|
|
|
   
|
Employee Discipline
Disciplining an employee can be a very unpleasant task for a manager (It�s no picnic for the employee either!). It�s a part of the old authoritative culture that Certified Public Managers are trying to get away from.
This new management culture favors the commitment management paradigm, in which the manager engenders the commitment of the work force, rather than eliciting their compliance. But the world is not a perfect place and sometimes you run into an employee that must be disciplined.
Ima Dogood, manager of a public agency facility, has run into just such a situation. Mr. Dogood has worked hard developing an emerging organizational structure with his employees, and has had very few problems.
In fact, his is one of the most productive facilities within the organization and has a work environment that most other managers and employees wish they could develop. In other words, it�s a great place to work.
SITUATION
Merle Laggard (a union employee) had worked for Dogood for two years now. During his probationary period, Laggard was a model employee. For the last several months though, Dogood has noticed that Merle had been frequently calling off sick on Fridays and Mondays.
Laggard has also been arriving for work any where from 5 to 10 minutes late most every morning of the week. Dogood had spoken with Laggard about the tardiness and explained that he would have to arrive to work on time. Laggard offered no excuse for his tardiness, but did say that he would try to do better.
Ima Dogood was becoming concerned with Laggard�s behavior for several reasons. One, his absences on Fridays and Mondays was an indication of sick leave abuse, which is not tolerated by the agency.
Second, Laggard�s tardiness was causing problems with the other employees, who resented Merle just wandering in as he pleased, when the rest of them made sure they were to work on time.
And third, the weekly staff meetings where delayed because they where constantly having to wait for Laggard to show up for work.
Dogood�s initial reaction was to start the progressive discipline process by giving Laggard a verbal or written reprimand for sick leave abuse and chronic tardiness.
Then he remembered a similar situation that one of his peers, Ima Doless experienced that didn�t turn out so great. Ima Doless, manager of a similar facility with the same agency as Dogood got his hat handed to him over a similar disciplinary situation that he handled very poorly. Dogood wanted to handle this situation in a manner that would do the most good for Laggard, the rest of his staff and the agency.
If you were in Dogood�s shoes, how would you handle this situation? Let�s take a look at how Dogood approached the problem.
GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW
Dogood decided he would start by checking the union contract and Department Policy Manual on tardiness and Sick Leave abuse. He then spoke with his supervisor and his agency�s Human Resources Officer for feedback on the situation and the best way to handle it.
Managers need to remember that they�re not alone in these types of situations. There are resources and people ready to offer information and assistance.
Getting your ducks in a row can mean the difference between the successful resolution to a problem or the compounding of it.
DOCUMENTATION
In this situation it was important for Dogood to establish that there was a problem with Merle Laggard�s attendance. Dogood began by keeping an attendance log on Laggard for 30 days in which he noted exactly what time he arrived for work on days he was late. Laggard�s payroll time sheet would serve as documentation of the days he called in sick.
FACE TO FACE
At the urging of his Human Resources Officer, Dogood sat down with Laggard to discuss his absenteeism and tardiness. He was glad he did too.
As it turned out, the reason that Laggard was calling off sick on Fridays or Mondays was because of his wife�s illness. She had regular doctors appointments on those days and she needed Merle to take her. Laggard didn�t think it was any one�s business and didn�t realize it created a problem at work.
Dogood explained that these absences would qualify under the Family Medical Leave Act and that he would get Laggard all the forms and information he would need to meet the requirements for Family Medical Leave.
There was still the problem of tardiness and Laggard didn�t have a good excuse for it. Dogood explained the problems that it caused in their work environment and that he couldn�t tolerate it. He also explained to Laggard that he would be documenting his tardiness and that he would be disciplined if it continued.
As you can see, communicating with your employees is a great thing. Had Dogood disciplined Laggard for sick leave abuse it would have blown up in his face due to the Family Medical Leave Act.
And besides, Dogood wanted to do what was best for his employees; so disciplining Laggard would have compounded his stress over his wife�s illness. Because of this meeting, Laggard understood that his tardiness was causing problems in the work environment and it would not be tolerated.
Talk to your employees! Make sure they understand agency policy and what you expect from them.
THE REST OF THE STORY
Time went on and Laggard continued to show up late for work. Dogood was documenting his tardiness and after 30 days he gave Laggard a written reprimand for tardiness.
Here are the steps he followed:
7 Steps of Just Cause for Discipline
1) Reasonable rule or order
The agency had clear rules governing tardiness. Since Laggard could not provide extenuating or mitigating circumstances (Union Contract) to justify his tardiness, Dogood had the right to discipline him.
2) Notice
Dogood had two documented meetings with Laggard to discuss his tardiness and Laggard understood what would happen if he didn�t report to work on time.
3) Investigation
Dogood made sure he had the facts regarding Laggards tardiness through his documentation of his report times. He also referenced the two meetings held with Laggard regarding his tardiness.
4) Fair Investigation
Dogood worked with Laggard on his Family Medical Leave and only pursued his failure to report to work on time. He went out of his way to see if there were extenuating or mitigating circumstances for Laggard�s tardiness.
5) Proof
Dogood had documentation to prove that Laggard had a tardiness problem.
6) Equal treatment
Dogood verified with his Human Resources Officer that the Written Reprimand was consistent with similar discipline cases.
7) Appropriate Penalty
Since Laggard knew the consequences of continued tardiness and didn�t make an attempt to adjust his behavior, Dogood felt justified with giving him a written reprimand over a verbal warning.
Dogood�s agency had a standardized form to be used for a Written Reprimand. He advised Laggard of the discipline and explained that he could have a Union Representative present when he was presented with the reprimand. Dogood also explained the grievance procedure to Laggard.
Dogood discussed the Employee Assistance Program to Laggard in case there was an underlying personal problem involved with his tardiness. Through out the process Dogood kept Laggard�s best interests at heart and only went ahead with discipline as a last resort.
SUMMARY
Ima Dogood approached his employee problem in a methodical and careful manner. He didn�t jump to conclusions and let his emotions drive his actions. He reviewed his agency�s policy and procedure manual and the union contract to make sure knew what he was doing.
He consulted with his supervisor and Human Resources Officer in order to get their feedback and opinion. He used all the resources available to him to handle and resolve the situation.
Most importantly he considered Merle Laggard's situation and the possible effects this was having on the rest of his staff. He looked at the big picture and did what was best for all involved while still maintaining a high performance workplace.
Back to Top
|
|
|
