BA 208 Chapter 12 power point

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Chapter 12
Problem Employees:
Counseling and Discipline
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Learning Objectives, 1
• Identify common types of problem behavior among
employees
• Explain why and when supervisors should counsel employees
• Describe counseling techniques
• Discuss effective ways of administering discipline
• Describe the principles of positive discipline and self-
discipline

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Learning Objectives, 2
• Explain how supervisors can detect and confront troubled
employees
• Specify how supervisors can direct troubled employees in
getting help and then follow up on the recovery efforts
• Discuss the role of the supervisor’s manager and the human
resources department in helping the supervisor with problem
employees

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Problems Requiring Special Attention
Questions that help uncover the source of a performance
problem
• Has the employee performed better in the past?
• Has the employee received proper training?
• Does the employee know and understand the objectives he or she
is to accomplish?
• Is the supervisor providing enough feedback and support?
• Has the supervisor encouraged and rewarded high performance?
• Are other employees with similar abilities performing well or
experiencing similar difficulties?

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Problems Commonly Encountered by Supervisors
• Absenteeism and tardiness
• Insubordination and uncooperativeness
• Alcohol and drug abuse
• Workplace violence
• Theft

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Absenteeism
Highly expensive for employers
Sign of a deeper problem, such as a family crisis, anger about
something at work, or plans to leave the organization
Effective action against tardiness and absenteeism targets the
cause of this problem behavior
Can be reduced by:
• Initiating paid time-off banks
• Creating a positive work environment in which morale is high

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Figure 12.2: Why Employees Had Unscheduled
Absences
Source: “2007 CCH Unscheduled Absence Survey,” https://www.cch.com/Absenteeism2007/.
Jump to Figure 12.2: Why Employees Had Unscheduled Absences, Appendix

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Insubordination
Deliberate refusal to do what a supervisor or other superior asks
Negative behaviors
• Criticizing
• Complaining
• Showing a dislike for a supervisor and the organization

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Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Employees who use drugs are:
• Three times as likely to be tardy and more than three times as likely
to be involved in an accident at work
• Far less productive than their co-workers who stay clean
The A D A treats substance abuse arising from an addiction as a
disability
Actions taken with regard to the employee should focus on work
performance and safety, not the substance abuse itself

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Workplace Violence
Ranked the number two security threat by security managers
Factors that contribute to workplace violence include alcohol or
drug abuse, psychological problems, and domestic violence
Supervisors should:
• Turn to the human resource department for assistance
• Help the affected group by providing opportunities to talk over
disturbing experiences after a violent incident
• Project a calm image and allow breaks at times when employees
seem overwhelmed

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Theft
Largest share of merchandise losses at retailers results from
employee theft
Lost or stolen time takes the form of employees taking extra sick
leave, providing less work than required, or altering time cards
Information theft is a serious and growing problem
• Prevention strategy: Monitoring of employees may need to focus
on access to and retrieval of data
Supervisors should make sure that employees follow all
procedures for record keeping and understand the costs and
consequences of theft

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Counseling
Process of learning about an individual’s personal problem and
helping him or her resolve it
Benefits for employees
• Eases their worries or helps them solve their problems
• Improves job satisfaction and motivation
Benefit for the employer includes high performance standards of
employees
Should be provided when employees need help in determining
how to resolve a problem that is affecting their work

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Counseling Techniques
• Directive counseling: Approach to counseling in which the
supervisor asks the employee questions about the specific
problem, understands the problem, and suggests ways to
handle it
• Nondirective counseling: Approach to counseling in which the
supervisor primarily listens, encouraging the employee to look
for the source of the problem and propose possible solutions

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The Counseling Interview
Involves the following steps:
• Discussing the problem
• Considering possible solutions
• Selecting a solution
• Scheduling a follow-up meeting

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Discipline
Action taken by the supervisor to prevent employees from
breaking rules
• Supervisor explains the significance and consequences of the
employee’s behavior and lets the employee experience those
consequences, if necessary
Should be distinguished from punishment
• Punishment: Unpleasant consequence given in response to
undesirable behavior

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Employees’ Rights During the Discipline Process
• To know job expectations and the consequences of not
fulfilling those expectations
• To receive consistent and predictable management action in
response to violations of the rules
• To receive fair discipline based on facts
• To question management’s statement of the facts and to
present a defense
• To receive progressive discipline
• To appeal a disciplinary action

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The Discipline Process
Supervisors should:
• Observe, collect, and understand the facts behind problem behavior
• Meet with the employees involved
Discipline occurs in four possible steps: warnings, suspension,
demotion, and dismissal
• This pattern of discipline is progressive

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Possible Steps in the Discipline Process, 1
Warnings: Written or oral communication designed to make sure
that an employee understands the problem
• Contain:
• What the problem behavior is and how it affects the organization
• How and when the employee’s behavior is expected to change
• What actions will be taken if the behavior does not change

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Possible Steps in the Discipline Process, 2
• Suspension: Requirement that an employee not come to work
for a set period of time; the employee is not paid for the time
off
• Demotion: Transfer of an employee to a job involving less
responsibility and usually lower pay
• Dismissal: Relieving an employee of his or her job

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Guidelines for Effective Discipline
• Act immediately
• Focus on learning about and resolving the issue at hand
• Keep emotions in check
• Administer discipline in private
• Be consistent in administering discipline
• Keep a record of disciplinary actions taken and the basis for
the discipline

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Positive Discipline
• Designed to prevent problem behavior from beginning
• Can be administered by supervisors by working to create the
conditions under which employees are least likely to cause
problems
• Decision-making leave: A day off during which a problem
employee is supposed to decide whether to return to work
and meet standards or to stay away for good
• Self-discipline: Result of an effective program of positive
discipline in which employees voluntarily follow the rules and
try to meet performance standards

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Detection and Confrontation of the Troubled Employee
Detection
• If disciplinary action or counseling seems ineffective in resolving a
problem, a supervisor may have a troubled employee
• Look for any behavioral signs of substance abuse
• Avoid accusations, and focus on job performance
Confrontation
• Document the problem
• Confront the employee after gathering supporting evidence
• Review the employee’s performance, describe the evidence of the
problem, and refer the employee for counseling
• Explain the consequences of not changing

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Possible Signs of Alcohol or Drug Use
• Slurred speech, clumsy movements, and increased accidents
• Personality changes
• Decreased ability to work as part of a team
• Smell of alcohol on the employee’s breath
• Growing carelessness about personal appearance and the
details of the job
• Increase in absenteeism or tardiness, along with unbelievable
excuses
• Daydreaming, leaving the work area, and making frequent
visits to the restroom
• Violence in the workplace

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Employee Assistance Program, or E A P
Company-based program for providing counseling and related
help to employees whose personal problems affect their
performance
Types
• Recovery from substance abuse
• Financial and career counseling
• Referrals for child care and elder care
• AIDS education and counseling
• Cultural adjustment counseling

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Benefits of an Employee Assistance Program
Decreased absenteeism
Reduced accidents and fewer workers’
compensation claims
Greater employee retention
Fewer labor disputes
Reduced medical costs because problems
are caught and treated earlier
Source: Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S Department of Labor, "Employee Assistance Programs for a New Generation
of Employees," January 2009, http://www.dol.gov/odep/documents/employeeassistance.pdf, accessed May 5, 2014.
Jump to Benefits of an Employee Assistance Program, Appendix

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Sources of Support for Supervisors
• One’s manager
• Human resources department
• Personnel specialists
• Outside experts, including consultants, labor attorneys, and
human relations specialists
• Local office of the Small Business Administration