Chapter 12 Problem Employees: Counseling and Discipline

Chapter 12 Problem Employees: Counseling and Discipline

I. Chapter Overview

The chapter identifies common types of problem behavior among employees. Those most likely to be encountered by supervisors are absenteeism and tardiness, insubordination and uncooperativeness, alcohol and drug abuse, and employee theft. There are two general methods discussed to help supervisors improve employee performance: counseling and the discipline process. In addition; organizations may have an employee assistance program (EAP) to assist troubled employees.

Counseling helps employees solve their problems, which enables them to perform better at work. Supervisors should counsel employees when they need help in determining how to resolve a problem that is affecting their work. When employees have problems that supervisors are unqualified to help with, they should refer employees to a professional.

Counseling consists of one or more discussions between the supervisor and the employee. These discussions may involve directive counseling, in which the supervisor suggests solutions, or nondirective counseling, with the supervisor primarily listening and encouraging the employee to look for the source of the problem and identify possible solutions.

In administering discipline, the supervisor explains the significance and consequences of the employee’s behavior, then, if necessary, lets the employee experience those consequences. A typical process of discipline occurs in stages, with the supervisor first administering one or more warnings, then a suspension, demotion, and finally dismissal. The supervisor should administer discipline promptly, privately, impartially, and unemotionally. All disciplinary actions should be documented and placed in the employee’s file.

Positive discipline focuses on preventing problem behavior from ever beginning. It can include making sure employees know and understand rules, creating conditions under which employees are least likely to cause problems, using decision-making leaves when problems occur, and rewarding desirable behavior. The goal of positive discipline is self-discipline among employees or employees who voluntarily follow the rules and meet performance standards. Supervisors who expect self-discipline from their employees must practice it themselves.

Discipline problems may be the result of personal problems, such as substance abuse. These employees are defined as troubled employees. When the supervisor suspects that an employee is troubled, the supervisor should document the problem, then meet with the employee and describe the evidence of a problem, focusing on the employee’s performance at work. The employee should then be referred to a professional for help and informed of the consequences of not getting help. Employees should be made aware that their job performance must improve. Follow up from the supervisor will be in terms of improved job performance.

To best help their employees, supervisors should learn about their organization’s procedures and resources for assisting employees. This may involve referring employees for help outside the organization or to the organization’s employee assistance program.

The supervisor may also seek the help of others in the organization. The supervisor’s boss and human resources department can help the supervisor handle problem employees in ways that follow organization guidelines, legal requirements, and the union contract (if any). A supervisor should discuss a problem employee with his or her boss, so that the boss can offer advice and provide necessary authorization for such steps as suspension or dismissal.

II. Teaching me Concepts by Learning Objectives

Learning Objective 12.1: Identify common types of problem behavior among employees.

1. Key term.

Insubordination: Deliberate refusal to do what the supervisor or other superior asks.

2. Teaching notes.

In general, problem employees fall into two categories: (1) employees causing problems, for example by starting fights or leaving early, and (2) employees with problems, such as an employee whose money worries are a distraction from work. By handling such employees appropriately, the supervisor can help resolve the problem without hurting the morale or performance of the other employees.

When supervisors observe poor performance, they tend to blame the employee for lack of ability or effort. Both supervisors and employees tend to blame the organization or another person for not providing enough support when explaining their own poor performance. To uncover the true source of a performance problem, the supervisor might consider the following issues:

· Whether the employee has performed better in the past?

· Whether the employee has received proper training?

· Whether the employee knows and understands the objectives he or she is to accomplish?

· Whether the supervisor is providing enough feedback and support?

· Whether the supervisor has encouraged and rewarded high performance?

· Whether other employees with similar abilities are performing well or experiencing similar difficulties?

The problems that supervisors most commonly encounter are absenteeism and tardiness, insubordination and uncooperativeness, alcohol and drug abuse, and employee theft.

a. Absenteeism and tardiness. This is an expensive problem. An absent employee may be paid for the time off, or replaced with a less productive person. Also, missing work is often a sign of a deeper problem, such as a family crisis, anger about something at work, or plans to leave the organization.

b. Insubordination and uncooperativeness. Poor performance may result from not understanding how to do something. This is corrected by training. Sometimes an employee performs poorly or breaks rules because he or she chooses to do so. This may be uncooperative behavior or deliberate refusal to do what he or she is told. Many kinds of negative behavior fall into the following categories:

· General poor attitude--criticizing, complaining, and showing dislike for the supervisor and organization

· Making an art out of doing as little as possible

· Spending most of the day socializing, joking around, or moving as slowly as possible

· Regularly failing to follow rules--forgetting to wear safety equipment or sign out at lunchtime

· Disregard for supervisor’s instruction to do something, saying it will be done later

· Sarcastic, hostile, or passive behavior which may be a symptom of an underlying problem

c. Alcohol and drug abuse. Some poor performance such as unsafe practices, sloppy work, or frequent absences may be a symptom of alcohol or drug abuse on or off the job. These employees are expensive to the organization. They can hurt the organization by lower productivity. They are more likely to quit, more likely to cause accidents, have a higher use of disability and sick benefits, and increase insurance costs.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of physical or mental disability, treats substance abuse arising from any addiction as a disability. Therefore, substance abuse may not be legal grounds for firing an employee.

