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It is important to note that progressive discipline policy steps and tips are meant for the managers of small or medium-sized organizations. These policies should not be implemented without first consulting with a legal professional.
The “7 steps of progressive discipline” is a policy that outlines the steps and tips to follow when implementing a progressive disciplinary program. This article will outline these 7 steps and give you a free template for your own policy.
Progressive punishment is a systematic business method for dealing with and resolving employee-related performance and behavior concerns as they become more serious. Small firms must have clear progressive discipline procedures in place to guarantee that all workers are treated equally and that poor performance is corrected before it has a negative impact on morale and productivity.
A progressive discipline policy allows your firm to manage your staff fairly while also recording your disciplinary measures (from a Verbal Caution to Termination) for workers who do not match your requirements. You may download a free progressive discipline policy template to use in your company.
Template may be downloaded.
A Progressive Discipline Policy’s Key Steps
You must clarify what constitutes unacceptable conduct before disciplining an employee for poor job performance or improper workplace behavior. While certain activities are against the law (Harassment of women, racial discrimination), others are exclusive to your company. These must be defined and communicated explicitly in your handbook.
Employees must also be aware of the implications of bad performance at work. You must guarantee that every employee knows their objectives and how they will be held responsible, beginning with their job description.
Verbal Caution
A talk with the employee about their bad performance or conduct is the first step in a progressive punishment policy. I propose that you address these problems right away. It’s OK to have a conversation with the employee at their next official performance review, but concerns that can be remedied right away should be handled right away. Managers that excel in people management will be able to handle these difficult situations gracefully.
If you give a Verbal Caution, you don’t simply tell the employee to change or leave. Your goal is to provide direction to the employee to help them improve. Managers need to discuss the issue with employees and ask how they can help them resolve the issue. It is also crucial for the manager to define clearly what steps the employee must take to improve their performance or behavior.
For example, if an employee has been late three days in a row, the management should talk to them about it and see what they can do to assist. Managers should avoid inquiring about medical or family difficulties and instead inquire as to why an employee is late. The management and employee may work together to address and resolve the issue.
While this first piece of a progressive discipline policy is a Verbal Caution, you must still document the discussion and put a copy in the employee’s personnel file. The employee should receive a copy of the document and you should request they sign it to acknowledge its contents.
Warning in Writing
When an employee fails to correct a problem even after being given reasonable time to do so, the next step would be to issue a Warning in Writing. When an employee receives a Warning in Writing, they are informed that if they fail to resolve the problems, further disciplinary action will be imposed.
Prepare a Warning in Writing before having a conversation with the employee. In the formal Warning in Writing, clearly state what previous steps have been taken to help the employee improve and how their performance or behavior is still sub-par.
Sticking with the tardy example, if an employee does not have a valid or protected reason for being tardy and continues to arrive late to work, taking this next step is the right move. In the Warning in Writing, state the consequences for failure to correct the behavior.
Once you’ve written the document, have a discussion with the employee. Never simply hand an employee a Warning in Writing without giving them an opportunity to have a discussion with their manager, HR, or both. As long as you show the employee that you are there to help them and support them, even a formal discussion doesn’t need to be tense or uncomfortable.
You may also elect to put the employee on a performance improvement plan at this time (PIP). If the employee refuses to follow the PIP, your firm will have legal protection if you need to fire them as a consequence.
Final Warning in Writing
The next step in your progressive discipline policy is a final Warning in Writing. In the event that an employee has not made a substantial improvement in performance or behavior, a final Warning in Writing represents the employee’s last chance to do so.
Your stated objectives and standards will not be met by every employee. It’s preferable to know when an employee isn’t a good match so you can make the necessary adjustments, even if it’s difficult. You know you done all you could and have a sound business cause to fire the employee if you offered them every opportunity to improve.
Excessive tardiness can be a legitimate business reason to give an employee a final Warning in Writing. You have schedules for your employees for a reason, and if an employee is routinely late, that has a snowball effect on the rest of your team and can demoralize other employees when they have to pick up the slack.
Prepare the final Warning in Writing before having a discussion with the employee. Include brief statements about the steps taken to this point and why this last step is necessary. Once written, speak with your employee and stress to them the seriousness of the issue. Be explicitly clear that if you have another discussion with them, it could be to terminate them.
Termination
Termination is the last step in a progressive disciplinary strategy. Employees should be fired if they have been given enough warnings and are still unable to modify their performance or conduct after receiving the required help.
In every case, you should confer with HR and maybe an employment lawyer. You want to make sure you do everything right when terminating an employee since there are legal ramifications.
While terminating an employee is never pleasant, it is ultimately in everyone’s best interests. Replacing the employee with a more productive employee will help your firm. You’ll demonstrate to your current personnel that you’re willing to act when required. The fired employee will recognize the ramifications of their conduct and, perhaps, make changes that will help them succeed.
Appeal
An employee will have the opportunity to appeal at every stage of the progressive punishment procedure. They might refute the facts used to justify the disciplinary action through conversations with their boss or HR. Within a fair amount of time, an employee may also offer written replies.
The objective of an appeal is to allow an employee to advise their employer of any conditions that may have contributed to their poor performance or improper conduct. Sensitive and protected information may be involved in some of these situations. For example, an employee who often arrives late may have a sleep condition that necessitates reasonable accommodations, such as a change in their planned start time. When problems like these emerge, always seek legal assistance.
You must always give workers the opportunity to speak out. Even if you regard an employee’s arguments as excuses, you must record your conversations with them. This will demonstrate that you offered them adequate time to explain their performance or conduct, as well as ample opportunity to change it.
Implementation Tips for Your Policy
Remember that the goal of a progressive disciplinary policy, which is an important part of employee management, is not punishment but rather guidance and support. Better alignment with your company’s culture and expectations will result from supporting and encouraging your workers to enhance their performance and workplace habits.
You must also ensure that your policy expresses your aims clearly. If you don’t do so, your workers may believe you’re attempting to terminate them or that you’re holding them to unrealistic standards.
Ensure that workers have easy access to the policy. Everyone will be on the same page if the policy is included in your handbook and changes are sent out to the whole organization.
- Follow the policy (almost) every time.
- Implement the Policy Uniformly
In certain instances, you may be able to skip steps. You have the option of terminating an employee if their conduct is really extreme. Simply ensure that the incidences, your actions, and your grounds for immediate firing have all been adequately recorded.
Some activities that may necessitate instant firing include:
- Theft
- Harassment of women
- Violence in the workplace
- Use of illegal drugs
- Assault
Consistency is key. Do not pick out or subject workers to this procedure only because you hate them. Employees will notice, and your company will get a reputation for treating employees unfairly. It might also result in expensive discrimination lawsuits against employees.
Check out our employee disciplinary recommendations for additional best practices.
Conclusion
A progressive disciplinary policy gives your managers and HR a path to follow when your workers fall short of your expectations. You may punish workers fairly and consistently while staying in compliance with all relevant labor regulations if you have a clear policy. Your progressive disciplinary policy, in the end, propels both your people and your company to new heights.
The “progressive discipline policy pdf” is a document that outlines the steps and tips for progressive discipline policies. The free template can be found here: https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/publications/SBA_Progressive_Discipline_Policy.pdf
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