Facing the prospect of disciplining an employee, many managers would rather … not. Having difficult conversations like this is one of the more frustrating and cumbersome (and, let’s face it, sometimes awkward) tasks a manager faces. And for HR managers, who may be tasked with employee discipline (directly or by assisting) or with training managers on how to handle employee issues, the task is no walk in the park.
The point of administering any type of discipline in a workplace setting is to change negative behaviors into positive ones. If an employee routinely comes in late, for example, the goal of any employer action is to get the employee to be at work on time. The goal should not be to punish, per se, but instead to change behavior.
