03 Progressive Discipline

Question 1

Progressive Discipline Opening

Answer 1

• I know we use Progressive discipline to:
o Modify an employee’s behavior,
o Instruct and train employees regarding our standards of conduct; AND
o Provide employees with tools and awareness to bring performance and/or conduct to an acceptable level.
• And this is accomplished through, PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS, CORRECTIVE ACTIONS, AND ADVERSE ACTIONS.
• I will make sure this is applied in a FAIR,
IMPARTIAL, and CONSISTENT manner.
• I also want to make sure we are personally engaged with our employees to establish relationships based upon fairness, trust, and mutual respect. This will allow us to convey the Department’s expectations and to gain compliance from our employees as well.

Question 2

Progressive Discipline Preventative Actions

Answer 2

• I want to make sure we are employing PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS to reduce or eliminate the need for corrective or adverse actions. I will do this by:
o Ensuring our expectations regarding their JOB PERFORMANCE and CONDUCT are clearly defined.
o Ensuring their JOB DUTIES are clearly defined.
o I want to make sure we are LEADING BY EXAMPLE so we are doing what we say.
o AND providing FAIR and IMPARTIAL Supervision
o As well as periodic and timely FEEDBACK of their job performance so they know how they’re doing; including one-on-one discussion, 100 forms, CHP 112s, and CHP118’s.
o I will ensure there is positive, engaged, and respectful COMMUNICATION with subordinates, peers, and upper management; including addressing our employees concerns as well. And that we are working with our Area Reps too!
o I will ensure my employees are receiving ON-GOING TRAINING so they possess the skills necessary to complete the duties that we are asking of them; including providing changes in policy and law which may affect their job.
o I will Initiate INTERIM REPORTING when an employee needs retraining and daily observation.
o I will monitor the BLUE TEAM EARLY INTERVENTION SYSTEM as EARLY INTERVENTION is the best method to bring an employee back on track.
o I will make referrals to EAP when appropriate.
• I will also make sure we recognize those employees who are meeting or exceeding our expectations with one-on-one praise, CHP 2 commendable, Commendations, CHP100, CHP 112s, and CHP118 reviews.

o ADD THINGS RELEVANT TO THE SCENARIO (Direct to policy, pair with another officer I recognize as being superior in______, and identify training related to______; both departmental and non-departmental. Etc

Question 3

Progressive Discipline Corrective Actions

Answer 3

• When PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS have not brought an employee’s performance or conduct to an acceptable level, I will initiate CORRECTIVE ACTIONS in concurrence with Chain of Command.
o Before this, I will be sure to:
 Review POBR
 Gather all pertinent facts
 I will be sure to identify the act and corresponding policy or law.
o Management will have several options in this phase including:
 Informal Counseling
 Formal Counseling
 CHP 100 form comment
 CHP2 Censurable
 Memorandum Of Counseling (MOC) without Bazemore, AND a
 Memorandum Of Direction (MOD) with Bazemore.
o I will make sure we are serving these personally to yield the most beneficial and effective results.

Question 4

Progressive Discipline Adverse Actions

Answer 4

• When these PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS AND/OR CORRECTIVE ACTIONS fail to bring our employee within our expectations, or their Job Performance or conduct is so egregious, we can initiate an ADVERSE ACTION investigation with the concurrence of the chain of command. Before doing this, I want to make sure we are:
 Reviewing POBR
 Gathering all the facts
 Identifying corresponding violation of law or policy
 Ensuring there is sufficient cause for an AA investigation, AND
 Ensuring it bears a nexus with the Department.
o We will have several options, including:
 A miscellaneous investigation, OR
• Formal Written Reprimand
• Salary Reduction
• Suspension
• Involuntary Transfer
• Demotion
• Dismissal
• I know an important aspect of progressive discipline is documentation so I want to make sure we are documenting everything along the way.

Question 5

Progressive Discipline Closing

Answer 5

• I also know that employees who are not meeting our expectations can have an adverse effect on the Department including; injuries, civil liability, reduced Area moral, it can create a poor image of the highway patrol, and cause a loss of trust within our communities.
• As such and as a Lieutenant, I will ensure we are employing our Progressive Discipline model to ensure we have a productive and effective workforce that can execute the Mission of the Highway Patrol, to Provide the Highest Level of Safety, Service, and Security.

Question 6

POINTS

Answer 6

M odify and employees’ behavior
I nstruct and train employees for our standards of conduct and policies
P rovide employees with training, tools and awareness to bring up to an acceptable level

F air
I mpartial
C onsistent

Lieutenant, F airness, T rust, M utual respect

THREE ACTIONS
P reventative Actions
B lue Team
I nterim Reporting
  	C ommunicate, 
E xpectations
P raise
F eedback 
E AP
T raining (on-going) 

A dverse Actions (Action or job performance so egregious) (Prior to)
	R eview POBR
	E nsuring sufficient caus
	G athering all the facts
	I dentify policy or law violated
	E nsure nexus to the Department

C orrective Actions
	BEFORE
		R ieveiw POBR
		I dentify Policy or law violated
		G ather facts (assign Sgt)
	OPTIONS
		I nformal Counseling
		F ormal Counseling
		C HP 100 form comment
		C hp 2 Censurable
		M memorandum of Direction, Counseling