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Importance of Employee Discipline In Industrial Relations -A Theoretical

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Article · October 2017

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 International Journal of Engineering Technology Science and Research
IJETSR
www.ijetsr.com
ISSN 2394 – 3386
Volume 4, Issue 10
October 2017

Importance of Employee Discipline In Industrial Relations - A

Theoretical Approach

S.AHMED MOZUMDER
Research Scholar, School of Management, NIT-Warangal,
Telangana, India
Dr. P. RAMLAL
Assistant Professor, School of Management, NIT-Warangal,
Telangana, India

ABSTRACT
This research article highlights on the importance of employee discipline in industrial relations and causes of
indiscipline in the organization.Employee discipline means following the code and conduct of the organization
positively.In other words it means imposing of conditions on employees either to restrict unproductive behaviour or steer
their actions into desirable behaviour. To maintain industrial harmony and gain productivity, discipline play a vital role
in the organization. It’s the responsibility of management to frame organizations rules and regulations in compliance
with the existing labour legislation of that country. Indiscipline arise in the organizations due to many causes such as
lack of proper rules and regulations, leadership crises, improper grievance redressal mechanisms, exploitation of
workers, arrogant management, flow of communication etc.In this article focus has given on importance and causes of
employee discipline.
Keywords:EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, GLOBALIZATION, WORKFORCE
DIVERSITY.

INTRODUCTION
Employee discipline means following the code and conduct of the organization positively. It plays a vital role
in maintaining harmony and gaining productivity in the organization whereas employee indiscipline may lead
to strike, lockout, absenteeism, employee turnover and so forth. Indiscipline arises in the organizations due to
lack of proper rules and regulations, leadership crises, improper grievance redressal mechanisms, exploitation
of workers, arrogant management, flow of communication etc. It’s the responsibility of management to frame
organizations rules and regulations in compliance with the existing labour legislation.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The purpose this theoretical paper is to study the importance of employee discipline in industrial relations,
causes of indiscipline in the organization and effect of indiscipline in the organization.

METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY

This research study is purely based on secondary data. Data were collected through extensive review of
literature like journal, articles, various company website, magazine etc.

REVIEW OF LITURATURE
Finnemore (2006) had stressed on the importance of disciplinary procedure in an organization. Disciplinary
code is another important aspect of disciplinary procedure in an organization. Because of the desirability of
consistency in disciplinary penalties, and because employees need to have some expectations of the
consequences of breaking rules, an organization should have a code which sets out possible offences, and the
disciplinary action which may result.
Bendix (2010) concluded in his study that disciplinary action and procedures are used as a corrective measure
in organizations, not to punish the employee, but rather to correct behaviour or a current work standard to
more appropriate levels.”

438 S.AHMED MOZUMDER, Dr. P. RAMLAL

 International Journal of Engineering Technology Science and Research
IJETSR
www.ijetsr.com
ISSN 2394 – 3386
Volume 4, Issue 10
October 2017

Richard et.al. (2011) stated that the procedure and nature of handling grievance and discipline depends on the
size as well as context of the organizations along with legal obligation. The study has shown that
organizations are emphasis on the importance of informal processes in resolving disciplinary and grievance
issues. While it was acknowledged that certain issues had to be dealt with through procedure, informal
resolution was seen as crucial.
Padmaja, B., & Rao, N. V. (2014) had conducted a study on Employee discipline in Power Distribution
Company and found that following of rules and regulation by supervisor has a positive impact on employee
discipline. Reward system in the organization helps to maintain discipline in workplace.
Utami, H. B. (2017) carried out a study to see the effect of communication and working environment forward
performance through discipline and motivation in Environment Agency of Ngawi Regency. The result had
shown that communication and working environment had positive and significant effect on discipline and
motivation of the employee.

