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Session 4 Disciplinary and GrievanceProceduresIntroduction

4.1 Disciplinary procedures4.2 Grievance procedures4.3 A summary of interviewing skills and techniques

Summary and objectivesIntroductionDiscipline tends to coqjureup visions of the schoolteacher's cane or thesergeant-major,and so it is avoidedby many supervisorsand managers whofear that discipliningemployeeswill spoil the atmosphere at work, risk legal-problem and &duce motivation.This session demonstrates that, to the contrary, good disciplinary rules andprocedures aasist an organisation to operate effectively. Grievanceprocedures,usadskilfdy, are also necessary in the interests of fairness, andso the key detaile of good disciplinaryand grievance interviewingare alsomered in the second section.The main aims of this session are o introduce vou to disci~linar~ndgrievance procedures, and to encourageyou to hnd out aGut t h i rules andp d u r e s operating in your own orgauiaation. We shall discuss the generalcharacteristics of such procedures so that you aremore able to operate themeffectively. You will find additional informationin the resource bookA Legal~ramewo-rk ir Managers. In the final section we aim to help you to improveyour ability to conduct disciplinaryand grievance interviewe.

4.1 Disciplinary proceduresMany managers find the implementation of disciplinaryprocedures, andespecially the disciplinary interview, oneof the most difiicultaspecta of theirjobs. In this section we give some guidanceon disciplinarypmcedures so thatyou arebetter prepared should the situation ariae. We can only giveyougeneral advice.You should consult the person in your organieationresponsible for persome1 issues for guidanceon your own organisation'spolicy on discipline and disciplinary interviews.Soundlybased advice on how best to conduct a disciplinaryinterview is noteasy to find, possibly because circumstancesvary somuch in each individualcase. Of course, the aim of the interview is not to grind the employee into theground,but to achieve an improvement in performance. You are most likelyto achieve this f you establish a 'win-win' situation whereboth parties standto gain from a sueeesafuloutcome. Ideally, al l your actions, questions andstatements shouldbe calculated to achievethisoutcome. Moreover, youshouldtake account of the psychological pressures on the interviewee andthe effects that these are likely to have on that person's behaviour andresponses. It is a aituation rife with tension and possibly unintendedbehaviours, and one which needs handling with sensitivity and h e s s fpurpose.

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BOOK 4 POWER AND MANAGING CONFLICTThe needfor disciplinaryprocedures~~ h.h u l dclearlynetout the ntadadaof acceptablebehaviourPorpectedh mployeee within an organhation, and heeoneequenaw of breachiug any of thew rulen. Onthe otherhand,dbcipZinarypnwdum~ re the internal and administrative machinery forapplying these rulw and executingany dhciplinary action. In practice, agood diaciplinery procedure should either includethe Porpected 'rules ofconduct' or 'company ruled within it, or f not, any such rulw shouldbe madeLnowll hand-in-hand with the procedure.IntheintroductiontothiesegaionIaaidthatgooddisciplinaryprocedurea'aesiatan organi~tiono operateeffectivelf. How do they dothis? They doaoby cu t t i ng th e~ l o s s e a tha tlltaooRenoanvinlostworkoutputfor reaaone such aa ahnteeism, lateness, lack of skill or juat plain idlenens.Viewed in euch a light, diecipline Bhouldbe lleen aa a positive aspect of thedevelopment of yourM.The main re- for takingdiacipliuaryactionare poor timekeeping,unauthorised a h m e and poor work standanb.A fourth eaeon- excessivesick leave- can also lead to a course of action that is similar to diaciplinsrgaction. There are, of course,many other reaaom fortakingdisciplinaryaction, ranging from fraud to sleeping on duty.It is usually poclldble to rank breaches of W p l i n e as ollows:minormisconduct that canbe dealt with by an oral reprimandorwarningmore se rh a misconduct that w i l lmoult in writtanwarningsgrossmisamductthatwilluauallyattracttheultimatepenaltyofdismissd.

TheR, raud, physid violence or innubordinationare almost invariablytreated aa groanmbconduct.Sometimes gross misconduct such an theft canbe di fa dt to p m , but a 'found in possehon without due authorination'rulehelp8 to make it disciplinable. In all cases the categorhtion of &mshouldbe undemtood and agreed, and the organisationmuat make sure hateveryrulecanbeetlfondTheAdvisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) n the UK anindependent organination set up to advineand arbitrate in induntrialdieputas betweenM nd employera-hesdrawn up a umful Code ofFhctice. TheCode &tee that, in a llmattemof discipline, i n d i v i d d ahouldhave 'the right to be accompanied by a trade union rep-tative, or a fellowemployee oftheir choice.' Ideally th in accompanyingmpreaentative h u l dadopttheroleofobaerverandbe~ t o g i v eadv i c e t o th e i nd i v i dua lco-ed outside the informal orformal nterview. Thepresence ofa thirdparty can make an already traumatic encounter even more daunting or youan a manager. 'hcombat this you ehould give rreriow conaideration toinviting your own manager or repreeentative from the Personnel Departmentto aseist you. Beforeentering the interview, you Bhould be certainof yourposition within your organisation's disciplinaryprocedure and the law.Ifyouare disciphhg a shop steward or similar tradeunion ofiicial,nothingahouldbe done be&m you have d i a cw dthematterwith a more senior full-timemember of the sameunion. Shop lltewards muat behave within theaameW- rulea aa everyone e h , but you muet en am that yourdiesiplining ofthe individual is exactly that, and that it cannot be conetruedaa an attack on the union. Again, f in doubt, get advice from the PersonnelDepartment.TheACAS Code &o requireg that any diaciplhaq pmcedure ehould providea right of appeal, in o n k o review the dedeion made andcheck hat

