Positive Discipline: Why HR Needs to Change its Disciplining Tactics Today

Historically, disciplinary action in the workplace was viewed as a means to punish and control employees who broke established rules and regulations. However, as companies have begun to recognize the importance of creating a positive and productive work environment for their employees, this approach to discipline has become increasingly outdated. As a result, there has been a shift toward positive discipline, which emphasizes behavior correction rather than punishment.

What is Positive Discipline?

Positive discipline is an approach to discipline that emphasizes the development of self-discipline and responsibility through positive reinforcement, communication, and education. It is a way of teaching employees to take responsibility for their actions and to understand the consequences of their behavior. Positive discipline encourages employees to learn from their mistakes and to work towards improving their performance, rather than simply punishing them for their shortcomings.

Why HR Needs to Change its Code of Discipline

In this day and age of quiet quitting, and employees resigning instead of seeing a disciplinary action through, disciplinary actions gain limited effect in many organizations. All of a sudden, you lose a high-potential employee because he or she made a stupid mistake that can easily be corrected by coaching. Positive discipline is a discipline approach that emphasizes self-discipline and responsibility development through positive reinforcement, communication, and education. It is a method of teaching employees to accept responsibility for their actions and comprehend the consequences of their actions. Rather than simply punishing employees for their shortcomings, positive discipline encourages them to learn from their mistakes and work to improve their performance.

Furthermore, positive discipline can aid in the prevention of workplace conflicts and grievances. HR can help employees understand the company’s policies and procedures and make informed decisions about their behavior by focusing on communication and education. This can help to reduce the likelihood of disciplinary issues and create a more harmonious work environment.

Recommendations for Implementing Positive Discipline

To implement positive discipline in the workplace, HR should adopt the following practices:

Clearly Define Expectations and Consequences – HR should clearly communicate the company’s expectations for employee behavior, as well as the consequences for violating these expectations. This can help to ensure that employees understand what is expected of them and can help to prevent misunderstandings and conflicts. To achieve this, Managers must also be equipped to talk about their stand on company policies during employee onboarding. Managers shouldn’t just talk about compliance but pursue alignment by talking about the “whys” of the company policy and code of discipline.
Use Positive Reinforcement – HR should use positive reinforcement to encourage positive behavior. This can include recognition programs, incentives, and other rewards that recognize and reinforce positive behavior. Managers must also be equipped to provide proper recognition that are specific, timely, and meaningful to the employees. This is important because what gets recognized and rewarded gets repeated.
Enable the Line Managers to provide feedback and support – I can’t imagine managers enjoying sending their people discipline memo, but that is what is usually available to deal with erring employees. HR needs to equip the managers so that they can provide employees with regular feedback and support, to help them improve their performance and to address any issues that may arise. This can help employees to feel valued and supported and can help to create a positive work environment.
Write coaching into the progressive disciplinary action process. This means that erring employees are provided proper coaching (not just constructive feedback or a scolding) when they make a mistake rather than issued a notice to explain or disciplinary memo. If a recurrence happens, coaching should be written into the procedure so that employees are not just given memos, managers engage the employees in a coaching conversation that leads to behavior adjustment.

Positive discipline is an approach to discipline that focuses on correcting behavior rather than punishing it. By adopting positive discipline strategies, HR can create a positive work environment, which can lead to improved employee morale, productivity, and retention rates. To implement positive discipline, HR should focus on clearly defining expectations and consequences, education and communication, positive reinforcement, and providing feedback and support. With these strategies in place, companies can create a culture of trust, respect, and collaboration, which can lead to a more engaged and motivated workforce.

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