Progressive discipline is a system of discipline where the penalties increase upon repeat occurrences.
This term is often used in an employment or
human resources context where rather than terminating
employee
Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any other ...
s for first or minor
infraction
A summary offence or petty offence is a violation in some common law jurisdictions that can be proceeded against summarily, without the right to a jury trial and/or indictment (required for an indictable offence).
Canada
In Canada, summary offen ...
s, there is a
system
A system is a group of Interaction, interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment (systems), environment, is described by its boundaries, ...
of escalating responses intended to correct the negative behavior rather than to punish the employee.
In an employment context, the concept of
just cause Just Cause may refer to:
* Just cause (employment law), a common standard in United States labor arbitration, and a reason for termination of employment.
* ''Just Cause'' (film), a 1995 legal thriller starring Sean Connery
* ''Just Cause'' (TV se ...
is usually at the root of progressive discipline practices.
Just cause is a principle in collective bargaining contracts that forces employers to prove their grievances against employees.
History
Progressive discipline evolved out of labor disputes and collective bargaining practices.
[Sonnenstuhl, William J., et al. "Employee assistance and drug testing: Fairness and injustice in the workplace." Nova L. Rev. 11 (1986): 709.] Prior to the widespread implementation of 'Just Cause' clauses in union contracts, it was not uncommon to see onerous hidden requirements of employment for workers. Among the most famous is Ford's insistence on investigating the personal lives of his employees and issuing terminations for those whose personal life he deemed unseemly.
Process
The typical stages of progressive discipline in a workplace are:
# Counseling or a verbal warning;
# A written warning;
# Suspension or demotion; and
# Termination.
The stage chosen for a particular infraction will depend on a variety of factors that include the severity of the infraction, the previous work history of the employee and how the choice will affect others in the organization.
Also inherent in progressive discipline is regression to previous stages once enough time passes.
See also
*
Disciplinary probation
References
Human resource management
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