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p d u r e a have been properly adhered to. The right of appeal shouldbekeptaeparate from the normal grievanceprocedure- diecuaeed later in thissession-because it is a specialcue. Individualsshouldbe allowed to havetheir cases speedily and independently reviewed by a higher authority,usuallywithin the same organisation. Theperson, or persona, chosen to actas arbitrators shouldnot have been previously involved in the ease. If theirdeciaionis in favour of the dimplinedperson, life can become verymcultfor you as the manager. So it isobviouelyeessntialthat, before youmart toMpl inmy procedures, you are confidentwith your deciaionand that youare able to followproperlythe companyp d t u w .

ACTIVITY 4.1It is important that you are aware of the disciplinaryprocedures of yourorganisation.Make a note in your diary to approach the person in yourorganisation from whom you can acquire a copy (you may want to turn toActivity 4.3 on page 79 and collect that information at the sametime).Return to this activity once you have read and understood yourorganisation's procedures. Note the key points of your organisation'sdisciplinaryprocedure in the spacebelow.

Operating disciplinary proceduresAlmost all disciplinaryprocedureswill have a number of stages. In many5mt instancesof an apparent breach of discipline, a wunselling interviewonyour part wuld well avert having to invoke the dieciplinaryp d u r e t all(aawe naw in Session 3).You, a the mmediatemanager,willbe heavilyinvolved in the earlywuneellingand informal stageaof dieciplinebut it iahighly like.1~ouwillbe acmmpnuiedby anothermanagementreprewntative in the later stagea.And any finaldeeieionto dismissmaynotbe entirelyyours. Broadly, the sequenceie an in Figure4.1.

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BOOK POWERAND MANAGING CONFLlCT

However, in the case of serious misconduct most procedures allow for theinformal stage to be omitted. In case8 which might be ratified later aa grossmisconduct, such aa physical violence, the beat course of action is to get theemployee(8)concerned off the premises aa quickly aa possible and suspendthem on fclllpayuntil an investigationcanbe completed. The employee(8)can be called back to work later to attend a formal disciplinary interviewwhere a decision canbe made about their continued employment. It isimportant that you aa their line manager immediately put together a writtenreport giving aa full details of the incident aa possible. You should attach toyour report the written statements of any other employees, managers orsupervisors who witnessed the incident. Immediate investigation shouldensure that you are disciplining the right employee(8) and heve dealt withanyprovocateurfs) aswell. Theee written recorda will be crucial for you andyour organisation ifsuch an incident results in dismissal in order todefend acomplaint of unfair dismissal by the ex-employee(s) to an industrial tribunal.Industrial tribunals, or their equivalent,will assess the reasonableness ofemployers' disciplinary actions, and will normally attach great importance tothe procedures and the manner in which they have been carried out. If youtry to defend an unfair d i d s s a l caae without having a well established andpublicised disciplinarypmedure, then it will be virtuallyautomatic that thetribunal's decision will go against your organisation.Although it is likely that the pereonnel or employee relations specialist (ifyou have one)will handle the caae on behalf of your organieation before thetribunal, you aa the immediate managerwill invariably be called aa awitness. Your success aa a witness and in putting your organisation's defencewil l not depend on how articulate you are 'on your feet', but solely on thewayyou handled the situation and the quality of the records hat you kept at thetime.Fortunately,most easea of ill-disciplinecan be handled successfully at theinformal stage. However, because of the possibility of subsequentdismissaland an unfair dismissal hearing against your organisation, you need to becareful even in the very early, informal stages.

