Dignity in Misconduct

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well. I haven’t had a break from ulcers lately, but I’m goooood. I have been working on something that I can't wait to share! A free LinkedIn guide! It is one of my proudest projects thus far; I will share it once READY. Today’s title is, “Dignity in misconduct”. Vague? I know, I couldn’t think of a better title (blame it on ulcers). Otherwise, you are free to drop title suggestions in the comment section.

"You need to respect people no matter their societal status," was a mantra instilled in me as a child. My aunt would say "before that individual became a homeless person or a Ph.D. holder they are human". Therefore, you need to respect people because they are HUMAN before anything. I carried that my whole life. I learned from a young age that people should be treated with OUTMOST respect because they hold an intrinsic value by virtue of being humans.

I THINK people dislike the HR department, in my opinion, because some HR professionals find it easy to STRIP someone off their dignity after they have engaged in misconduct. For instance, if an employee engages in misconduct that is regarded as a serious offense and the sanction is dismissal. Some professionals may find it easy to treat someone like a three-year-old toddler. We all make mistakes, yet sometimes those blunders are the result of deliberate behavior for which appropriate disciplinary action is called for. A person's dignity must be upheld, and the proper disciplinary procedure must be followed without passing judgment on the offender. For example, you sit the person down and say "Mosa, you stole R50K from the company and you know according to company policy NO.10 that is not acceptable. Therefore, you will be subjected to a disciplinary hearing. You have a right to one, two, and three". Simple right? companies have policies and processes ALREADY, which one can refer to. You don't need to belittle someone's father.

In conclusion, it is essential not to take the HUMAN aspect of HR away when dealing with misconduct. Human beings are the center of our profession therefore; we need to ensure that disciplinary processes include dignity as a KEY organizational element. To ensure when we correct someone, we do not compromise or undermine people's dignity.?

Yours in Labour Relations

Nobesuthu Mahlangu