DISCUSSION
Workforce diversity has increased because of globalization, employees are coming from different geographic
locations, nationality, religion, caste and creed so maintaining discipline in the workplace is a challenge for
the organization. Proper maintenance of employee discipline gives more advantages to the organizations and
helps to increase productivity. Lewis et.al. (2003) in their study focused on the effectiveness of disciplinary
procedure and action. Discipline is necessary where it is an “action instigated by management against an
employee who fails to meet reasonable and legitimate expectations in terms of performance, conduct and
adherence to rules.”
Gennard & Judge (2005) focused on the forefront matters relating to an individual’s performance, capability
and conduct. They also told about the challenges faced by managers at workplace to handle discipline.Six
(2005) talked about the trust and how it is an integral part of employment relationship. Employers have to act
in a correct manner when dealing with disciplinary cases, and their behaviour should be applied to all in a
reliable manner. If this is not forthcoming, it could harm the trust relationship which has been built between
the employer and employees.In employee discipline fairness and justice are the major concern. Blyton &
Turnbull (1998) studied the implications of inconsistent and unfair disciplinary action on the organization.
According to them, “Organizations often pay a hefty price as a result of poor disciplinary application and
procedures. This refers not only to monetary expenses, but also to the loss of morale, intellectual property and
motivation on the part of employees.”
Daniels (2006) has suggested that managers within the organization should take care when affecting
disciplinary action on an employee, as the action often carries many consequences with it. The control aspect
can be said to relate to the policies and procedures which management have to operate in to ensure that the
disciplinary action yields the correct results for all the parties involved. Du Plessis & Fouche (2006) focused
on the consistency of disciplinary procedures and action. According to them, the rules of discipline should be
same and equal for every employee in an organization. Rao (2009) has told about the importance of
disciplinary policies and codes in an organization and all employees should be aware of such policies and
codes. According to him, Employees within the organization, throughout every level and division, should be
aware of disciplinary codes and policies, and also have access to these policy documents as part of the reading
material within the business. It is common practice for organizations in the workplace to display a copy of the
disciplinary codes and policies on notice boards in each department, where employees can browse through
these at a time convenient for them during their normal working hours.
Imel (2011) mentioned that the mistakes made by the humans and their impact. According to the author, “we
are all human and at one time or another, all humans make mistakes. How significant these mistakes are and
how often they occur are a direct result of each individuals own self-discipline. Sometimes the mistake made
involves violating a rule, policy, procedure or standard of conduct in the workplace”.
Effective disciplinary procedure helps to maintain harmony in the workplace. It helps to give justice to the
grievant employee, reduce absenteeism and employee turnover, prevent lockout and strike etc. Discipline and

439 S.AHMED MOZUMDER, Dr. P. RAMLAL

 International Journal of Engineering Technology Science and Research
IJETSR
www.ijetsr.com
ISSN 2394 – 3386
Volume 4, Issue 10
October 2017

fair justice leads to work efficiency and productivity, job satisfactions, organizational loyalty etc. Indiscipline
can be identified in the work place such as absence from work, abusive language toward supervisor, assault
and fighting among employees, causing unsafe working conditions, damage to or loss of machinery or
materials dishonesty, disloyalty to employer, gambling, incompetence in terms of low productivity,
misconduct during a strike, sleeping on the job etc.
Major causes of employee indiscipline in the workplace include lack of proper rules and regulations, low
wage, poor working conditions, leadership crises, improper grievance redressal mechanisms, exploitation of
workers, arrogant management, poor channel of communications, irresponsible supervisor, irregularities and
nepotism in promotion and so on. A study conducted by University of Southern California's Marshall School
of Business had revealed that rudeness in the workplace can cost an organization time, effort and talent,
according to a survey conducted by the. More than 90% said they had experienced incivility at work. Of these,
50% say they lost work time worrying about the incident, 50% contemplated changing jobs to avoid a
recurrence, and 25% cut back their efforts on the job. Therefor prevention of indiscipline must be taken care
by the organization positively.

CONCLUSION
This study has highlighted the importance and causes of indiscipline in the organizations. Indiscipline can
harm organization in many ways therefore prevention is always better then cure. For brining discipline in the
organization there should predefined rules, regulation and code of conduct. Once employees become well
aware about what could be the outcome of indiscipline if they commit then onlyit will restrict them not to do
undesired behaviour. If organization is able to maintain discipline in the work place it will secure maximum
productivity but at a same time management must keep in their mind that no employee is getting exploit and
suffering from injustice. Future scope of the research can be evaluate the impact of employee discipline on
productivity or otheraspects of industrial relations such as strike, lockout, employee turnover intention etc.

REFERENCES
1. Bendix, Sonia. Industrial relations in South Africa. Juta and Company Ltd, 2010.
2. Blyton, Paul, and Peter Turnbull. "The dynamics of employee relations." Capital & Class 23.3 (1999): 176-178.
3. Daniels, K. (2006). Employee Relations in an Organisational Context. London, UK: Chartered Institute of
Personnel and Development
4. Du Plessis, Johannes Voet, and Maria Aletta Fouché. A practical guide to labour law. LexisNexis, 2006.
5. Finnemore, M. (1999). Introduction to labour relations in South Africa. Butterworth-Heinemann.
6. Gennard, John, and Graham Judge. Employee relations. CIPD Publishing, 2005.
7. Imel, J. L. (2011). Organizational Effects of Inconsistent Discipline. Retrieved from http.
8. Lewis, Philip, Adrian Thornhill, and Mark Saunders. Employee relations: understanding the employment
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9. Padmaja, B., & Rao, N. V. (2014). “An empirical study on employee discipline in Andhra Pradesh southern power
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12. Six, Frédérique. The trouble with trust: The dynamics of interpersonal trust building. Edward Elgar Publishing,
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13. Utami, H. B. (2017). Influence Communication and Work Environment on Performance Through Employee
Discipline and Motivation In the Office of Environmental Ngawi. eAbstract Excellent, 2(2).
14. Web Link: http://www.whatishumanresource.com/factors-to-consider-when-disciplining 29/08/2017 Time-12pm
(IST)

440 S.AHMED MOZUMDER, Dr. P. RAMLAL

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