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-4-The&st Btep is inwstigcltion.You need to assemble nome informationbeforedecidingwhether action is warranted. Broadly q e a b g ,nome action L likelyto benecaanary if any of the following conditiom apply:a theconductispotmtiallydangmunormatlya the conduct emuragesothere to copy and couldget out of controla the errore involved are preventing suoceseful job pea form an^

the conduct m o p , rritatss or offenda other workemthe conductumhuhw uthorityt h e c o n d u c t i n v o l v e a ~ o f l o m e r u l e f o r w h i e h ~ ~ a c t i o n i sd

I f a e t i o n i m f e l t t o b e ~ y o u r h o u l d c h e c k w ~ i n f o r m a l o r f o n n a lactionhasbeentahenbefbre,mingyour0~1)reco&andthoeekeptbythemgankation.Repetiticm ofthe nameoBmmonly should be dealt with byprogressively more severe disciplinary action.You should formulatethe com~laint redselvnd collect corroboratinnevidence. You w i l lneed to cheSLyod comp&s dieciplinary p d t & andcomultwith your p e d pecialietand your ownm a w , nd f thecomplaint involves a trade union repremtative, also c o ~ u l the full-timeunim ~mcial.Thenext atage nvolveatakin#&ion. ThinL ery important; a timelyinformal warningcan&n prevent a minor problemk m scalating further.The chancssof getting an employeeto m to etaduda aremuch~terifactionistahenaseoonasthepblemis~ved.Ifpou,oreupervieoewhom youuuuqp,are reluctant to take early Wpl ine ry actionfor fear, perhap, of legal implication or of not being able to handle theatuation, you should bear in mind the fact that t h iw may get woreelFor minor inatanws of mieconduct- ateness, uutidine~s, nd so on-0 and an on-the-job reprimand shouldbe adequate. Be positivewhere you can:make t clear that you arenot diasatiefled with everything.Where a reprimandL needed this should be in private, should avoidhumiliation orabuse ofthe individual and shouldtake place an awnanpossibleaftar themihmea~ur .t should bemade clear to the individualmnecnned which form of behaviour isnot acceptable and why. Thepersonshouldalsobe given a fair chanceto explain the chumntmwe. Perhaps youmight want toune the kih of active listeningthat we covered in theprevioua w i o n . The person's explanation may indeed justiqr the action, orleave you in sufEcient doubt about the appropriateness ofthe warning that itis probably wisest not to give it.At the end of the exchange you &oddsummariee the eituation,making it very clear to the individual that, where areprimandhas been given, your conversation must be treated as an informalwarning.AnyAoyperiadrhouldbespeci5ed,togetherwiththeconaequencw if there isM mprovement m anothersimilarbreach oftherulw.The incident should benotadin yourworklog.N&dcaaee~bedealtnith~the~b.evenattheinformalstane.Perrirbnt late- orareleu& ay became apparentonlyover aperiodmdaspeeifie~nbtobemadetodealwithit.Suchinformalint er vim will need to follow a similarpattern to formal onea.The review period is the 5nal part ofthe informalatage. It is important inminor cases of mhmnduct, and even more M) in canes of inadequate workperfmmanee, to set a time at which the matterwill be reviewed and toclearly mntate the job shdarda bythindate. Of cowwe, anyimpriwmmt can be reasseaaedd u a & iuough i n f o d ntarvieG,feidback and couneellingwithin-W &-time p&d.

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Insummary, the informal stageof a diedplinary procedurehasclose linbswith coun~~lling.here needa to be a stxong emphasia on fact-finding andoften on establiohingthe individual'sview of the situation. Inm fpoorperfonnancs, and even mrnetimee when here hasbeen a clearbreachofd u c t uled,the approachmay nvolve eatabliabingmwm a for this,andworking out waya ofhelpingthe ndividual to conformwith staadards infuture.

Describe an occasion, if there has been one,when you have had to takedisciplinary action against amember of staff.

What stages did you go through?

Thestages that you went throughw m robably influenced by theseriousness of theoffence and thedetailsof your organisation4procedures. Did you feel that thestages you went thmughdealt with thesituation efkctively and eflciently?M ave suggested that counselling sanappropriateresponse tominor pmblems, whereasdisciplinaryprocedures should be used for moreserious breaches of discipline. Thesteps you shouldgo through for themoreseriousoffencesareinvestigation, action and review.

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Conducting disciplinary interviewsI should now like to diecuesfourstep in handlingdiaciphmy interviews:1 A im2 Reparioefortheintmview3 Theinterviewitself4 Follow-upaftar the nterview.I stress that thew arepointers only and I am only trying o directyou to thee o r t s o f i . s u e s y o u ~ d b e o o ~ ~ . ~ i e n o o n e m r r e c t w a y o fconductinga di ac ip ha q interview. Adapt he approach to flt your situation-but remember that in interviewingthere a no substitute for experience.

a To bring to the attention ofthe ntervieweethefact hat rule8 have beenbrotemorthatperfmmancehnotbeentotherequiredstandd,andthat thin hslr beenmorddl b preventftrtherdeterioration of the situationby giving the employeeanopportunity to improveperfo-ce after a warning about uuaatisfactorywork or conduct.

a 'Ib take corrective actionandlor apply sanctiolls.

