Disciplinary Actions and Procedures at Workplace: The Role of Hr Managers

Abstract

Organisational discipline arises out of the need for management to be able to control the conduct of employees and to re-direct their energies towards the attainment of corporate mission and objectives. Discipline is management action that encourages and ensures compliance with laid-down rules and regulations, governing the smooth operation of an organisation. It is management’s responsibility to develop and maintain effective discipline within the organisation. As in most peoples’ management functions, HR managers have an extremely important role to play in the design and implementation of disciplinary procedures that are fair to all, and that cases of discipline are dealt with in accordance with the organisation’s laid-down procedures. For the purpose of this article, reinforcement theory attributed to Skinner (1974), form the theoretical framework for this article. This article examines the nature of discipline, the causes of disciplinary action, the importance of disciplinary procedures and the role of HR managers in discipline handling. The article further takes a peep into the impact of objective disciplinary measures on employees’ performance. The article therefore, concludes that for discipline to be a means of correcting or punishing misdeed in an organisation, management must learn to maintain discipline by applying standards in a consistent, fair and flexible manner.