Question

Employee Discipline: Analyze punitive and nonpunitive disciplinary approaches, and explain their impacts on employee relations.

Answer 1

The punitive approach to discipline penalises employees through reprimands, warnings, or suspensions without pay when they fall out of step with the organization’s expectations of discipline. When an employee gives problems arise, the job of the manager bevkmes to find the appropriate punishment. The use of punishment pushes employees to operat within the rules and policies of the organisation, without producing those employees who are genuinely committed. Punishment makes employees comply, but does little to improve their performance.

The non-punitive discipline approach makes use of measures that require poor performing employees to take personal responsibility for their behavior, and make a commitment to satisfactory performance if they are to continue to be employed. This approach focuses on performance improvement discussions, usually in the form of coaching or counseling. If the employee fails to improve his/her performance standards, he/she is given the option to either offer his/her resignation or agree to make the required changes. This method shifts the responsibility for performance management from the supervisor to the employee.