Positive discipline is a policy that attempts to handle employee problems in a non-punishment manner. The goal is to retain a productive employee rather than to punish and eliminate a bad employee. Positive discipline programs must be structured and understandable by employees and supervisors and the steps of a positive discipline program should be followed and documented.
Positive Discipline in the Work Place
Most people spend many hours of their lives at the place where they work. In this workplace we need to be successful to keep our jobs and to be promoted. One of the most important parts of our jobs is to get along with other people at work and to obey the rules of the place where we work. Unfortunately, many people cause discipline problems in their workplace. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to deal with discipline problems. Discipline for employees is important and is one of the most difficult areas of supervision. (Bielous, 2005) Most managers just want all employees to work, get along and follow the rules. But not all employees do this and when they do not, discipline problems result.
A supervisor can use positive or negative discipline to deal with employees who have problems. Negative discipline uses punishment for discipline problems. For example, an employee might be suspended or fired for breaking rules. Positive discipline does not use punishment to solve problems. Instead, supervisors try to change a problem employee into a good employee. Positive discipline is a type of discipline that uses positive coaching and counseling instead of punishment. Supervisor leadership is important to this style of discipline. Quickly dealing with the concerns of employees can prevent serious complaints (Himes, 1981). Successful positive discipline is positive and constructive rather than punishment and creates a feeling of respect (Anderson, 2001). This type of discipline has been slow to be accepted because most
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