Abstracts » Human resources and labor relations

Feedback as a performance management technique

Article Abstract:

Two types of effective supervisor-to-employee feedback are discussed: (1) maintenance feedback, praising employees for exemplary work or behavior, and (2) improvement feedback, identifying competency problems, poor quality work, or inappropriate behavior. To be effective, feedback should: be provided on an ongoing basis, rather than once or twice each year; be specific and supported by examples, although not evaluative; be limited to areas over which the employee is in control; be timely; be constructive and avoid putting employees in a defensive position; and be related to an employee's personal goals and needs. Supervisors should also be equally comfortable offering negative and positive feedback, but these two types of feedback should be clearly separated to avoid sending 'mixed signals' to employees. A test of a supervisor's understanding of effective and ineffective feedback techniques is provided.

Employee training, Feedback (Psychology), Feedback (Communication)

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Discipline with a clear sense of purpose

Article Abstract:

Four types of problem employees are identified, and disciplinary actions appropriate to each type of problem employee are discussed. The problem employees are: (1) unintentional or infrequent rule breakers, (2) rule breakers who do so knowingly, as a response to perceived unfair treatment, (3) habitual rule breakers, and (4) rule breakers who seem unconcerned because the real problems are personal. In each case, the disciplinary action taken and the goals of the action are defined. For the first two types of problem employees, disciplinary actions should focus on maintaining employee morale while deterring future infractions of rules. For the third type of problem employee, the primary goal of the supervisor should be to document actions taken that lead up to the employee's termination. Type four employees should be encouraged to seek outside assistance.

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The case against employee punishment

Article Abstract:

Punishing employees can prevent them from continuing to conduct themselves in undesirable ways, and is effective in stopping absenteeism, lateness or productivity declines. However, disciplinary actions do not necessarily result in getting employees to exhibit desirable behavior. Punishing an employee should be viewed as a final alternative to solving a problem, because: punishment generally leads to more punishment; once punished, an employee will always feel threatened; punishment can lead to fear and anxiety, destroying employee morale; and punishment can create sympathy for the employee among his coworkers, while undermining the supervisor's ability to get things done. When punishing employees, supervisors should also present an offer of positive reinforcement for the desirable behavior, after describing the desirable behavior in detail.

Analysis, Punishment, Discipline

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