CHAPTER EIGHT - INTEGRATION AND MAINTAINACE
8.1. Employee discipline
Discipline is the backbone of healthy industrial relations. The promotion and maintenance of
employee discipline is essential for smooth functioning of an organization. Employee morale and
industrial peace are definitely linked with a proper maintenance of discipline. Disciplinary action
can also help the employee to become more effective. The actions of one person can affect others
in the group.
The aim is to examine what discipline is, what the various aspects of employee discipline are and
how positive discipline can be achieved. We shall also examine the steps involved in the
disciplinary process and how to deal with indiscipline.
We all have different impressions of what is meant by the term discipline. As a child, you may
have been punished by your parents for something you did wrong. You may have known better,
but you did it anyway. Perhaps you thought that your act would go undetected. At other times,
you may not have realized that what you did was wrong. On these occasions, disciplinary action
may have taught you not to repeat those acts.
In a similar way, in the Organization ‘Discipline’ refers to the State of employee’s self-control
and effectiveness in his work. It indicates the development of genuine team work. Discipline
implies a state of order in an organization. It means proper appreciation of the hierarchical
superior subordinate relationship. The willing cooperation for and the observance of the rules of
the organization constitutes the essence of discipline.
We have to consider discipline in its positive meaning i.e. ‘Training of mind that develops self-
control character, orderliness and efficiency’. It also means punishment. But there is a general
impression that obedience to rules and punishment for their breach constitute the main aspects of
discipline in an organization. Rules and Laws are necessary for the existence of society. They are
generally observed when their advantages are known and accepted.
Meaning and Definitions
Discipline is the orderly conduct by an employee in an expected manner. It is the force or fear of
a force that deters an individual or a group from doing things that are detrimental to the
accomplishment of group objectives. In other words, discipline is the orderly conduct by the
members of an organization who adhere to its rules and regulations because they desire to
cooperate harmoniously in forwarding the end which the group has in view.
Good discipline means that employees are willing to abide by company rules and executive
orders and behave in the desired fashion. Discipline implies the absence of chaos, irregularity
and confusion in the behavior of a worker. According to Calhoon, ‘Discipline is a force that
prompts individuals or groups to observe rules, regulations and procedures which are deemed to
be necessary for the effective functioning of an organization’.
Violation of rules, regulations, procedure and norms is considered as misconduct, that is, any act
which is inconsistent with the fulfilment of the expressed and implied conditions of service—or
is directly linked with the general relationship of the employer and the employee—has a direct
effect on the contentment or comfort of men at work or has a material bearing on the smooth and
efficient working of the organization concerned.
Every organization wants its employees’ behavior to be in conformity with the required system
which it has prescribed in order to achieve the organizational goals. Thus, in brief, discipline is
orderly conduct by the employee in an expected manner. The purpose of discipline is to
encourage employees to behave sensibly at work, that is, adhere to rules and regulations.
Disciplinary action is called for when an employee violates one of the rules.
Richard D. Calhoon- “Discipline is the force that prompts individuals or groups to observe rules,
regulations, standards and procedures deemed necessary for an organization.” Discipline means
systematically conducting the business by the organizational members who strictly adhere to the
essential rules and regulations.
These employees/organizational members work together as a team so as to achieve
organizational mission as well as vision and they truly understand that the individual and group
aims and desires must be matched so as to ensure organizational success.
A disciplined employee will be organized and an organized employee will be disciplined always.
Employee behavior is the base of discipline in an organization. Discipline implies confirming
with the code of conduct established by the organization. Discipline in an organization
ensures productivity and efficiency. It encourages harmony and co-operation among employees
as well as acts as a morale booster for the employees.
In absence of discipline, there will be chaos, confusion, corruption and disobedience in an
organization. In short, discipline implies obedience, orderliness and maintenance of proper
subordination among employees. Work recognition, fair and equitable treatment of employees,
appropriate salary structure, effective grievance handling and job-security all contribute to
organizational discipline.
Therefore discipline means securing consistent behavior in accordance with the accepted norms
of behavior. Simply stated, discipline means orderliness. It implies the absence of chaos,
irregularity and confusion in the behavior of workers.
