Discipline for All

Recently a manager called a meeting of the entire crew because a few employees were chronically late coming to work. Rather than deal with the individuals, the manager thought it would be best to let everyone know that lateness was not acceptable.

Have you ever been to a meeting like that? Everyone is scolded for the actions of a few. Whether it's lateness, extended breaks, personal telephone calls, too much personal time, too much talking, or what have you some managers think it better to counsel everyone rather than dealing with just the offenders.

Perhaps these managers don't want to offend anyone. Perhaps they want to avoid a direct confrontation. Perhaps they think it's more expedient to get the message out to everyone, or maybe they think that counseling everyone might keep some of the non-offenders from adopting the behavior in the future.

Unfortunately, a mass counseling session does not work. The offenders usually believe that the problem is no big deal, because if it were they would have received a stronger and more personal message. Indeed, some offenders might feel like they got away with something. It's even possible that some offenders are happy that otherwise good employees are being spoken to as well. The end result: every little impact on the actual offenders.

Good employees usually wonder why they had to go to such a meeting. After all, they haven't done anything wrong. They also wonder why the manager does not deal directly with the people who are causing the problem. And they know that work is piling up at their workstation while they sit through a disciplinary session that doesn't involve them. The end result: good people feel like they have been punished and that feeling lowers their morale.

The best rule: Counsel individuals, not groups. Discipline in private, not in public.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.