Your Disciplinary Process is Making Things Worse

Most managers don't set out to get it wrong. They're just frustrated, underprepared, and nobody ever sat them down and explained what a disciplinary process is actually for.

So they use it as a release valve. A way of showing the employee that enough is enough.

Sometimes they go in with the outcome already decided.

Sometimes they apply it to one person but let the same behaviour slide in someone else.

Sometimes they skip the informal stage entirely because they want to make it "official."

All of that makes things worse. Not just legally, but in practice.

The employee feels ambushed. The manager feels unsupported. The problem doesn't get fixed.

And six months later, you're either looking at a tribunal claim or doing the whole thing again from scratch.

Here's the reframe that changes everything:

A disciplinary process isn't about punishment. It's about behaviour change.

That one shift changes how you go into every conversation.

Instead of "how do I build a case against this person," the question becomes "what do I need this person to do differently, and what does a fair process look like to get there?"

We had a client recently who called us convinced they needed to dismiss an employee. Months of frustration, no improvement, team morale taking a hit.

But when we looked at the situation properly, there was no process behind any of it.

No informal conversation on record. No written expectations. NOTHING.

So we started at the beginning.

Informal stage first: clear, documented, fair.

Three months passed. Things didn't improve enough. We moved to a formal process and a written warning was issued.

And then something awesome happened... the employee improved.

Not a dramatic transformation. But real, consistent progress.

The client has the tools now to handle the odd slip-up when it happens. And they didn't lose someone who, with the right structure, turned out to be worth keeping.

That outcome wasn't luck. It was process used properly, for the right reasons.

If you're managing someone right now and you're not sure whether what you're doing counts as a process, it probably doesn't.

Here's what to check:

• Have you had a clear, documented informal conversation spelling out exactly what needs to change? If not, start there. It's not soft, it's essential.

• Are you applying the same standard to everyone? Inconsistency is one of the fastest ways to turn a disciplinary into a grievance.

• Do you know what you're actually trying to achieve? If the answer is "get rid of them," stop. If it's "I need this person to do X differently," you've got something to work with.

  
  

The process exists to give both sides a fair chance. Use it that way, and it's one of the most powerful tools you have.