Question

Part II

A) Under what circumstances would you use a progressive discipline process? When would you choose not to use such a procedure ?

B) Consider the case of a physician who has been practicing for 15 years and is one of the few well-established physicians in a small community. How would you respond if you learned about this physicians abuse of alcohol or Drugs?

Answer 1

Progressive discipline involves taking stricter actions when the task has not been performed.

A) I will use a progressive discipline process under extreme circumstances. It should be used only when there is no other alternative available. Below are the few situations where progressive discipline process can be used:-

Situation 1:- An employee is not able to do the assigned tasks and duties properly. Even after regular warnings, employee shows no sign of improvement. For such case following steps should be followed:-

• Employee should be communicated verbally first. An oral warning should be given
• After verbal communication, there should be a written warning
• If there is no improvement, the employee should be put on corrective improvement plan/performance improvement plan/quality improvement plan
• After all these measure, if there is no improvement then the employee would be terminated

Situation 2:- A student misbehaves in School with teachers as well as fellow classmates. For this case, following steps should be followed:-

• School Principal/teachers should try to make the student understand the way he is supposed to behave
• If the student misbehaves again, warning letter should be issued in which the student is supposed to make his/parents sign the letter
• If this repeats again, Parents should be called to School.
• If all these steps fail, the last is to suspend/rusticate the student.

I would choose not to use such a procedure if:-

• There is a sign of improvement in any of the steps. Even a little improvement will make a big difference
• Consequences should be communicated properly

Consider the case of a physician who has been practicing for 15 years and is one of the few well-established physicians in a small community. If I learned about this physicians abuse of alcohol or Drugs, I will respond in the following ways-

• Will ask the physician to stop this practice
• There should be a proper interaction and counseling regarding the issue
• Seriousness and implications of drug abuse should be highlighted