Discipline Boot Camp: How to Coach for Performance Improvement Without Getting Spanked

Not all employees perform at the same level. The variation in performance can become an issue where an employee doesn’t know or care about their work. They come in late or leave early (or both). They are unproductive with their time, disruptive in the workplace, and they cause problems with customers or other employees. Often, they hold the team back from reaching its potential. This course explores right and wrong ways to coach employees and address these deficiencies. The first part of this course focuses on how to clearly identify performance issues, set goals for improvement, and outline consequences. Part Two addresses how to document the process in a way that provides the employee a reference, gives the manager a tool for accountability, and demonstrates a reasonable approach where the action is later reviewed by a neutral third party (such as an attorney or labor commissioner).

Most managers don’t like dealing with discipline – either dispensing it or receiving feedback of poor performance. The ones who do look forward to discipline can be scary! But the reality is that coaching conversations and discipline are necessary. Good discipline leads to improved performance or a defensible position if challenged. Bad discipline will result in poor morale, higher turnover, allegations of unfairness or favoritism, and potential financial losses due to lost productivity – and in extreme circumstances due to the costs of defending regulatory and legal challenges.

How managers handle discipline AND how they document that discipline is key. Good managers will seize the opportunity to focus on improvement and motivation. Poor managers will leverage their title for short-term success and long-term detriment.