The Three Cs of Employee Discipline

No one likes conflict, but in people-management situations, it’s often unavoidable – especially when issues of poor performance and rule breaking come up. “With almost every organization we’ve worked with, when we start talking about addressing poor performance, most business owners’ hair stands up on the back of their necks,” says Bob Coulter, a consultant with JP Horizons, Painesville, Ohio. To help boost employers’ positive reactions to negative situations in their businesses, Coulter and JP Horizons offer the following Three C’s of Employee Discipline:

• Courage: “You have to be willing to take on the tough issues,” Coulter says, noting that most employers say they wished they had handled past personnel issues much more quickly that they did. “Some people just don’t like conflict and others worry that they won’t be able to replace employees who may have to be let go, but it’s important to do what’s in the best interest of the company.”
• Candor: Don’t skirt the issue when you’re in a discipline situation, Coulter says. Be specific about the problem at hand and the necessary solutions. “If you’re dealing with tardiness, for example, don’t generalize by telling the employee, ‘You’re always late,’ or ‘You never show up on time,’” Coulter says. “As soon as you make a generalization you create something else to argue about.” Instead, Coulter advises using specific examples, such as “You were 30 minutes late today,” or “You held up your crew on Friday.”
• Consideration: Whether the infraction is serious or slight, Coulter recommends approaching employees about broken rules by working within their frame of reference. “Ask yourself, ‘How do I communicate with this person?’ and think about what the employees’ goals are within the company,” Coulter says. “If a crewmember has expressed interest in a supervisory position, make sure they understand how their actions can negatively impact their goals. If you’re dealing with a chronic problem, talk to them one-on-one with comments like, ‘You’re putting your job at risk and I know how important it is for you to have a good job.’”