Effective Discipline

One of the most expensive responsibilities of management is discipline. Not only does it cost in terms of the stressful effect on everyone involved, it also costs in terms of lost productivity, poor staff morale, and the potentially crippling costs of tribunal cases going against you. It’s not surprising that many managers would prefer not to get involved in discipline at all. But there is no choice. Just as in society as a whole, some kind of discipline is always necessary when people live and work together. You need rules. You need sanctions. And you need measures to correct.

In this book, we’ll show you why it is important to manage discipline well. We’ll show you why things start with a sensible approach to rule-setting and with suitable and adequate controls. We’ll give you an insight into why people break rules at work and what you can do about it. We’ll then take you through the steps of a sound disciplinary procedure that starts with the right way to conduct an investigation, is followed by the options you have in avoiding discipline, and ends up with what steps you can take to put things right. We’ll equip you with the skills to conduct good disciplinary interviews and, if dismissal can’t be avoided, how to handle it without bringing the weight of the law down upon you. We can’t show you how to avoid discipline at work but we can help you manage it confidently and successfully.

1. The Routes to Discipline
   1. Defining “Discipline”
   2. The Aims of Workplace Discipline
   3. For and Against
   4. The Contract of Employment
   5. Moral, Practical, and Legal Questions
   6. Your Style
   7. A Model of Discipline
   8. Key Points of this Module
2. Laws, Rules and Compliance
   1. Laws of the Land
   2. Rules
   3. Standards of Work
   4. Targets
   5. Guidelines
   6. Norms
   7. Culture
   8. Key Points
3. Non-Conformance
   1. Rule-Breaking
   2. Boredom
   3. Frustration
   4. Sabotage
   5. Absence
   6. Personality Clashes
   7. Dishonesty
   8. Key Points
4. The Disciplinary Investigation
   1. Lay Down the Groundrules
   2. The Core Statement
   3. Clarify the Investigator’s Role
   4. Gather Information
   5. Take Witness Statements
   6. Take Notes
   7. Produce Your Report
   8. Key Points
5. Alternatives to Discipline
   1. Will It Work?
   2. The Costs
   3. Prevention Rather Than Cure
   4. “We Talk To People”
   5. Treating the Problem
   6. Tough Love
   7. Changing Your Style
   8. Key Points
6. Policy and Procedure
   1. Policy and Procedure
   2. Principles
   3. Natural Justice
   4. Timescales
   5. Sanctions and Penalties
   6. Records
   7. Special Cases
   8. Key Points
7. Counselling and Discipline
   1. What Is Counselling?
   2. Counselling and Discipline
   3. What Counselling Is Not
   4. When Counselling Works
   5. A Counselling Session
   6. Counselling Skills
   7. Reconciling not Dividing
   8. Key Points
8. Disciplinary Checklists
   1. The Pre-Hearing Checklist
   2. The Hearing Checklist
   3. The Post-Hearing Checklist
   4. Key Points
9. The Disciplinary Hearing
   1. What Kind of Hearing?
   2. Who Is To Organise It?
   3. How Should You Chair?
   4. Representation
   5. What are the Stages?
   6. The Do’s and Don’ts
   7. How Do We Reach a Decision?
   8. Key Points
10. Dismissal
    1. The Ending of Contracts
    2. Fair or Unfair?
    3. Contract Frustration
    4. Constructive Dismissal
    5. Redundancy
    6. Fair Dismissal
    7. Gross Misconduct
    8. Appeals
    9. A Dismissal Checklist
    10. Key Points
11. Web Resources on Effective Discipline