Progressive Discipline Models

Progressive discipline, which "proceeds from an oral warning to a written warning to a suspension to dismissal" (Cascio, 2003, p. 9) is a disciplinary process that relies on "responsive, corrective action rather than on severe disciplinary actions, together with increasing use of grievance procedures" (McCabe & Rabil, 2002, p. 34). As such, it is an effective means of disciplining employees from the standpoint of communicating what they have done wrong and what they need to do to amend it. It also prevents liability for wrongful termination in situations where the employee is progressively disciplined as a prelude to firing.

Progressive discipline is not necessarily the optimum solution for dealing with employees that a company wishes to keep, however. Many employees feel stressed and pressured by progressive discipline, which makes it difficult for them to focus on improving their work. In addition, while progressive discipline pinpoints specific behaviors that the employee must improve, it is neutral or negative with respect to changing his or her attitude for the better. A perception that discipline is too severe could backfire. Klaas and Dell'omo (1997) and Posthuma, Dworkin and Swift (2000) note that "Although progressive discipline is a generally accepted principle, perceptions of the fairness of specific levels of severity often vary and labour arbitrators are routinely required to resolve disputes between managers and employees regarding such var

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is the norm. This is far more effective than simply instructing employees to provide excellent service and then changing nothing within the organization to facilitate the achievement of that objective. Thus, if the organization is geared for outstanding service and the culture supports such service, it will not only be less likely for employees to fail to deliver it, it will be easier to get them back on track if they do fail. Moreover, the consistency of asking for something that has already been established as a precedent in the organization will increase credibility with the employees. A second key and an excellent alternative to progressive discipline that integrates values is informal social control. Norms for the way employees should behave should be established within the organization, and these become, according to Jaworkski (1988), "a method of social control...which is used as a nonmediated influence mechanism" (Lusch, Boyt, & Schuler, 1996, p. 181). An organization's culture "may be thought of as a potential social control system" (O'Reilly, 1989, p. 12). O'Reilly (2001, p. 12) points out that "When we care about those with whom we work and have a common set of expectations, we are 'under control' whenever

Category: Psychology - P