Discuss the challenges with employee relations and discipline

Employee Relations and Discipline Name Institution Employee Relations and Discipline Addressing performance challenges and taking disciplinary action against employees are some of the most pressing issues that the management in any organization has to deal with. In addition to this, union representatives are usually involved with defending employees that have been disciplined at the expense of conducting other union duties touching on the other employees. This short paper touches on how the management can address the issue of performance and discipline in the organization in an effective manner. In the past, the management ensured that employees were performing in the workplace by maintaining a high level of discipline. However, this has changed as today a large number of managers are finding this approach problematic as they try to avoid confrontation with the union representatives. In the current scenario, employees and their representatives react in a negative way when the management tries to use the conventional means of discipline to correct them. This creates a scenario where the management avoids such confrontations by avoiding taking any punitive measures against the employees. The problem with this, however, is that it creates a perception among the other employees that non performance and unbecoming behavior is tolerated in the organization (Alexander, 2009). Since the very nature of discipline is negative and punitive, it is usually seen as heavy-handed and illogical. This explains why the management fights hard against any attempt by the management to discipline the employees. When this happens, the management and the employees end up wasting a lot of time that would otherwise be used to ensure productivity in the workplace. Since the management and the employees do not often solve the matter in an amicable way, outside arbitrators are usually brought in to solve the matter and this takes place many days after the disciplinary action something that does not ...