Maintaining Employee Discipline

Everyone likes to be liked by their staff, but a soft and weak manager can be often pushed around by the very employees he “attempts to lead.” In fact, his authority is almost nonexistent. His or her decisions become a mere part of the system—not the system itself. If you find yourself in this kind of situation, it’s time to enforce employee discipline. Here are some tips:

Set clear goals and objectives. Have you figured out what your company vision and mission is? Or do you see them as just some fancy words put out for good image? What is your office culture? The very first step in maintaining employee discipline is determining your goals—what you want the company to achieve some day; and your objectives—what you want your company and employees to be in the process. By having these in mind, you can now determine the standard of behavior you want the company to follow.

Exude confidence. A leader is not someone who cowers amidst critics. A leader believes in his skills, is confident in his decisions and in his actions. A leader is not shoved from point A to point B faster than Sunday afternoon traffic. A leader is only good with his words and commands when he is confident and sure of himself. Think about it: would you rather believe in someone who shakes and trembles awkwardly while telling you what you must do, or in someone who says the rules straight to your face? I’d say the latter is pretty convincing.

Have a set of rules and regulation. The most essential part of maintaining employee discipline is defining what the employees can/should/must do and vice versa, and the repercussions when these rules are violated. Rules and regulations are the basis of expected employee discipline.

In addition, company rules and regulations will contain the basis of your disciplinary actions. Company policies have a legal basis, which means you cannot simply impose sanctions while not having written company policies, as that may be ground for a legal action against you.

Lead by example. As the leader of the ship, you are the picture of discipline. If you do not follow your own rules, why should your employees do so? You set the standards—not the company manual. You are the one who shows the proper behavior expected in your workplace. If you play with your tablet, update your status on social media constantly and whatnot, why can’t your employees do the same?

Be consistent. A set of rules is only effective if it is actually observed and enforced every time necessary. Any rule not enforced is not a rule at all, but merely a worthless suggestion written on what you only hope to call your “company manual”. Observe consistency in implementing the rules. If employee A was allowed to plan out an activity for the company by himself and without interference of others, employee B must be afforded the same duties and rights as employee A. Consistency is one of the keys to authority.

Avoid over-familiarity. Being the good boss that every subordinate can tag along with whenever he/she feels like having overnight drinking sprees may first seem to be a good idea. You want to be “that boss” that everyone just calls by his first name, and can tell their deepest darkest secrets to, only to find out that after your fifth shot, their respect has been shot. I’m not saying that you should act all high and mighty, but rather, that you can be relatable to an extent, but everyone must still see and respect your authority

*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin. C-6, Sunday, October 26, 2014. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.