HR managers are undoubtedly familiar with the challenges of taking disciplinary action at work, a complex process that often comes with the risk of quitting employees. Whether for misbehavior during an office party or more serious policy violations, there are many good reasons for taking disciplinary action in the workplace. There are many types of disciplinary actions available for employees who have disrupted work, and the severity of it depends on the severity of the grievance the company has with the worker. HR Exchange Network states that 44 percent of respondents of a Paychex survey have been previously reprimanded for their behavior during remote work, making it clear that such action does not have to remain an in-person phenomenon for it to be executed.
Despite being a necessary evil, companies must have internally established policies that state what disciplinary action is and how they plan to execute it with their employees.
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What Is Disciplinary Action at Work?
Disciplinary action at work refers to any action that a company takes against its employees for misconduct within the workplace or with regard to it. When an employee is called in to meet their manager for making an inappropriate remark, that can be an example of disciplinary action at work which matches up to the severity of the error. If a manager has repeatedly abused his power and made his subordinates carry out tasks that are personally beneficial to him only, it might be met with a demotion or a mandated apology sent out to all the employees who were affected by the behavior.
According to a study by the International Labour Organization, 22.8 percent of the global workforce has experienced some form of workplace bullying and harassment, either physical, psychological, or sexual. Psychological harassment appears to be the most common form of this issue, with 17.9 percent or 583 million workers having experienced the same. More than three in five employees have even reported workplace harassment to be a recurring experience. Note that these numbers are only in consideration of those who admit to the experience, while many might have chosen to hold their tongue or might have even considered such behavior as normal.
Under such negative circumstances at work, employee morale can suffer, but more importantly, employees can remain constantly stressed and on the edge at work. This makes burnout more likely, guiding employees towards changing jobs rather than continuing to suffer under unfair working conditions. Disciplinary action at work is a necessary tool for a company to use in order to maintain order in the organization. If certain standards are not established in advance, there will be severe consequences and conflicts that companies will have to deal with later on.
Reasons for Disciplinary Action in the Workplace
The reasons for taking disciplinary action in the workplace can vary quite dramatically, with employees bringing forth unique incidents that might require the HR team to come up with new rules and regulations on the go. In 2020, BBC reported on a Citigroup senior trader who was suspended for stealing food from the staff canteen. Reading the article might make it seem like a silly non-story, but for the company and the employee, it was likely that considerable thought was put into determining whether this was a good reason for disciplinary action or not. Some workplace issues are more obviously understandable as a reason for disciplinary action, examples of which include:
- Discrimination: Bias in hiring, unfair assignments, age-based restriction of opportunities, holding back promotions, inappropriate language, mocking of other cultures, etc.
- Physical violence: Any form of physical interaction that is unwanted or extended with the intention of causing harm
- Mental violence: Violent threats, unnecessary pressures, derogatory or abusive language, public humiliation, frequent jokes at the employee’s expense, threats of harm, unconstructive criticism, and comments on the individual’s personal life can all lead to mental strain on an employee
- Cliques: Isolating employees and making them feel unwanted is never a good idea and cliques can be very damaging to the workplace culture. Bullying and joking at a coworker’s expense is not professional no matter whether it occurs at work or outside of it
- Aggression: Whether physical or verbal, any anger outbursts at work need to be addressed immediately
- Sexual violence: Unwanted sexual advances and comments are regularly experienced by employees and can make the workplace unsafe. Inappropriate behavior can extend beyond employees to affect customers and clients as well, and none of it is acceptable at work
- Misuse of company property: Companies need to set clear rules for the use of company premises and its property, and any misuse of the same can be met with disciplinary action
- Substance use: Arriving at work intoxicated or under the influence often requires immediate action. The possession of illegal substances on the work premises can also be addressed here
- Poor performance at work: An employee has the potential to grow at work, but when performance falters, performance reviews and improvement plans become necessary before more severe action is taken
- Absenteeism: Companies always have leave policies that employees can use, but if employees overextend their leave, their employer is allowed to set consequences for the same. Tardiness is also met with similar results
- Inappropriate behavior outside work: Most disciplinary actions pertain to behavior in relation to the workplace but it can be extended to misrepresenting the company outside of work, leaking company data, promoting illegal content outside of work, etc.
Types of Disciplinary Actions for Employees
When unique incidents and policy violations occur, it might be easy enough to have a meeting to determine the next course of action, but for issues that occur on a day-to-day basis, companies will rarely have the time necessary to re-establish a plan on how they want to proceed. This might also create an imbalance if employees feel another worker received better treatment for the same violations. While even everyday issues require some amount of consideration of the individual circumstances, companies should have some policies set in place on how they would like to deal with problematic behavior at work.
Organizations can determine the levels of severity they want to establish for disciplinary action at work. Termination cannot be the first and only solution the company has to everything. Instead, there needs to be levels of escalation in place. Some examples of the various types of disciplinary action include:
- Verbal communication: Simple workplace issues like coming late to a meeting or delay with a client’s project can be sufficiently dealt with through a conversation with the manager or team lead
- Written warnings: One of two violations of company policy might come with a written record of what occurred and the exact behavior that needs to be corrected or avoided
- HR escalations: A verbal warning from HR might also be appropriate in some situations, with a discussion on a plan of action to improve the employee’s behavior. A performance improvement plan can be used to plan for changes and consequences can also be set for future violations
- Training and counseling: Cultural sensitivity programs, diversity training, and anger management courses are examples of training an employee might be required to attend. Sessions with the company counselor can also be recommended
- Pay cuts: If predefined in the employee contract, companies may resort to pay cuts, however, they have to inform the employee in advance. It is necessary to refer to state legal restrictions before enforcing this strategy
- Suspensions: Serious violations might lead to a suspension while the company investigates the issue. Pay is usually suspended for the period until reinstatement
- Relocation: Due to conflicts within a specific department or workspace, an employee might be relocated to a different branch of the company to a parallel role
- Demotion: Poor performance or ineligibility of an employee for a particular role can lead to a demotion to a less senior position or removal from an ongoing project
- Termination: Companies can choose to terminate the employee’s role at the company if the issue is severe enough to warrant a permanent solution
There are many other types of disciplinary actions available for employees who have disrupted the workflow of an organization, such as the loss of any additional privileges that the company might provide to them. At the end of the day, it is up to the employer to decide what is appropriate for their organization and proceed accordingly. Disciplinary policies might need to keep evolving with changing times so HR teams need to stay on their toes and respond to situations with utmost seriousness every time a complaint comes in or any conflicts are observed within an organization.