No matter how effective your management is or how friendly your employees are, every business manager will have to take disciplinary action against one of their workers at some point.
This type of conflict is notoriously difficult to negotiate. Not only do you have to be careful because of employment law, but you also risk escalating the situation and creating a toxic work environment if it isn’t handled effectively.
So, how exactly are business owners supposed to tackle disciplinary problems in their organisations? Well, that’s what we will be discussing in our article today. Keep reading to find out more.
Informal Action
Sometimes, the problem does not need to become a formal matter. Most conflicts can be quickly nipped in the bud, so long as the manager is proactive about addressing the issue with the perpetrator.
For example, if you hear one employee making a demeaning comment to another employee, then calling them out should be enough to prevent this type of behaviour from reoccurring.
However, if informal action does not help to rectify the situation, then the employer will need to conduct formal discipline.
Formal Investigation
If the issue has escalated and needs formal action, then you should investigate the matter and the individual in question. This usually involves uncovering more information about the alleged wrongdoing.
Employers should consult the perpetrator themselves, then anyone else within the organisation who might be able to shed some light on the situation – particularly those who have been personally affected.
Once you have a solid understanding of the matter at hand, plus hard evidence to back your accusation, you should take formal disciplinary action.
Informing the Perpetrator
It is time to inform the perpetrator of the accusations that have been alleged against them. Before doing so, you need to give them a decent amount of notice. When describing the accusations, you should be detailed and specific – stating the time, date and the nature of the allegation.
Every piece of information about the disciplinary action should be included within this meeting. You cannot accuse your employee of something that they weren’t notified of during their hearing. When informing the perpetrator, remember to stay calm and respectful, because these discussions can sometimes become very heated.
Deciding on Disciplinary Action
Once the perpetrator’s hearing has concluded, it is time for disciplinary action to be taken. When doing so, we highly recommend consulting with some employment solicitors. They are experts in the field of employment laws; they can tell you what disciplinary action would be most appropriate, depending on the type and severity of the incident. For example, gross misconduct should result in dismissal, while a written warning would be appropriate for an instance of unsatisfactory conduct.
Employment solicitors also specialise in making redundancies, so make sure to consult with them beforehand.
This is everything business managers need to know about tackling disciplinary problems in their organisation. We hope this article has provided you with some clarity on the matter.
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