Employee Discipline

Discipline is the regulation and modulation of human activities to produced a controlled performance. There are two kinds of discipline:

1. Positive Discipline: 
• Creation of an atmosphere in the organization whereby employees willingly conform to the established rules and regulations
• can be achieved through rewards and leadership.
2. Negative Discipline:
• Penalties are used to force the workers to obey rules and regulations. 

HOT STOVE RULE:

• Formulated by Douglas Mcgregor
• He gives a good example of how to impose disciplinary actions without generating resentment. For this purpose he described four characteristics:

1. When You Touch The Hot Stove (Immediate Action): You will burn your hand, the burn was immediate. Immediately you will understand the cause and effect of the offence. The discipline was directed against the act not against anybody else. You learn your lesson quickly.
2. You Had Warning (Previous Warning): as you knew the stove was red hot and you knew what would happen to you if you touch it. You knew the rules & regulations previously issued to you by the company prescribing the penalties for violation of any particular rule, so you cannot claim you were not giving a previous warning.
3. The Discipline Was Consistent (Consistency): Every time you touch the hot stove, you get burned. Consistency in the administration of disciplinary action is essential. Excessive lienency as well as too much harshness creates not only dissatisfaction but also resentment.
4. The Discipline Was Impersonal (Impersonal Action): Whoever touches the stove gets burned, no matter who is he. The disciplinary action is directed against the act, not against the person. After disciplinary action has been applied, the supervisor should take the normal attitude towards the employee/\.