipline
As the name implies, progressive discipline is a systematic way to tell employees about their undesirable behavior. Through a series of warnings over time, progressive discipline alerts employees about improper conduct and/or weak performance. The warnings become more serious over time. By adopting a program of progressive discipline, employers can possibly shield themselves from accusations of unfair termination or discrimination. An employee leasing specialist can offer guidance on all types of employee discipline, from progressive discipline to times when immediate termination is necessary.
When you feel like it’s time to warn an employee through progressive discipline, here are the steps you should take:
- Gather the facts: What exactly is the employee doing wrong? Does the employee understand the requirements of the job? Have you given the employee
- For employees with inappropriate conduct at the workplace, there are ways to warn them about their behavior while possibly shielding your company from accusations of unfair treatment or discrimination. By following the steps of progressive discipline, the employer is able to set down a series of warnings that tell the employee his or her actions or performance are unacceptable. These warnings become more serious over time, thus giving the employee ample notice to change the offending behavior.
- Progressive discipline is not appropriate in all circumstances. Sometimes, employee misconduct is so serious (violence, harassment, etc.) that it must be stopped at once. In extreme cases, employment should be terminated immediately.
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