P r e p a r i P r i b r t h s i a ~ wBedear aboutyour aime and particularly about the desired outcome, ut&ille prepared to ieten and conaiderwhat the parties have to nay.Be clear whether you have the authority to apply the correctivw oraau&on# which you feel at 5mt night to be necessary.Plan thecourse of the interview, albeit tantatively. Reeeareh the situationcarefullg.~totOifiryoufeelthatitLim~ttodombutenwethatallsuche~mm~tionLaaderatoodtobeinstrietcoddeuce. Write down ll the faetcl andbe in a position to 8ubnbmtiatethem if challenged. Work outkey ~ueetiolu3.MaLenureyoupolleessandhave~alltherele~~~tdocumeatsreadyto take intothe nterview, for examplethe employee'8personal flle, a copyof your organisation's rules and p d u r e s , mpportingpapera, such astimeeheeta,dckness record, t d & g flle, appraisalreports,anddocumentationof any previous oral &dlm writtan wakhga.Read or re-read your organbation'r di ac ip ha q rules and p d u r e a .

m The interview shouldtake place loon aftarthe ncident,though a shortcooling-oiYperiodmaybe neededto allow both partieeto appnmcbthesituationrationallyrather banam t h ~& delay delay ime for theinterviewartocollectmore~tion,buttheperiodllhouldnotbeaol~thatthebreach~betakenaebe i~condoned.neaeeclofseriouamisconduct it is ese-entiel to see the person(s) straight away.m You ~houldell the employee ofthe time, the place and the purpose of thei n t e r v i ew .Y ou s h ou l dmaL e i t d e a r , ~ a cmr d i n e t h e ~ o f p du r ereached,whether theemployee L entitled to be acam~paniedy a unionmpmnatative m a colleagm.

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BOOK 4 WWEllAND MNMMGCONFLICT

The nterview itselfThe atmosphere ahould not be too cosy, but avoid the 'don't sit down, thisw i l l not take long' approach. By the formal stage of a disciplinaryprocedure,thia s quite inappropriate, and in any interview the individuala fairhearing.The amount oftime hat the interviewee and youapak ahould be roughlyesual.Use open questions to generate the maximum amount of information.However, if the interviewee is evasive,or you need to get clear atatemente,you will need to uee closed and probing queationa.

W In casesofmiseonduct,establishwhat happened and where it happened,and che.ck the interhwee's reascwe orthiaconduct a t the time.In casesof poor performance or negl@nee, be sure o diecues the nature ofthe job. Try to aatebliah that what hos ocnured iswunter to the jobdeedption, training given, levels ofperformance expected and writtenappraisal recorde.W e the outcome of the interview and the actiontobe taken If apenalty is to be impowl, have you stated it clearly,is it undcmhd, andhae the person been iuformed ofthe next stage in the p d u r e r aboutany right of appeal?

Follow-upafku the interviewWrite up your rewrd of the interview. If appropriate (in terms of the rulesof your procedure and the atam of the mowlure which has been reached)eend akW to theinterview88and hisir her repmentativeand 6le a copyin hie or her pereonuel record.Your own detailed notes are essential evenat the verbal (oral) warning 8teges. Also, carefully worded notes to theemployees wneerned muet be considered, even at thin early stage,detailing whathaa to be done to 'put thinga straight'. See Boxes 4.1and 4.2.

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-4.9 J w f u n p b o f . ~ ~ n u n i n p'Dear Mr JotleaRe.DbEiplinary rufdingJuas 6It Q amatter ofgreatmmrn toboth your Dapmbental ManagerandImyealltbatitbmbemneosllllargyet~tobrbgtoyourattantiont h e n e # a o i t y f m ~ ~ .Th e d i e d ~m e s t i n gmMay 1 4 r rmn l c $ ym r& I tw r f t t e n ~andrmt.linedpradrslg~hat~laq~ofyou.nowwer,therehrurb e m ~ ~ p ~ o v ~ t ~ p o u t ~ ~ ~ g ( S W ~ 0 f r e E~ ~ ) d U t . i n e t b s ~ t l ~ p e r i d I u n d e r a t a n d t h a t y o u d a ~ ~ hBiogupyourpra~ofgcihgkomeat u n c h ~ , ~ b y r u a a i n g t h erW~ tyouabb la t c i f youmo . * t i n the *mmr lsobdl m o a w h y y o u c u o ~ t o r e a o h t h e f a c t m y w t h e i n t h e ~ ~ .By all acwuntr you are &e& hsalthg nud emmmd to keep yourjob.f t m n e t n m ~ p u i t e c l e a r t o y o u t h s t y o u r ~ d p o o r ~ p i n ewillrerrultinyourdiemiesal.I have no altarnative but b mnflrm yew Dqmtmental Manager'swarningthat, ~ ~ i s a n i m m e d i a ; t e a n d ~ i m p v e m a ti n y o u r ~ , ~ a t a t ~ r t a r t ~ k a a d a t a t l u n cp u w i l l b e g i v e n n o t i c e d ~l%ematterwiDberevidagaininonemonth'ItfmeandIsinsrelyhope that you will take taih warpine to heart and make the necesserye $ o r t b i m p r c r o e y o u r ~ .If you ere dinnatbfiedwith the d h i p l h m y action taken you ana p p e a l a ~ i s r m ~ i n ~ ~ ~ l ~ t r . E t o( A d a S t e d t r o l n ~ 8 O W d r t o ~ ~

