Discipline In The Workplace Essay

Instilling Discipline in the Workplace

Employee discipline is an issue that every leader and every organization will experience at some point. As critical of an issue as this is, many leaders fail to properly enforce the standards outlined by their organization. Failing to do so may result in the organization never reaching its full potential and may create a climate that encourages poor behavior. This is where strong leaders must dedicate themselves to enforcing these standards at all costs. This brief article will serve as an outline for leaders at all levels.

Criteria for Discipline

There is a wide spectrum of actions that can qualify for disciplinary action within the work environment. They can range from insubordination and disrespect to criminal activates, such as: theft or fraud. The actions taken to punish the guilty individuals will show a concerted effort to promote discipline and assert a leaders influential power.

“Workplace discipline, when consistently and fairly applied, reinforces the rules you've established for workplace conduct and promotes employee morale. When workplace rules are clear, when they apply to everyone and when they are consistently enforced, employees know where they stand and how they are expected to behave. They are more likely to respect workplace rules when they know those rules will be enforced, thus reducing the likelihood that disciplinary action will be needed in the future.” (Strain, 2014)

Enforcing Standards

Strong moral character is an irreplaceable quality of an effective leader. How can you expect your subordinates to adhere to the standards when you do not follow them yourself? The moral image you portray will become the standard code of conduct for your employees to fol...

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...ocusing on these issues may cause organizational leadership to remove its focus from its critical required tasks. Until these issues are resolved, the organization will struggle to maintain its operational pace and performance potential.

Conclusion

Organizational discipline standards are a direct catalyst to the potential of the organization. When discipline levels are high and punishable incidents are low the organization has the potential to reach maximum efficiency. The burden of enforcing these standards lies on the appointed leaders, but it is responsibility of the employee to adhere to these standards. The influence of a disciplined employee can extend beyond their skill set and contribute to the success of the company. While an undisciplined but highly qualified employee will have the opposite effect and become the anchor holding the organization back.