INTRODUCTION
This scenario is emphasizing on the problem which the managers face when they are lenient with the employees. Similarly in this case the manager wished to be cordial with his subordinates but in turn the subordinates started misusing his leniency. Everyone started breaking the barriers of work place ethics and starting taking their jobs lightly. The performance of the employee was also deteriorating with the passage of time.
SCENARIO ANALYSIS
Importance of professionalism
In a professional environment it is important that the employees understand their responsibilities and are aware of the rules of the company. An inefficient employee is costly for the company. It is the managerial responsibility to deal with such employees. They must align the employees to the goals of the company in such a way that a disciplined and friendly environment is maintained. The managers must be aware of their employees and their performance. The rules and regulations for the conduct must be defined by the management to the employees from the very beginning. The management must see that professionalism is maintained within the organization. This supports in retaining the effectiveness of the employee’s in the work environment (Bratton & Gold, 2009).
Sincerity towards work
When the employees are not sincere towards work or they make excuses it turns out to be a major obstruction for the company towards attaining its goals. In a professional environment it is necessary that the employees behave in a professional and ethical manner. The problems within the office environment may arise because of many reasons. Some employee’s falsely report themselves sick and take leave of absence without any particular reason. Within the offices few of the employees abuse the environment by using unethical practices such as using drugs or alcohol or showing violent behavior to fellow employees in the workplace (Bratton, Sawchuk, Forshaw, Callinan, & Corbett, 2010).
Counseling and resolution of issues
It is the responsibility of the managers to inspect the quality of work which the employees are producing. If the desired quality of work is not being produced then the employees in certain cases are offered counseling. Counseling can either be direct or indirect. As far as employee discipline is concerned it is very necessary that the methods which are adopted by the management are not very harsh nor they are lenient. Harsh decisions may spoil an effective workforce. The decisions which are taken must be aiming to resolve the issues, yet if the problems are not resolved then harsh decisions may be taken (Henry, 1995).
Steps for disciplining work environment
In the discussed environment where the management has given leniency to its employees in the past, severe actions may be difficult to implement. The employees may show resentment to this sudden change. The management must also see that the adverse decisions which are expected must be as per the company policy. The employee’s must be made aware of the job expectations and the discipline which they need to follow during the job. If the disciplinary actions are properly taken and still the employees are abstaining from complying with those rules then they must be given warning for their code of conduct. If warning seems to be ineffective then the employee may be suspended from the job temporarily. Most of the employees align to these changes but if still inefficiency is observed then such employees must be demoted. Demotion can take place by either transferring those workers to another department or by deducting their salaries etc. If nothing seems to work then the employee must be dismissed or terminated. Termination is very painful and harsh for the employer and the employee both (Price, 2007).
For effective discipline the manager must act immediately as soon as the inefficient behavior is observed. If the problem is ignored by the manager then there is a possibility that the problem persists. This is because if the employees get no response for the problems they may feel that it is not being noticed and they may persist in doing so. While dealing with the issues the manager must see that he directly addresses the employee and that he does not do so in front of other employees. If all this is kept in mind then the problems may be addressed effectively (Redman and Wilkinson, 2009).
Documentation
The behavior of the employees must be documented. The work pattern and the behavior can be used by the management to address the recent issues which have arisen. These can also be used as tools to ensure efficient performance of the employees. Documentation is important because it is a proof of the events which take place. Similarly the managers assess the performance or keep track of an employee’s records if they plan to dismiss them or offer appraisals to them for their performance (Salaman, Storey, and Billsberry, 2005).
Recommendation
The environment discussed in the case shows that the employee’s were dealt very leniently in the beginning. They stopped following the rules and their job performance started deteriorating as the time passed. The barriers between the employee and the manager relationship were also ignored. To overcome these issues the manager requires redefining the boundaries. He must conduct a meeting with the employees individually and must convey the issues to them. He must warn them and must give the employees a chance to align themselves. If they fail to do so then the management must take harsh actions against them. This case clearly shows that lenient attitude and constantly avoiding problems may cause inefficiencies and larger issues in the future. To deal with the challenges the processes discussed above may be applied by the management. If the employees still fail to understand then they must be terminated. This will define boundaries between the employees and the manager and it will also discipline the workforce.
CONCLUSION
In the case scenario discussed the employees took the cordial nature of the manager very leniently. They forgot their job responsibilities and the whole office environment were being affected because of this attitude. This shows that the employees had a non serious attitude towards their work. The manager must implement the discussions given above to resolve the situation mentioned in the case.
REFERENCES
Bratton, J. & Gold, J. (2009). Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice, 4th edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Bratton, J., Sawchuk, P., Forshaw, C., Callinan, M. & Corbett, M. (2010). Work and Organizational Behaviour, 2nd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Henry, C. (1995). Human Resource Management: A Strategic Approach to Management. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Price, A. (2007). Human Resource Management in a Business Context, 3rd edition. London: Cengage
Redman, T., & Wilkinson, A. (2009). Contemporary Human Resource Management: Texts and Cases. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall
Salaman, G., Storey, J., and Billsberry, J. (2005). Strategic Human Resource Management: theory and practice. London: Sage Publications Ltd
