The principles of industrial discipline to ensure a good disciplinary system are given below:
Principles
1. Knowledge of Rules:
The employees (both supervisor and the worker) must be informed clearly about what constitutes good behaviour and the rewards that may emanate from it. For this purpose, the organisation should develop a code of discipline in co-operation with the workers.
This code should contain in writing the rules, regulations and procedures considered necessary to maintain discipline. These must be known to all concerned along with the punishment for their violations. Code of discipline should be published in employee handbook.
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2. Prompt Action:
All violations and misconducts should be promptly enquired into. When the penalty is imposed immediately after the misconduct, the offender identifies the punishment with the act he has committed.
Accordingly, the subordinate attempts to avoid the violation in future. The principle followed here is “strike the iron when it is hot”. The greater the delay, the more one forgets and the more one feels that punishment is not deserved.
3. Fair Action:
All acts of indiscipline should be punished consistently and uniformly. All persons should receive the same punishment for the same offence.
If different rules were applied to different persons, management would be accused of favouritism. An action in order to be fair must possess the following characteristics:
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(a) All violations – big and small – should be duly punished.
(b) All individuals should receive equal punishment for similar equal indiscipline.
(c) Inconsistent behaviour of management leads to uncertainty in the minds of subordinates. Discipline should be uniformly enforced at all times.
(d) The alleged violation should be fully inquired into.
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(e) The employee should always be given an opportunity to explain his action.
(f) The burden of proving the violation always lies on the management.
4. Well-Defined Procedure:
The procedure to be used for disciplinary action should be clearly laid down. Definite and precise provisions for appeal and review of all disciplinary actions should be provided for. It should include the following steps:
(a) The supervisor must assure himself that some violation of the rules has taken place.
(b) The supervisor should state precisely and objectively the nature of the alleged violation.
(c) The supervisor should then proceed to gather full facts about the case and maintain proper records.
(d) The appropriateness of a disciplinary action should be decided in terms of its effectiveness in correcting the employee.
(e) The accused employee should have the right to appeal to higher authorities.
5. Constructive Approach:
The disciplinary system should be as far as possible preventive rather than punitive. Focus should be on preventing violations rather than on administering penalties.
The immediate line supervisor should carry out disciplinary action. The employee should be told not only the reason for the action against him but also how he can avoid such penalties in future.
6. Self-discipline:
Self-discipline is the best form of discipline and management should encourage such sense of discipline among employees. After taking the disciplinary action, the supervisor must assume a normal attitude towards the worker.
7. Review and Revision:
A supervisor must play the role of a judge enforcing the law with impartiality. He should not engage in personal ridicule, insult or even criticism.
All rules and regulations should be appraised at regular intervals to ensure that they are appropriate to the changing times. If a particular rule is violated time and again, it should be thoroughly studied to discover and remove the causes of such violations.