The supervisor should note that the federal antidiscrimination law treats substance abuse as a disability, and companies should encourage the employee to get help. Any actions taken with regard to the employee should focus on work performance, not on the substance abuse itself. Since the supervisor is responsible for ensuring a safe workplace for employees and others, it means that if an employee’s suspected substance abuse is creating a hazard, the supervisor must act. The supervisor must treat each employee fairly and avoid discrimination.

d. Employee theft. Employees take companies’ inventory, supplies, and money as well as “steal time” by giving the employer less work than they are paid for. A supervisor should take measures to prevent and react to theft In addition to organizational procedures, supervisors should carefully check the background of anyone they plan to hire. They should make sure that employees follow all procedures for record keeping. They should also build employees’ morale and involvement, make sure employees understand the costs and consequences of theft, and set a good example. If a supervisor suspects an employee is stealing, he or she should report it to the boss and to the police or professional security consultants.

3. Teaching examples to identify common types of problem behavior among employees.

New and experienced supervisors are likely to encounter problem employees, or employees who are unable or unwilling to follow rules or meet performance standards. Since these employees will make it difficult for the supervisor to achieve the objectives of the department, he or she will need to be sure performance problems are quickly identified and corrected.

How a supervisor deals with this type of problem will depend somewhat on the employee involved. If this is a problem for new employees, it is likely the person will be dismissed before the end of the probationary period. Employees who have completed their probationary period will be dealt with in a variety of ways, including counseling and disciplinary action.

Many organizations have a policy that defines excessive attendance problems. In a unionized organization, it will be spelled out in the union contract. Even though the policy allows a certain amount of absenteeism and tardiness without serious consequences, any unexpected absences will make it more difficult for supervisors to meet department objectives. The supervisor may want to take some action before the employee reaches the point where disciplinary action must be taken, such as a reminder of the policy and the employee’s current attendance record.

A company policy can encourage absenteeism. One of the reasons that employees have excessive absenteeism is that they believe they are entitled to the time off. For example, if five absences are allowed before a disciplinary warning is issued and ten days before there is any serious consequence, the employee may think he or she is entitled to the five days off. This may be more likely to happen if it is paid time off.

Another policy used by some organizations is a “no fault’’ policy, where no questions are asked and the absenteeism can be for any reason. In contrast to an organization where there are excused and unexcused absences, the “no fault” policy does not require the employee to justify his or her absence. Since an employee can take a day off for no reason at all, some employees are absent whenever they feel like it and may use up all of the allowed time. These employees may then have an emergency and have to take a day off. This employee may find disciplinary action follows what they believe is a legitimate reason for being absent.

b. Insubordination and uncooperativeness. Poor performance may result from not understanding how to do something. This is corrected by training. When this condition is found, it is not likely to be a problem to the supervisor since it can be easily fixed.

Sometimes an employee performs poorly or breaks rules because he or she chooses to do so. This may be uncooperative or deliberate refusal to do what he or she is told. This type of problem will likely be much more difficult for the supervisor to correct. If the need for training has been eliminated, then the supervisor may want to review the following before more serious action is taken:

· Whether the employee has performed better in the past. If he or she has, then something has changed with the employee, the work to be performed, or the supervisor. With some thought, the supervisor may be able to figure out what might be a cause of the problem before discussing performance with the employee.

· Whether the employee knows and understands the objectives he or she is to accomplish. When the pace of work increases after a slow period, employees may not pick up the pace or may complain about the heavier work load. This situation may be improved by the supervisor discussing anticipated changes in the workload. If it is returning to a more normal pace, the supervisor may want to express that the workload may seem to be heavier, but it is what they were doing at a previous time.

· Whether the supervisor is providing enough feedback and support. Employees like to feel they are doing a good job. A supervisor should not neglect telling employees how they are doing.

· Whether the supervisor has encouraged and rewarded high performance. When good work is overlooked, employees may ask themselves why they should try so hard.

· Whether other employees with similar abilities are performing well or experiencing similar difficulties. If all or most of the employees are experiencing similar difficulties, it is probably something in the way work gets done or the system.

Many kinds of negative behavior fall into the following categories: general poor attitude--criticizing, complaining, and showing dislike for the supervisor and organization; making an art out of doing as little as possible; spending most of the day socializing, joking around, or moving as slowly as possible; regularly failing to follow rules--forgetting to wear safety equipment or sign out at lunchtime; disregard for supervisor’s instruction to do something, saying it will be done later; sarcastic, hostile, or passive behavior, which may be a symptom of an underlying problem.

Any or all of the above behaviors may be a result of the above reasons. There is no one answer for all of the possible reasons and resulting behaviors. The supervisor may be able to change the behavior by changing his or her behavior, using counseling techniques, or by taking disciplinary action.

a. Alcohol and drug abuse. Some poor performance, such as unsafe practices, sloppy work, or frequent absences, may be a symptom of alcohol or drug abuse on or off the job. These employees are expensive to the organization. They can hurt the organization by lower productivity, they are more likely to quit and to cause accidents, are higher users of disability and sick benefits, and increase insurance costs. The supervisor must take action.

Poor performance related to drinking may be more difficult for a supervisor to confront than illicit drug use. Because drinking is socially acceptable and problem drinking behavior generally is not well understood, the supervisor may sympathize with the employee who has a drinking problem. For example, a supervisor may overlook poor performance when he or she knows the employee is suffering from a hangover. To counteract this tendency, a supervisor must be aware and take action is not acceptable. In addition, supervisors should be aware of signs of drinking and drug use that can impair performance.