Disciplinary Privacy

redsteam195

If a manager is disciplined for a minor infraction, is it protected legally in N.C. from the manager's supervisor (CEO) from discussing the details of the offense / disciplinary action with a lesser subordinate manager of the one disciplined. For example, The Chief takes action against the Asst. Chief. Then the Chief discusses the situation with a Lieutenant whom the Asst. chief supervises.

Don D

Red: There is no law or regulation anywhere in the country that prohibits a supervisor/manager from running his mouth. Only the law of common decency and decorum. (Welcome)

Shadowfax

Public knowledge of discipline is often desirable, the old deterrant effect. It might also be motivational for the disciplined mgr to know the CEO has discussed his infraction with someone who undoubtedly covets his job.

Crout

>Public knowledge of discipline is often
>desirable, the old deterrant effect.

Wha? I agree that such public humiliation might motivate someone, but it depends on whether you want to retain the employee or not. If you want to salvage the EE then public humiliation is NOT the way to do it.

Don D

Calm down Crout. I'm not reading "Public Humiliation" into Shadow's "Public knowledge". I agree that discipline has spinoff effects on others when there is knowledge of it having occured. No need for humiliation. A good example: I suspended an hourly employee for three unpaid days for refusing to work overtime. That knowledge spread through two plants like a wildfire. We had very few employees grumbling about mandatory overtime after that. We also found ourselves in a situation of having to terminate an employee for sexual harassment. I couldn't discuss that fact publicly, but am certainly glad that it managed to find it's way out onto the plant floor.

Crout

Oh yes, I agree with your example, and have done similar things, but my thought was that the "rules" are different for upper managemant types, as I assumed the EE to be from the original post. My experience has been that the higher up you go with disciplines the more confidential it becomes, unless you're trying to ease that person out the door.