Disciplinary action. How to handle it properly?
Over the course of managing your business, I am sure you have had to manage few situations where you had to take disciplinary action against an employee. How did that feel? What was your experience going into the chat with the employee?
While getting warnings is bad for the morale for the employee, it needs to be handled well so that you look as if you are mentoring them rather than reprimanding them.
And while that is difficult, labour laws add a spin to the mix with rules on how you can or cant behave.
So how do you get it right?
Follow these tips to ensure you handle the situation correctly
Be prepared
Before you sit down with an employee for having a chat on work performance related issues, make sure you have all the facts correct.
Usually in the hotel industry, there are very few cases where the mistakes are glaring and not as per the rule book. Other times it is more of service failure which can be interpreted differently from different point of view.
Gather all the information beforehand so that you are not surprised while you are having a discussion. That can derail you talk and the conversation can have unintended consequence.
Identify opportunities for development
While it is a difficult time for you and the employee, look at the positive side of the situation. Whatever warranted the chat is not grave enough for immediate termination.
So obviously you want your employee to stay and perform better.
Use the forum to build a positive mentoring spin on the situation and use it to identity issues that lead to the situation.
Once you identify the issue, work with the employee to find solutions and get buy in for the solution.
Be consistent
Every single employee talks to their colleagues more than you could possibly ever talk to them. In lockers and in cafeteria, all you actions are discussed and debated.
Be consistent in the process of disciplining people. When employees realise that you are consistent in dealing with them, they will be more receptive to the process of change.
If you play favorites then the chat is viewed negatively. However if you are mostly consistent in dealing with people, they will be in a better frame of mind when they come to have a chat with you.
In conclusion:
Disciplining your employees can be a task that can take a toll on your health, however you can do this successfully if you are:
- Prepared
- Looking for opportunity to make it about the employee development
- Consistent in your approach
To Download a copy of the form to use to record the incident, consider buying the HR Forms and Format bundle.
This product has forms that you can use in the HR department along with the Employee corrective action form that you can use for taking disciplinary action