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4.2 GrievanceproceduresWhereas proceduresupecify e wayd ealingw i t h ~ituatioaawhere empl- donot fulfilmanagedexpactatiu~.a r e a n r s r n e d n i t h ~ ~ d t u a t io nTh i s ~w h e n t h eemp l o y e r i n ~waydoesmt~theemp~aeq&nthaandtharaforatheemplayeeh a grievance.All orpnhtioaa rhould have suitablep rocedm fbrthinproblem.

ACTIVITY 4 3It is importantthat you are awareof the grievanceproceduresof yourorganisation. Makea note in your diary to approachthe person in yourorganisationfromwhom you can acquirea copy. C/ou maywant to referback toActivity 4.1 and doboth activitiesat the same time.) Return to thisactivityonce you havereadand understoodyour organisation'sprocedures.Note the key pointsof your organisation's grievanceprocedurein the space below.

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BOOK 4 POWERAND MANAGINGCONFLICTProcedures or the esolution of ndiv idual grievances eceive scant attentionin management litera*, much more iswrittenabout discipline, and stil lmore about a p p d nd selection.Thin ia partly because a grievancainterview,by ita verynature,hae to be open-ended and comequently thepmcedure, ofwhich it ia a part, cannot be too tightly de-.Operating grievance procedures

I f you can, reflect on a caseof grievance in which you may have beeninvolved as a member of the management team. Briefly assess thestrengths and weaknesses of your procedure in the light of that experience.Omit the way in which the grievance interview was conducted; shall goon to consider that in the next section.Strengths:

If you have obserwd any weaknesses in your organisation5 pnxedum,they may be similarm thoseo f othercompanies. For instance:Too many stages - heprocess therefore akes too long. Even largeorganisations rarely have mote than about four levels o f management,and it should not be necessary for the number of stages to exceed thenumber of levels.Too ew stages in practice. It is quite common fw the f in,stage,involving the &-line supervisor;m be l& out. This is undesirable,both in term ofsupporthg the position of the supervisor and becausethe fvrther awayh he sourn of the prabern, the harder i t ismresolye.Lack of clarity about the situation whi le the grievance i s beingdiscussed. A dispute can actually be exacerbated i f them is no clearagreement, or custom and practice, about the position of the aggriewdif , for example, the dispute is about a changed workingpractice. Insome industries a grievance pmcedure wi l l contain a status quo clausefmm which it w i l l be clear that the new workingpractice should no t beimplemented until either the grievance has been resolved or thepmcedure has been exhausted. In others, i t w i l l be made clear that theaggrieved wi l l be expectedm comply with the change, albeit 'underptvted, pending resolution. Neither approach is necessarily 'right', butclarity is important.

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Similarly, it should be quite clear how the aggrieved goes aboutappealing against a decision and at what point she or he is entitled togo to external forms of arbitration, mediation or conciliation. It isgenerally considered that it should be a joint decision togo forarbitration, if that is to be successful, and most experienced arbitratorswould not accept a referral on any other basis.

I recognise that you may not be able to changeyour organisation'sp d u r e s . However, underatancling their deficiencies may intluence the wayk hich you carry them out. You may be able to soften a& undesirableeffects they have.Having considered the procedural issues, I now turn to look at the way inwhich grievance interview8 should be conducted.Conducting grievance interviews

l b learnh m he intarviewee the truenatura of the grievance- heapparent grievancemay not be the real one.If there really is a problem, to reach agreement on a solution which bothparties canguarantee.Ifthia is not possible, to ensure that the grievanceis handled by the nextatage in the procedure as expeditiously asposeible.

Preparing for the interviewIf you have the opportuuity to plan the c o w of the interview, concentrateon reviewing what you already know or surmise about the nature of thegrievance, and consider ways in which you can draw out furtherinformation during the interview.Read or re-read your procedures if you have an opportunity.Be clear about your authority in relation to possible solutions, and be clearabout the ater etagee intheprocedure in case you cannot reachagreement.Consider the timiw aspect. An interviewer you have leas control overthiathan n any other kind of intarview. When the grievance arises' you needto decide whether to tackle it straight away or to defer it for a short while,perhap hoping the interviewee will have 'cooled down'.