Factors to be considered
1. Seriousness of the Problem:
The manager must assess how serious is the indiscipline. For example, sexual harassment is
more serious than late coming.
2. Duration of the Problem:
It must be known for how long the problem continues or how often this happens. First time
offence may be less serious than subsequent offences of longer duration.
3. Nature of the Problem:
The pattern of the problem calls for more attention. It must be known whether it is a part of
emerging problem or a continual problem. Continual problem is a serious one.
4. External Influence:
Sometimes a disciplinary problem may arise which is external to the employee. For example, an
employee may fail to appear for an important meeting or performance appraisal due to some
accident.
5. Degree of Familiarity:
The organization with formal written rules governing the employee conduct is more justified in
strictly enforcing disciplinary action taken than the organization where the rules of conduct are
informal or vague.
6. Disciplinary Practices:
There must be well laid out procedure in assessing disciplinary problems. Equitable treatment
must take into consideration the previous actions taken against the employees for similar type of
disciplinary violations.
7. Management Support:
When the affected employee takes the issue to higher authorities, the manager must be having
adequate reasons/data to defend his actions. The disciplinary action is not likely to carry weight
if the violators believe that they can challenge the manager’s decisions.
Major Types of Employee Discipline
Type # 1. Positive Discipline:
Positive discipline in a business is an atmosphere of mutual trust and common purpose in which
all employees understand the company rules as well as the objectives and do everything possible
to support them. Any disciplinary program has, as its base, that all of employees have a clear
understanding of exactly what is expected of them. This is why a concise set of rules and
standards must exist that is fair, clear, realistic and communicated.
Discipline takes the form of positive support and reinforcement for approved actions and its aim
is to help the individual in molding his behavior and developing him in a corrective and
supportive manner. Once the standards and rules are known by all employees, discipline can be
enforced equitably and fairly.
Type # 2. Negative Discipline:
Generally, negative discipline is interpreted as a sort of check or restraint on the freedom of a
person. Discipline is used to refer to the act of imposing penalties for wrong behavior. If
employees fail to observe rules, they are punished. The fear of punishment puts the employee
back on track.
“Discipline is the force that prompts an individual or a group to observe the rules, regulations
and procedures which are deemed to be necessary to the attainment of an objective”.
Type # 3. Self-Discipline and Control:
Behavioral scientists view discipline as self-control to meet organizational objectives.
Megginson clarified the term thus- “By self-discipline we mean the training that corrects molds
and strengthens. It refers to one’s efforts at self-control for the purpose of adjusting oneself to
certain needs and demands. This form of discipline is raised on two psychological principles.
First, punishment seldom produces the desired results. Often, it produces undesirable results.
Second, a self-respecting person tends to be a better worker than one who is not”.
Type # 4. Progressive Discipline:
The concept of progressive discipline states that penalties must be appropriate to the violation. If
inappropriate behavior is minor in nature and has not previously occurred, an oral warning may
be sufficient. If the violation requires a written warning, it must be done according to a
procedure. After written warnings, if the conduct of the employee is still not along desired lines,
serious punitive steps could be initiated.
In case of major violations such as hitting a supervisor may justify the termination of an
employee immediately. In order to assist a manager to recognize the proper level of disciplinary
action, some firms have formalized the procedure.
Type # 5. The Red Hot Stove Rule:
Without the continual support of the subordinates, no manager can get things done. But,
disciplinary action against a delinquent employee is painful and generates resentment on his part.
Hence, a question arises as to how to impose discipline without generating resentment? This is
possible through what Douglas McGregor called the “Red Hot Stove Rule”, which draws an
analogy between touching a hot stove and undergoing discipline.
