Rewards and Risks: Progressive vs. Flexible Discipline Policy

This course will instruct attendees on the principles behind progressive and flexible discipline policies, and guide them in opting for the most ideal policy for their organization.

Why Should You Attend:

Many firms default to a structured progressive discipline policy in their handbook and for their firm. This may not be the best choice for the organization and therefore may be generating more not less risk for the firm.

This webinar will walk through the two versions, i.e. progressive and flexible discipline policies, and discuss their rewards and risks so firms can make informed decisions on what is best for them. The instructor will also highlight the differences between these policies and enumerate best practices for both.

The session will also discuss the risks associated with both kinds of policies and instruct attendees on choosing the ideal policy as per their firm’s requirements.

Learning Objectives:

• Difference between progressive and flexible discipline policies
• Progressive discipline policy overview
• Rewards of a progressive discipline policy
• Risks of a progressive discipline policy
• Flexible discipline policy overview
• Rewards of a flexible discipline policy
• Risks of a flexible discipline policy
• Considerations for choosing the best policy for your firm

Areas Covered in the Webinar:

• Introduction and agenda
• What are the differences between progressive and flexible discipline policies?

Progressive discipline policy

• Focus is on a structure with clearly defined steps for the disciplinary process
• Both managers and employees are aware of and must follow the process
• Most common type of discipline policy because of the structure it provides and the communication and documentation built into the process steps

Flexible discipline policy

• Focus is on expected behavior and employee accountability for behaving appropriately in the workplace
• Both managers and employees are aware of unacceptable behavior and that discipline will be applied based on the severity of the issues and circumstances surrounding it
• Less common type of discipline policy because it relies heavily on setting broad expectations for employees than administering discipline based on precedent and current circumstances - it does not outline required communication and documentation

Key compliance issues with discipline policies

• Discrimination and wrongful termination
• Clear communication to employees of company expectations and time for the employee to make necessary adjustments
• Past precedent(s)
• Adverse impact issues
• Documentation
• Unemployment claims

Progressive discipline policy overview

• Sample progressive discipline policy
• Key components
• What are the rewards of a progressive discipline policy?
• What are the risks of a progressive discipline policy?
• Flexible discipline policy overview
• Sample flexible discipline policy overview
• Key components
• What are the rewards of a flexible discipline policy?
• What are the risks of a flexible discipline policy?
• Considerations to take into account to determine which policy is best for your firm.
• Are the majority of your disciplinary issues tactical and performance/productivity based or soft skill and behavior based?
• What level of involvement does HR have in your current discipline process?
• Protects firm from wrongful termination and adverse impact
• How strong are the verbal and written communication skills of your managers?
• Better documentation and employee communication
• As a firm, which do you value more highly: consistency or flexibility?
• Do you regularly challenge unemployment claims and will that be your approach going forward?
• Questions

Who Will Benefit:

• HR professionals
• Business leaders
• Executives and managers
• First-line supervisors
• Consultants and executive coaches
• Business owners
• Office administrators