The interview i b l iThe atmosphere of a grievance interview may well be charged withemotion. The grievance, which may have built up over a long time, may beabout the behaviour of another employee, a working practice, theallocation of duties, supposed unfairness of treatment, or any othersituation which the person Ands ntolerable at the time. There may bestrong emotion0 of annoyance, anger, frustration, exasperation or evendespair. You may have to face shouting, abuse or even tears1 In thesesituations, you cannot resolve the problem until the emotion has subsided.You may have to spend a long time just listening to interviewees, lettingthem 'talk themeelves out' before they calm down and bewme receptive.Do not tackletheproblem or suggeatany solutions until thia point isreached.When the interview haa reached thia phaae, d i m he problem rationallywith the nterviewee.Throughoutthe ntarview allow the interviewee to do most of the talking.

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BOOK 4 PO- ANDHANMMQCONFLICT

Do not attempt solutionsuntil the pmblemh een clearlyde5ndandr n b y ~ p a r t i e s .Helpthe nterviewee to auegset a aolutionto the problem.Summarhe the outcomeand he actionto be taken.

Follow-upaftex the tnterviewWrite up the record ofthe interview.Vneeesllary,enaure that the next atage oftheprocedure ia activated.If you are able totakecorrective actionwithinyour authority,take t, andreportbackquicblytothein~wee.

V&~arenotellodtofeaterorpuabeard,theJrarebLiLelytoappear to auddenly'blow up', and f they do ariae, they are likely to bereaolvedmorequickly Mcat grievancecl emerge slowlyand quietly in thewurm of normal workingand theywill only take the orm of a suddenemotional 'blowup' if earliernigmhave been ignoredor gone unheeded byy o u m a n ~ . A u o ~ ~ t o g r o w a n d - ~ d t e o u t o fallpmportbeanbevargooetlyandcalllleu~eeaesar~r~toworkiugrelationehip8.4.3 A summary of interviewingskillsand techniquesORena~in~willo@aueeeedifthel&ent:iaallodtotake the diemeaim wherevex she or he wan& it to go,at leant in the earlystagas.A desirableaim here ie a freeflowof information delivered in anatmosphere oftruut. Ae I auggestad,thin demands considerable akillaon thepart ofthe c o d o r ; or example, patience, effective listening,empathy(beingable tothinky o d i n t o he other pernon'a situation)and a greatdeal ofaensitivity towhat the client is M& saJrine (at least,notyet). We aawthat mqed o nofyourown attitudwand valuea iavitel; youmuet not jumptomncluaioMncmpre-~situatirrrminotherways.T h e sL i l l s o f a n ~ a n m a e l l o r a r e h i g h l y r e l e v ~ t t o ~ m a n ymanagerialactivith, not the eant ofof eingdiaciphmy and grievanceintarviewa. We have amaided themechauhofdiscipline andgrhameintarviewmin the preeedins d o n , and now in conclueionwe highlightcertain core &s whicbare common to all interview.These are:

lktmhg ahills (which were c o d n Book 2h n a lC o m m u n W ~tWork and ater expanded in Section 8.1 ofthia lmoh)q u e ~ ~ q u e s ( w ~ w e r e a n e a e d i n B o o k 2 P e m n o lCommuniccltio~t Work)entabliehingrapportpreparation and follow-up.

Establishing rapportWhatever the type of ntarview,use the early at- to establish eome kind ofrelationshipwith the nterviewee,onewhichmpporta theedmnge ofiutbrmation.This ia lometimesdescribed am 'm* the ight tone.Even orthe dincipljnary inteaviewyou need toedabbh '&&a, i.e. that themat ter i a s er i ou l lbu t tba tyouare~ to~ -be ' 8 rmbut&l i r ' .W h e a c a m m d h g o r ~ t o a ~ i t i a a ~ t e k y o u t o

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8EBBION 4 DWXPUNARYAND GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE6communicate, not necesearily by what you nay but how you say it, that youare an understandingperson and prepared to liaten to a problem.In a primame mtuation, cryingmay helpreleaae tension, but probablyindicates hat the interview&odd haw akenplace much earlier beforeemotionhadbuiltuptodapeatIfl~rmeoneeriesinaMplinaryinterview, you an the manager should consider whether thia is a deliberatetactic of the employee to may your judgement when clearly rules have beenbreached and Wplinary actionneadn to be talren.Think,too,whether aneournmen t ofthe meeting mightbe appropriate.The esult ofa good ntarviewBhouldbe a remlution of nomeproblem orsituation. An intervieww i l l never have a positive outcome if it atartad i nthe wrong way. Give some thought toW.think, 'Am I being tooa&oosympathetic, too easy going, oo quickto wndemu, humourless, etc.?, 'Whatstyle or tone would be m& appropriate to make thin interview successhl?You w i l l soon6nd out if you have got it wrong1 Clearly, no one approach isappropriate to all interviews. You need to be aware of the variou behavimand choose he one that seemsappropriate to the interviewee, the purpose ofthe interview and the individual situation.When youarepmpnrhg or an interview, think about where you w i l l wnductit and how you want the M t u r e o be armngd.Other valuable pointem are:

