Disciplinary action company policy
The Disciplinary Action policy outlines procedures for addressing employee misconduct or inadequate performance. It ensures employees are aware of the repercussions of their actions and provides a structured approach to handle violations, ranging from verbal warnings to termination, based on the severity of the offense.
This Disciplinary Action company policy template is ready to be tailored to your company’s needs and should be considered a starting point for setting up your employment policies.
The Disciplinary Action policy should include:
- Stages of disciplinary procedures, from verbal warnings to termination
- Specific scenarios and corresponding starting stages of the disciplinary procedure
- Documentation requirements for each stage and provisions for appeals
Disciplinary action policy template
Policy brief & purpose
Our Disciplinary Action company policy explains how we address our employees’ misconduct or inadequate performance. Employees must be aware of the consequences of their actions. We use this policy to outline our disciplinary procedure.
Scope
This policy applies to all our employees.
Policy elements
The stages that may be followed when discipline is deemed necessary include the following:
- Verbal warning
- Corrective Actions/Counseling
- Official written reprimand
- Disciplinary meeting with appropriate supervisor or manager
- Final written warning
- Detraction of benefits
- Indefinite suspension or demotion
- Termination
The nature of the offense must be explained to the employee from the beginning of the procedure. The verbal warning may take the form of a simple oral reprimand but also a full discussion if that is necessary.
The employee must read and sign the written reprimand and final written warning. These documents include the time limit in which an employee must correct their conduct before we take further discriplinary action.
The following scenarios indicate where the disciplinary procedure starts depending on the violation:
Performance issues. Disciplinary procedure starts at stage 1. It includes but is not limited to:
- Failure to meet performance objectives.
- Attendance issues.
- Failure to meet deadlines.
Misdemeanors/One-time minor offense. Disciplinary procedure starts at stage 1. It includes but is not limited to:
- Rude behavior to customers or partners.
- On-the-job minor mistakes.
- Breach of dress code/open door policy etc.
- Involuntary Discrimination.
Misconduct/Frequent offender. Disciplinary procedure starts at stage 5. It includes but is not limited to:
- Lack of response to counseling and corrective actions.
- Lost temper in front of customers or partners.
- On-the-job major mistakes.
- Unwillingness to follow health and safety standards.
Severe offensive behavior/Felony. Disciplinary procedure starts at stage 6. It includes but is not limited to:
- Corruption/ Bribery.
- Breach of employment agreement.
- Harassment/ Voluntary discrimination.
- Workplace Violence.
- Embezzlement/Fraud.
- Substance Abuse.
Managers or HR may choose to repeat stages of our disciplinary procedure as appropriate. This decision depends on employees’ reaction to our disciplinary procedure, whether they repent their behavior and the nature of their offense.
Our disciplinary procedure begins when there is sufficient evidence to justify it. When there is suspicion or hints of misconduct, managers or HR must investigate the matter first.
Appeals are allowed and must be filed to the next line of management as soon as possible.
HR and managers should document every stage of our disciplinary procedure (except the verbal warning.) If appropriate, include necessary information like evidence, testimonies and employee’s progress or improvement.
We are obliged to refrain from disciplinary actions that may constitute retaliatory behavior. A no retaliation company policy will be effective at all times to ensure there is no misuse of our disciplinary procedure.
We have the right to modify this policy or act in any other legal or reasonable way as each case demands. But, we will always enforce discipline in a fair and lawful manner.
| Disclaimer: This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy. |