BEHAVIOR CATEGORY An employee won’t perform an assignment. Conduct An employee can’t perform an assignment. Performance An employee is constantly late. Conduct An employee is not meeting a numeric quota of productivity. Performance An employee was rude to a coworker/customer. Conduct An employee’s work has frequent mistakes in it. Performance An employee has a “bad attitude.” Neither – Managers must identify observable behavior. Read More →
Employee expectations fall into two categories – Performance and Conduct. Performance : Expectations related to the employee’s job classification or job assignment. They include the quantity, quality, accuracy, and timeliness of work products. Conduct: Expectations are work rules that relate to employee behavior. Examples include adhering to work hours, proper use and reporting of time, honesty, proper interactions with clients and coworkers, etc. There are times when performance and conduct expectations “cross paths”. For example, a receptionist who is frequently tardy (conduct) may also be failing to meet a performance standard to unlock the office and prepare for the public (performance). Section 6: Performance dealsRead More →
In general, performance relates to the quantity, quality, accuracy, and timeliness of work products. Conduct issues relate to compliance with work rules. Performance problems usually involve a “can’t do” issue while conduct problems generally involve a “won’t do” or “should not have done” issue. For example, if an employee is making too many errors in work products, it is usually because he/she lacks the training, ability, or experience to properly perform the work (can’t do) and may need additional training or coaching. Conversely, if an employee is frequently late or absent (won’t do), it is usually not because he/she lacks the training, ability, or experienceRead More →
Conduct and performance are handled differently in terms of the corrective action process. You should always contact Employee & Labor Relations when there is any question about the appropriate corrective action process to follow. Again, if you are addressing conduct issues with a probationary employee that has not resulted in overall improvement, you should consult with your manager and contact your Employee & Labor Relations representative about rejecting him/her during their probationary period. Corrective Action and Disciplinary Action Corrective action and disciplinary action are two terms that you will encounter in dealing with performance and conduct issues. Although corrective action may lead to discipline, theyRead More →
Corrective action is the process the supervisor begins when an employee’s performance or conduct is first identified as needing improvement. Normally, the first step in corrective action is bringing the issue to the employee’s attention (counseling), and suggesting ways to “correct” the problem (corrective action plan). This first step is informal and may or may not result in a memo confirming the counseling. However, if a written memo confirming the counseling is not issued to the employee, the supervisor should still retain some written evidence that the counseling session occurred (e.g., a note in the supervisory drop file). Examples of informal “corrective action plans” youRead More →
Disciplinary action is taken when corrective action has not caused the employee to correct his/her performance or conduct to an acceptable level. Disciplinary action may be taken without prior corrective action when an employee’s performance or conduct is so egregious or serious (e.g. criminal offense, workplace violence) that informal corrective action is not an appropriate response. Disciplinary action includes suspensions/non-punitive discipline, temporary reductions in step, demotions, and dismissals. Disciplinary actions are discussed in more detail in both Section 7: Conduct and in Section 5: The Skelly Process.Read More →
Non-punitive discipline is a program that replaces unpaid suspensions with a disciplinary letter that equates to a suspension, thereby establishing that there has been previous discipline if misconduct occurs again. Positive aspects of non-punitive discipline from management’s perspective are that the employee does not actually leave the workplace, thereby avoiding the disruption to workflow and cost to fill in behind the employee. Positive aspects from the employee’s perspective are that no money is lost, and, in some cases, the “rehabilitation plan” which, if successfully completed, results in removal of the disciplinary letter within a specific period of time. See Section 7: Conduct for a completeRead More →