Given the questionable effectiveness of the “suspend without pay” approach, employers should consider Paid Decision-Making Leave (PDML). It’s more respectful—and more effective, says attorney Allison West.
West, who is principal of Employment Practices Specialists LLC, an employment law training and consulting firm in Pacifica, California, recommends the PDML program first described by performance management consultant Dick Grote in his book Discipline Without Punishment.
Grote’s method stresses making problem employees accountable for their actions, West says. Essentially, an employee with performance problems is coached and counseled regarding performance and company or job standards.
If his or her conduct reaches an unacceptable level, the employee receives a verbal reminder to correct the problem. The manager takes an active role in assisting the employee to turn around the problematic conduct.
If the reminder does not work, another coaching/counseling meeting is held that is fully documented. If the employee again repeats the unwanted conduct, he or she is sent home on a PDML. This novel approach focuses on putting the responsibility on the employee.
Yes, you do have time to train managers and supervisors with BLR’s 10-Minute HR Trainer. Try it at no cost or risk. Read more
The employee gets one day at home to think about whether he or she can live with the company’s policy and follow the rules. There’s no additional worry about paying bills or losing income. Employees on decision-making leave are solely charged with thinking about their own conduct and continued employment.
If the employee decides he or she cannot live with the employer’s rules, a plan is set up to help the person move on to a new job elsewhere.
If the employee comes back and commits to abide by the rules, he or she must agree that any additional misstep will result in immediate termination.
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Training Is the Key
When supervisors are new to the job, they don’t know how to handle discipline (or hiring, firing, managing FMLA, or accommodating a disability, for that matter).
It’s not their fault—you didn’t hire them for their HR knowledge—and you can’t expect them to act appropriately right out of the box. But you can train them to do it.
To train supervisors and managers effectively, you need a program that’s easy for you to deliver and that requires little time out of busy schedules. Also, if you’re like most companies in these tight budget days, you need a program that’s reasonable in cost.
We asked our editors what they recommend for training supervisors in a minimum amount of time with maximum effect. They came back with BLR’s unique 10-Minute HR Trainer.
As its name implies, it trains managers and supervisors in critical HR skills in as little as 10 minutes for each topic.
10-Minute HR Trainer offers these features:
—Trains in 50 key HR topics, including manager and supervisor responsibilities under all major employment laws and how to legally carry out managerial actions from hiring to termination. See a complete list of topics.
—Uses the same teaching sequence master teachers use. Every training unit includes an overview, bullet points on key lessons, a quiz, and a handout to reinforce the lesson later.
—Completely prewritten and self-contained. Each unit comes as a set of reproducible documents. Just make copies or turn them into overheads, and you’re done. Take a look at a sample lesson.
—Updated continually. As laws change, your training needs do as well. 10-Minute HR Trainer provides new lessons and updated information every 90 days, along with a monthly Training Forum newsletter, for as long as you are in the program.
—Works fast. Each session is so focused that there’s not a second’s waste of time. Your managers are in and out almost before they can look at the clock. Yet they remember small details even months later.
Evaluate It at No Cost for 30 Days
We’ve arranged to make 10-Minute HR Trainer available to our readers for a 30-day, in-office, no-cost trial. Review it at your own pace and try some lessons with your colleagues. If it’s not for you, return it at our expense. Go here and we’ll set things up.
Download list of training topics
Download sample lesson