What is progressive discipline?

Progressive discipline refers to a discipline technique in which penalties for bad behaviour are increased with repeated offences. When it comes to business, it can be a way for management to solve problems around incompetence or misconduct.

Incompetence: The employee lacks the skills or ability to do the job. Many people overexaggerate their skills when applying for a position, so it is not uncommon to find that a worker is not sufficiently competent in some areas of their job. By using progressive discipline, management is able to help their employee rather than jumping to fire them.

Misconduct: The employee breaks rules that keep the workplace efficient and safe. If an employee is acting inappropriately or violating policies, it’s important to stop the behaviour in an appropriate manner. Progressive discipline can allow management to deal with issues as they arise while maintaining productivity and worker safety.

Government guidance on using progressive discipline in the workplace

The Government of Canada suggests that the use of progressive discipline can be effective as it allows employers to:

• Act early before poor work becomes a habit.
• Be fair by clarifying job expectations.
• Improve the employee’s performance by providing appropriate direction.
• Solve the problem before it goes on for too long.

One of the most important aspects of implementing progressive discipline in the workplace is record keeping. Being able to take notes on the different interactions’ management has with workers can save the company from unwarranted complaints or possible lawsuits. It is recommended that you keep records of:

• meetings
• training sessions
• warnings issued
• performance reviews

For more guidance on progressive discipline from the Government of Canada please click here.

Best practices for verbal warnings

A verbal warning can be considered the first tier of progressive discipline. There are a few things to think about, though, when issuing one. For instance, what type of incident are you talking about? Is it something small like wearing flip flops to the office or something big like harassment? Though both of these issues need to be addressed, the way you approach each of them is likely to be somewhat different. For the flip flops example, you might just mention it in passing, whereas harassment clearly requires a serious discussion.

No matter how big the issue might be, there are a few guidelines when issuing a verbal warning:

• Do it privately. Always make sure that other co-workers are not around when issuing a verbal warning. This makes the entire experience easier for the employee, which can help put them at ease.
• State the issue clearly. When giving a verbal warning, make sure that you are very clear about what the actual issue is. There’s no need to be subtle, as that may just lead to confusion.
• Discuss what changes need to be made. This will allow the employee to understand what the expectations are going forward, which will help them avoid reoffending.
• Provide a timeline for correction. By providing a timeline, there are no questions as to when the behaviour needs to change. This is especially important if the verbal warning is about an incompetence issue. You need to give the employee the appropriate amount of time to fix the issue, so that they can be successful at following the rules.
• State the consequences. It should be clear to the employee what the next steps will be if action isn’t taken. Even if the verbal warning is about something small like a dress code violation, it should be clear to the employee what will happen if the problem continues.
• Document the verbal warning. It’s good practice to always document verbal warnings so that if there is a disagreement between management and employee later on, there will be something on file that points to past misdeeds. Taking a few minutes to write down what was said, when and which policy was violated can make it impossible for the employee to claim they didn’t know about the misdeed.
• Stay calm. If the employee gets upset, try to stay calm so that the interaction can end on a good note. When tempers fly, more problems are likely to come out of the verbal warning rather than a solution.

Best practices for written warnings

Once a verbal warning has been issued, if the employee is caught repeating the behaviour, a written warning would be the best next step. Sometimes things seem less important when said rather than written, so if verbal warnings go ignored, it’s time to move to a written warning.

Written warnings should be done with the same swiftness as verbal warnings and should also include:

• Date of warning, name of the employee receiving the warning and the name of the person issuing the warning. A written warning should be more formal, so write it the same way you would any formal business letter.
• Type of discipline. It’s important to establish what will happen after the letter is received. Be specific, so that the employee knows exactly what to expect.
• Detailed description of the misconduct and date the problem came up. Be clear as to why you are taking the action of a written letter. Be as clear as possible in the description of how the employee violated policy.
• Previous warnings given. Make sure to include when the employee was warned about the issues in the past, so that it establishes the fact that the employee has not listened to instructions.
• Specify which policy the employee violated. This will ensure there is no confusion as to why the written warning is being issued.