Discipline and Grievance Issues

7. Going for Improvement

Aim to improve behaviour or performance, not to punish the employee.

7.1 Be constructive and positive.

• Give a first warning, but accompany it with the offer of training.
• Counselling may be worth considering, if family or social difficulties underlie behaviour and performance problems.

7.2 Stress that it is the behaviour you are attacking, and not the person.

7.3 Devise an action plan for improvement to tackle ongoing problems.

7.4 Set the timescale for improvement after a hearing.

• Leave a stated amount of time for improvement between warnings.
• Tribunals insist that the time allowed and the degree of improvement demanded must be reasonable.