{"id":1309,"date":"2018-01-15T10:00:38","date_gmt":"2018-01-15T10:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/?p=1309"},"modified":"2018-12-13T20:37:00","modified_gmt":"2018-12-13T20:37:00","slug":"how-to-properly-document-employee-discipline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/how-to-properly-document-employee-discipline\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Properly Document Employee Discipline"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>People often think of discipline as something negative. It\u2019s what you do to correct the behavior of children or dogs when they misbehave. But discipline is also a positive force that helps you achieve your goals. Consider top athletes and high-achievers; it\u2019s not just skill that makes them successful, but also discipline. No personal success, achievement or goal can be realized without discipline.<\/p>\r\n<p>That\u2019s how you should view employee discipline: as a systematic way for both managers and employees to work together in achieving goals and overcoming problems. But for a system to work, it needs to be documented and followed consistently by employees and managers alike.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"smartTip row\">\r\n    <div class=\"col-xs-12 \"><img id=\"SmartTip\" class=\"img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/hrdirectapps\/images\/smart-tip.jpg\" \/><\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"col-xs-12 smartTipContent\">Documenting employee discipline shows how specific company policies were violated, and that the employee was made aware of it. This can go a long way toward staving off an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)<\/a> investigation.<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2>Elements of employee discipline<\/h2>\r\n<p>Employee discipline can take many forms and may range from mild actions, such as coaching, to more serious ones, such as verbal or written warnings. But it all starts with fair expectations, a documented process and consistent communication.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n    <li><strong>Create clear, consistent rules.<\/strong> Spell out all of your company policies from dress code to acceptable behavior to productivity goals in an employee guide to make your expectations known.<\/li>\r\n    <li><strong>Practice consistent enforcement.<\/strong> Make sure managers address all infractions immediately and consistently so everyone is treated the same way. Otherwise, you could be guilty of unequal or biased treatment, which could work against you if a terminated employee files a complaint.<\/li>\r\n    <li><strong>Establish a discipline process.<\/strong> When an employee isn\u2019t meeting performance goals or breaks a policy, it\u2019s important to take action right away. Ignoring a violation could be seen as biased by other employees, or lead the employee to believe the action isn\u2019t a problem. Your process for handling disciplinary issues might include:\r\n        <ul style=\"margin-top:15px;\">\r\n            <li><strong>Progressive discipline.<\/strong> Using this process, you increase the level of severity of your response when an employee doesn\u2019t correct an issue. You might start with a verbal warning, in which you tell the employee specifically what rule or expectation was broken, and what the concern with it is. If the violation happens again, provide a written warning. Ask for a correction to the behavior by a specific time. If after one or more written warnings, you don\u2019t see improvement, you may put the employee on probation or suspension, or move to termination. Documenting the steps you take to correct a problem protects you, and gives the employee clear direction about what you expect.<\/li>\r\n            <li><strong>Performance improvement plan (PIP).<\/strong> Use this method when an employee\u2019s performance or actions are not meeting expectations. Use the PIP to outline specific next steps, measurable goals and check points to help the employee improve performance in specific areas.<\/li>\r\n        <\/ul>\r\n    <\/li>\r\n<\/ul> \r\n<p>Now that you know how to establish guidelines, let\u2019s talk about the different levels of discipline. When using progressive discipline as a tool for change, the following actions can be used in order \u2014 each imposing a higher level of consequences. Keep in mind that similar behaviors must be treated consistently. If you give one employee a verbal warning for being late, you must do the same for all employees. Additionally, it\u2019s important to note that serious offenses (such as stealing or threatening violence) justify immediate termination.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n    <li><strong>Give verbal warnings.<\/strong> Keep a record of each time you give an employee a verbal warning or discuss improvements needed. With good documentation of an employee\u2019s pattern of poor performance and steps you took to address it, you can establish that termination wasn\u2019t related to discrimination based on race, sex, age, religion, disability, or national origin.<\/li>\r\n    <li><strong>Provide written warnings.<\/strong> After speaking to your employee about any behavior or performance issues that violate your policies, you should move on to written warnings. Recap past verbal warnings; state why the issue is a problem, and include a date by which you expect to see improvement.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"crRecommends row\">\r\n    <div class=\"col-xs-12\"><img id=\"cr-recommends\" class=\"img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/hrdirectapps\/images\/cr-recommends.jpg\" \/><\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"col-xs-12 text-center\">In any formal discipline meeting, it\u2019s recommended to have another manager present. Ask the employee to sign the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.complyright.com\/performance-management\/employee-discipline\/common-performance-problems\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">disciplinary document<\/a> or a PIP. This prevents the employee from claiming he or she wasn\u2019t aware that the issue was a problem. If he or she refuses to sign, ask the witnessing supervisor to sign indicating the employee\u2019s refusal.<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<ul>\r\n    <li><strong>Offer probation.<\/strong> You may want to offer a probation period after a final written warning as part of a progressive discipline process. Probation gives your employee one last chance to make a change before termination. It might include a reduction in pay, reduction in duties, retraining or closer supervision.<\/li>\r\n    <li><strong>Terminate.<\/strong> If the employee doesn\u2019t make improvements after your verbal and written warnings, the next step is termination. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/how-to-successfully-handle-an-employee-disciplinary-meeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Have a meeting<\/a> with your employee, discuss the progressive discipline process, the documentation and attempts you made to help the employee improve, and then terminate the employee.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2>Help documenting employee discipline<\/h2> <p>Documenting employee issues and disciplinary actions can be sensitive and cumbersome. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/progressive-discipline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Progressive Discipline app<\/a> can help you keep everything on track and ensure both you and your managers follow all the right steps. This web-based tool allows you to document violations, create reports and communicate the justification for disciplinary action to employees in total confidence \u2014 all while minimizing confusion and conflict.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"greenBorderTipBox\">\r\n    <div class=\"gbTitle\">Key Takeaways:<\/div>\r\n    <ul>\r\n        <li>You should view employee discipline as a systematic way for both managers and employees to work together in achieving goals and overcoming problems.<\/li>\r\n        <li>Employee discipline should start with fair expectations, a documented process and consistent communication.<\/li>\r\n        <li>Employees should be disciplined immediately and consistently.<\/li>\r\n        <li>Progressive discipline allows you to increase the severity of your response when an employee doesn\u2019t correct an issue.<\/li>\r\n        <li>A performance improvement plan allows you to outline next steps and set measurable goals.<\/li>\r\n    <\/ul>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"People often think of discipline as something negative. It\u2019s what you do to correct the behavior of children or dogs when they misbehave. But discipline is also a positive force that helps you achieve your goals. Consider top athletes and high-achievers; it\u2019s not just skill that makes them successful, but also discipline. No personal success,&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/how-to-properly-document-employee-discipline\/\" class=\"readMore\">read&nbsp;more<\/a>","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":1325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[36,33,9],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Properly Document Employee Discipline<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Properly documenting employee discipline is often challenging for businesses. Employee discipline can take many forms and may range from mild actions, such as coaching, to more serious ones, such as verbal or written warnings. But it all starts with these crucial elements.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/how-to-properly-document-employee-discipline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Properly Document Employee Discipline\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Properly documenting employee discipline is often challenging for businesses. Employee discipline can take many forms and may range from mild actions, such as coaching, to more serious ones, such as verbal or written warnings. 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