Program Design :Short Paper: Critiquing a Health Provider Program

Performance Management: Employee and Labor Relations

Luz Rodriguez

Southern New Hampshire University

Employee Discipline

Employee discipline is a vital element of healthy industrial relations. Any organization that desires to have smooth functioning of its operations must embrace employee discipline promotion and maintenance. In this regard, there are two major forms of employee discipline. First, there is the punitive approach. This technique incorporates the use of unpleasant actions to correct indiscipline among workers. Such actions are often perceived as punishment. Although punitive techniques may appear to work on the short term basis, these approaches often result in adverse long-term effects.

For instance, an employee can be suspended after engaging in bad workplace practices. This technique often has an adverse effect on employee relations. In the short-term, this measure will ensure the employee is not engaging the undesired practices and act as a warning to others. However, such a measure may result in high-workloads for other employees who try to compensate for the suspended employee’s duties. Also, it may lead to the suspended individual being humiliated. In the long run, it leads to the employees having negative perceptions of the work environment

Second, there is the non-punitive approach. This technique relies on positive reinforcements to correct the behavior of an undisciplined worker. It heavily emphasizes on self-discipline such that an employee is self-motivated to improve his/her behavior at the workplace. This system leads to more long-term positive effects on employee discipline compared to the punitive approach. However, this approach is often shunned by many organizations, which prefer traditional disciplinary techniques and do not care how the collective behavior of workers is affected by corporate culture (Campbell, Fleming, & Grote, 1985).

This technique often has a positive effect on employee relations. The non-punitive approach is a corrective action that gradually improves the culture of an organization. More so it ensures that both the employee and employer share the burden of the given punishment. For instance, rather than simply suspend an individual, an employer can send someone on paid leave. The employee is then asked to use this time to reflect on whether he/she will change for the better or not (Campbell, Fleming, & Grote, 1985). Often, such a move will make the employee alter his/her behavior on his/her own rather than be forced into it.

Performance Management

There are several elements of an effective performance management system. First, there is the setting of expectations and goals. Both the manager and employees must comprehend the organizational goals and expectations to know why they are working and what they hope to achieve. The goals have to be relevant, achievable, and measurable. This way, a team can plan effectively on how to achieve them. The expectations must also be reasonable enough so that the employees can meet them without being overworked or undercompensated. Second, there is monitoring. It is vital to monitor the progress of the team’s work. This enables a manager to know whether his/her team is on track to achieve organizational goals or not. In the latter case, relevant corrective measures can be taken. More so, the employees should be kept in the loop so that they have a sense of ownership of their work and development.

Third, there is improvement and development. Each member of a team should be encouraged to improve and develop his/her skills and knowledge as related to his/her work activities. A good manager always encourages his/her employees to improve and exceed their goals. Fourth, there is periodic rating. Regular performance appraisal is crucial in providing feedback to the organization on what is going right and what needs to be corrected. Finally, there is compensation and rewarding. This is crucial in giving employees incentives to continue improving their skill sets and keep on working hard to meet organizational goals.

If an employer’s system is characterized by these elements, then it will meet its organizational needs. This is because the elements ensure each team within an organization is aligned with the company’s strategic goals. More so, since each member is personally invested in the well-being of the organization, he/she will hard to meet the needs of the organization. Additionally, these elements create a close relationship between management and workers, resulting in a harmonious work environment.

Employee and Labor Relations

There are several differences between union grievance procedures and nonunion complaint processes. On the one hand, a union grievance procedure involves three stakeholders: the representatives of the union, the employees, and the representatives of the company’s management team. Grievances are taken to the immediate supervisor of the employee through an informal or formal process. The union representative and the supervisor will review the grievance and determine its validity (SHRM, 2020). If the grievance is valid, then the supervisor might resolve it promptly. However, if the resolution leaves the employees dissatisfied, the union will take over the role of the employee and directly be involved in the grievance process. At this stage, there will be an arbitration process to resolve the issue. Often, if the management declines to meet the union’s request, a strike, protest, or picket is organized by the union until a compromise is reached.

On the other hand, a nonunion complaint process only has two stakeholders: the employees and the representatives of the company’s management team. Complaints are taken to the immediate supervisor of the employee through an informal or formal process. The supervisor will review the complaint and determine its validity. If the complaint is valid, then the supervisor might resolve it promptly. If the resolution leaves the employees dissatisfied, the workers can request a revisit of the issue. Further than that, there is nothing much that the employees can do because they have no union to protect them min case they want to take stern measures such as go on strike or picket.

There are certain improvements that could be made to a nonunion complaint process. First, the complaint policy should be updated regularly to meet the relevant changes in employment law, leadership, and workforce composition. Second, an organization should implement certain practices that minimize the chances of employee complaints in the first place, for instance, having good supervisory training, effective performance appraisal systems, and employee surveys. The latter can be used to get feedback from employees on what needs to be improved. More so, there can be an open communication channel between the employers and employees in a way that ensures no one is victimized from airing genuine concerns that affect workers. The management on its part should always try its best to resolve employee issues in the best way possible.

References

Campbell, D., Fleming, R., & Grote, R. (1985). Discipline without punishment—At last. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/1985/07/discipline-without-punishment-at-last?registration=success

SHRM. (2020). Grievance procedures: What are the steps typically found in a grievance procedure? Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/hr-qa/pages/aresolutionformanagementandemployees.aspx