Abstract

Positive discipline is a policy that attempts to handle employee problems in a non-punishment manner. The goal is to retain a productive employee rather than to punish and eliminate a bad employee. Positive discipline programs must be structured and understandable by employees and supervisors and the steps of a positive discipline program should be followed and documented.

Positive Discipline in the Work Place

Most people spend many hours of their lives at the place where they work. In this workplace we need to be successful to keep our jobs and to be promoted. One of the most important parts of our jobs is to get along with other people at work and to obey the rules of the place where we work. Unfortunately, many …show more content…

But the purpose of a disciplinary action should be to cause a positive change in the employee (Bielous, 2005).

A workable positive discipline policy should include a system for grievances that will protect the rights of the employee and the power to make decisions by management.
A grievance policy will 1) be orderly and understandable, 2) allow for equal treatment of all employees, 3) allow communication and maintain the credibility of the supervisor, and 4) solve problems and allow for training of supervisors (A Formal Grievance System, 1982). Handling grievances is important for supervisors because minor problems can become serious if no action is taken. Most employee grievances involve 1) the work the employee is supposed to do, 2) poor supervision, 3) bad communication, and 4) problems with coworkers, and a positive discipline policy to deal with these problems should include verbal and written reminders and a formal hearing (Himes, 1981).

When following a policy of positive discipline it is important to have a written policy that can be understood by employees and supervisors, and to follow the steps in the policy. Common infractions such as being late for work or missing work too often should follow all steps in