Have all the seating at the name level. It is eany to inntil an immediatefeeling of inferhitymhacurity by placing your inkdewee in a chairwbich is lower than your own.Donottaeeyourinbrvhveatoawindow.Onabrights~~gdayyouwillappear only an a dhouetteagaineta glaringbackgmd.Conduct all intarviewa in d d e n m . If you donot have an ofIicaof yourown, find a room where you cannotbew n r overheard. Never wnduct adisciplinary interview in an open plan oface or on the factory floor.Emure that you are not disturbed.All telephone c a b nhould bein~~rifthinisnot~b,thetebpho~tahenoffthehookY~~may-bveamtieeforyourk Uoentrg-interviewinp@.Ifnot,makedanOtiEBandkeqithurdy.AUow~ughtime.Itieearpririnehowm~i~lymanagemfwlthattheycanremlve a delicatebu e n a 1Bminute gapbetweenother meetings! For adisciplinary interview, set a time and place and enaure that theinterviewee knows about the annngemente. Allow an hour or so and trynot to commit youraelffor the endofthia time, a0 hat you can continue ifneceesarg.~~llingandgriev~intarviewsaremoredifecultantheycanoenu at any time -'May I me you for a fewminutes? or 'Have yougota moment?'My advice would be- eethe pcnsrm immediately and if itneed8 more time, or you need ime to think or prepare, mt up mother10- interview at a mutually convenient place and time.

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Attertbeintmiew,mnhe~ofwhothappeneddcarrgoataay~-u p a i e t i o n ~ r f ~ ~ t h a t g o a d d r p e a k t o ~ e mthatyoudoM and thatUL1happemawithin ths imetnbbyouhavewithtbein~.rfygllhtoldamemberofyoln.t.tftD~awrittenwamhg-doitlThe nevitableresultof this isthot nkvk i u g , includingthegmp&tmpand~-upnork,t .bsalongtime-m~longerth.ntbelptaRiQni ~ w e ~ ~ d d ~ R ~ t g p e t d S n ~ . l a d i t I i e u t a ni s w a n o r t h i n ~ e o m e ~ t o g e t ~ * t .

A t h beginningofthirscaionwe t h a the rWlhand grd\niqmthayouhrvejurtrsad~~brakdfarmmdtin~Crrsdplinvy~ndgrkwan~eRW&WS, Whaf other f m m i e w m M heseM l sdtedmiqud,be urctul fa3

In the next book we discuss recruitmentand selection p d u m . This isan area where these skills are vitally important. In Book 6 we ook atappraisal interviews and you wi l l see that these skills wi l l again beappropriate. They are also useful if you ate in a selling or marketing role.The salesperson meeting a potential customer should try to create the rightatmosphere, prepare, establish rappoa and follow-up. The same is true forthe purchasing interview.

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Summary and objectivesIn this ler~onhave underlinedthe clearneedfwbothdiaciphary aqdgrkvancapmcadures. I emphasised their Lndamental i m p o h m e toyou eea managw in developing and motivatingyour staff through being seen toimtil discipline fairly and amsinhtly and yet alrrobeingappmdableinm a ~ o f ~ . I h a v e ~ o u t l i o s d y o u r p a r t i n t h e ~ t i o n o f s u c hpmced~andszamiDedinaomedetailtheteehaiquesandeLillerequiredfor a u u w h l disciplinary and grievance intmvies.AB resultofa t dy i ng this seesion, you should now:

Be wnvereantwithyour organisation's disciplinary rules and proceduresand IikewifIegrievance pmcedure~.Underatmdyour ole and level of authoriw in the mplementation of~ p l i w a n d g r i e w n c s ~ u r e 4 w i t h i n y o u r ~ ~

a Beaaarethett lk%reiealnsi~bcmaplayment~relat iugtodiaciplineandgrievance.Bepreparedtoimphwntdiaci~andgrievaneepmcedure8,ifo e c a ~ e r y , W i n i t h ~ o w n ~ .Be able to explain the principlesofmuuddinciphary and grievanceintallriew11.