Causes of Indiscipline
1. Organizational Factors:
i. Where the organization, while hiring the employees, fail to assess the traits of individuals like
attitude, obedience, tolerance and inquisitiveness, it may end up hiring employees who challenge
any decision made by the management. This may breed indiscipline.
ii. Lack of code of conduct for employees has potential to disorient them thereby sowing seeds of
indiscipline.
iii. Where an employee hired for a job for which he has neither aptitude nor attitude, he is sure to
develop ill-feelings. He may find the job uninteresting and do everything to evade responsibility.
iv. Ineffective leadership characterized by authoritarianism and incompetency, and distrustful
relations with employee’s fuel indiscipline among the employees.
v. Indiscriminate use of penal provisions triggers reactionary group indiscipline.
vi. Favoritism and nepotism practiced by supervisors vitiate discipline.
vii. Divisive policies pursued by management and instituting unofficial spy network spoils the
work atmosphere thereby engendering indiscipline.
viii. Biased performance evaluation on considerations of caste, creed, color, gender, religion and
region promotes ill-feeling and a sense of injustice among employees which culminate in
indiscipline.
ix. Absence of grievance redressed mechanism frustrates employee’s thereby breeding
indiscipline among them.
2. Individual Factors:
Individual differences caused by education, experience, values, attitudes, beliefs, intelligence,
personality, etc., cause employees to behave differently in an organization. Therefore some
individuals conform to rules and standards of behavior in much wider context than others.
i. Individuals with non-conformist values tend to engage in indisciplined behavior.
ii. Every individual perceives reward and punishment differently and react to it accordingly.
When the reward is not commensurate with his expectation, he may feel frustrated and indulge in
indiscipline.
iii. Individuals differ in work ethics. Those with high ethical values tend to be committed and
involved in the jobs while those with low ethical values show alienation to their jobs and exhibit
negative behavior.
3. Environmental Factors:
Since an organization is also one of the members of the society, discipline observed by the
society manifests in organizations. Indiscipline prevailing in family, educational institutions,
political system, religious institutions, breakdown of social control mechanism, etc., casts its
ugly shadow on the organizational climate.
8.2. Collective bargaining and Labor Relationship
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees
aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects
of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The interests of the employees are commonly
presented by representatives of a trade union to which the employees belong. The collective
agreements reached by these negotiations usually set out wage scales, working hours, training,
health and safety, overtime, grievance mechanisms, and rights to participate in workplace or
company affairs.
The union may negotiate with a single employer (who is typically representing a company's
shareholders) or may negotiate with a group of businesses, depending on the country, to reach an
industry-wide agreement. A collective agreement functions as a labor contract between an
employer and one or more unions. Collective bargaining consists of the process of negotiation
between representatives of a union and employers (generally represented by management, or, in
some countries such as Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands, by an employers' organization) in
respect of the terms and conditions of employment of employees, such as wages, hours of work,
working conditions, grievance procedures, and about the rights and responsibilities of trade
unions. The parties often refer to the result of the negotiation as a collective bargaining
agreement (CBA) or as a collective employment agreement (CEA).
Labor relations are the term used to define the process between employers and employees,
management and unions in order to make decisions in organizations. The decisions taken refer to
wages, working conditions, hours of work, and safety at work, security and grievances. Why is
an important topic for Human Resource Management?
It is know that wage and other economic benefits for employees represent not only their current
income, but also the potential for economic growth and the ability to live comfortable during the
active life and after the retirement. Wage is considered as an important economic variable for
competitiveness. The world economic crises have shown that the role of wages in sustaining
demand in a context of stagnant growth and very low inflation is very important and needs a
particular attention from the part of management boards, government and employees, through
their representants.
8.4. Grievance handling (Individual Assignment)
Individual Assignment
Discuss the following employee grievances that will occur in every business and come with your
presentation.
Directions:
1. No need to have document for submission
2. The only thing to be evaluated is your presentation
3. Your presentation must focus on the following
Concept about your area
Detail of the case/issue
How we can solve/reduce the problem
Who is responsible to solve/reduce the problem and how
Summary
4. One student has 20 minute for presentation
5. The following are areas to be discussed.
1) Poor job performance problems
2) Doesn’t work well with others
3) Not responsive to coaching
4) Resistance to change
5) Never takes ownership
6) Skills don’t match job
7) ‘Yes’ but……
8) Poor communication skill
9) Arrogance
10) Negative attitude
11) Not responsive for own action
12) Negative attitude