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BOOK 4 POWERAND WAGING CONFLICT

Answers to SAQsSAQ 1 l(a) T b e m e m b e r r o f th e ~ ~ up r e e m to th i n l r th P tP. m d o e s ~ h a v etheauthoritytodetermimwhatdthcyshoPldbedoing.(b) Pamappearntopdar~~amsanso f induenc ing the tmin inggroup,htobvidyf~~t,whwtbisf3s,hhu~authoritytode.hdM lunrprioraim3for the group.(c) It in not clear from the -plcwhether the board hna authority mwhethe-rithnabeendelegatedtothestatf~mtoPam.(d) Gmn theambiguityoverb ' s mition, shecouldhaw gone to thebosrd6rnt todari fghsr~t iuQ

(a) Intlucmm in the pocesr ofdectiug tha .etioasmthoughtrofathem.Powerk the abilityto influenceothena. And authority ir the right toexmciS2)power.(b) Power s notjurt a m a t h ofpwitionm a u t h m ,&re othermutea ofpowerwere identi5ed- controlofrewnncacl,controlofinfmrmtim,awertbe,mdalammctiona and p ww d power. Newrthelcrsl, positionL v q i m ~ t b e a m i t o f b n @ ~ ~ t o m m e o C t h e ~wunmaofpvwerRleh~thaeontrolofresoumssand~tjonand

sociale m .(C)Ekeryonehu omepower, evem if it injust the power thatammhotherpeople'a dependenceon your goodwillor abour,whichyrm may~ ~ l d . O f ~ , p o w e r d o e a v u y ~ t l y ~ p ~ a n d a oP r a d e 5 n i ~ m o r s ~ t h M l l t l m r a .(d) Wh a t d o r m r o f p w e r a n d i n t t u e n a t a r e ~ ~ ~ w i l l v a r y.ecoldinetothevnl~~and~thatueheldwithinaputitulv

helpedto&you~awuedh~erent-dorponerthntyrmcap draw on and the rorts ofinfiuenceatratagh that you uw.(0 Your staffhold eq&ationa .boutthe nay that youwillmemap andlead.Inaddition, oumust be ..mueofthedilanmu r m d i n g beabuaeofnegative poner.Finally, you muatbe awaredtha dilemma thata d i c t s o f ~ a n c a ~ .

SAQ 2.1(1) (a)Wm-lose; (b)win-win, (c)win-1088; (d )win-win.(2) ( a ) I f t h e v i e n a m ~ @ i t n o u l d b e M d t t o t r &this crmflictinto awin-win situation.However,f the rt.ff objectedonly

to certainanpoctaofcontracthgwith tha gwemment, it mighthaveh npowibletodevelopapolicyofbiddhgfwcrm~thatmet~Bd OPEN BUBMEBBW O O L --ON& CERFIPlCATEM MAN-

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criteria.Thinmighthave allowedboth aid- towin.Thedangerm are thatntafFmotivationand commitmentmightbe damegedor #nt thed c twill^.(c)ItLmttoseehonthircsnb-intoaaia-ninsituation,deanmore apace n aquired.A compromisemighthavebeenpom?.iblewhereboth sides lost lrome apace.

SAQ 2 3(a) Themainntrategsusedhereh arbitration.Themanager also appearstobeuniug~explainingluwthedeciaioninbanedontheOrgmination'abest interestr.(b) Themainntrat8#ybeing used in separatian, in thin caneby getting thetwom ofntaff towork atdifferent timw. There n alnoahint ofeoereionwiththethreat ddkiplinaryactioa(c) Tbe ~D i r e e t o ri n b e i l l g ~t omed i a t e b e tw e r r n t h em - .SAQ 2.3(a) Thisiacar#dia~tivebPgainiaeinrrhichthe@(ucouldc~leupwithailolutionnherebothgclined.(b) Thininacaredtryingtoimpmvetheproceclaesof~~tionmthatr e @ dand ocalntaEhad abetterunderntanding f each other's viewsandwork Thin prooass alno dowm for theponnibilityofregiod and localsktridenti&ingcommongoalr and d e d o p h gmoremutuallyacceptable

roles.

Thwe lsttershavemany dmngth:

The prePiaur ntageaddireiplinarg actionareclearlystated.Evidanm, in the ormofmmdn,hnn been attached.The employw'ndutien,whichue in quention,are clearly net out.Theemployea in toldwhat hemu&Q, andthe requid thenale.The employee in told the coulpd offutureactionsebould henot improve.

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References

AcknowledgementsTheB600 Coum Team were asaietedby comments and contributionsfromVBronique Ambrosini,ArthurBillabany,Richard Crombet-Beolens, PamMcNay, ChefiyMartin, HarryMole and HughMorley,Gratedidacknowledgementismade tothe ollowingsources forpermhion toreproducematerial in thisbookTextBox 1.1:adapted h m tott, C. (1988)The third career of John IiarveyJones', The Sunday !&legmph Colour Supplement, 10thJanuarg 1988,@Catherine Stott 1988;Box 1.6:The dilemma of collective decisionmaking',The Guardian,13thMarch 1991;Box 4.1: adaptedfromCroner'aGuide toDiscipline (1982),CronerPublicatiomLtd.

p.11: ICI; p.26 @l993HenryR. Martin.Originally published in theH a dBusinessReview; p. 29:SidneyHarria andHa r u a n i B u sW Review,Vol. 71,1993;p.47: Leo Cullum and Harvard Buainess Review,Vol. 71,1993.