How to Reprimand an Employee the Right Way

By Rafael Maga?a

There will come a time in every manager's career that they will need to reprimand an employee. Criticizing employees is not the most enjoyable part of being a supervisor. Still, if you allow one employee to get away with breaking the rules, you will set a precedent that other members of the team may follow.

If you reprimand workers in the right way, you may be able to get the employee to change their behavior. If you get it wrong, though, you could make matters worse, and you could demotivate the entire team.

Like so many things in people management, pulling up an employee about their behavior or standard work is all about getting the balance right. Here are ten tips to help you strike that balance and reprimand employees the right way.

1. Address the Issue Immediately

If an employee is underperforming or conducting themselves inappropriately, then the issue should be addressed as soon as it is recognized. It would be a mistake to put off talking to the worker about their conduct, thinking that the problem will go away, because it will not. If you let the matter slide, the employee will believe that their behavior is acceptable, and that will make the issue trickier to deal with later.

2. Stay Calm

You must not lose your temper when you are bringing an employee to account. If you lose your temper, you lose control, and you lose the upper hand. If you get too emotional, you will also lose the respect of the employee, and the respect of any other workers who overhear the argument. Stay calm, stick to the facts, and do not let the conversation become a heated debate. 

3. Conduct the Meeting in Private

Always conduct any disciplinary meetings in private. No one responds well to be being shamed in public and, regardless of what they might have done, every worker deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. Reprimanding employees in front of their colleagues will also be unsettling for the other team members. It could even cause some of your best employees to look for another job.

4. Do Not Try to Sugarcoat the Message

If the employee's conduct has been sufficiently poor to warrant a reprimand, then it is a serious matter that cannot be taken lightly. Keep a serious tone during the meeting, and do not try to let the employee down gently or make light of the situation. Avoid smiling too. If you are overly friendly and pleasant about the reprimand, you will not get your message across. You want the meeting to end with the employee being in no doubt at all that a warning shot has just been fired.

5. Be Specific

You cannot reprimand an employee for anything if you do not have specific examples of the person's unacceptable behavior. If you cannot point to anything specific that the employee has done wrong, you cannot expect the employee to modify their behavior. If you do not have examples of the wrongdoings, you may also be accused of being unfair or unreasonable. If you want to reprimand an employee about their timekeeping, for example, have some recent cases of when the person arrived late at the office. Not being specific is likely to turn a reprimand into an argument.

6. Be Prepared to Listen

There may be genuine reasons why an employee has acted in a certain way. So, while you should be firm during a reprimand meeting, you should also be prepared to listen. Listening is essential, especially if the individual had a good record of conduct before the events that led to the need for a reprimand. In the case of poor timekeeping, for example, it might be that the employee has some problems at home. If that were the case, the issue might be resolved by offering help, such as flexible hours or temporarily working from home.

7. Explain Why the Behavior is Unacceptable

It is also crucial that the employee understands why their behavior is unacceptable. You do not need to go over the top with justifying your actions as a manager. Still, it can be helpful if you explain the impact that the employee's behavior is having on the business or other employees. If an employee knows that their actions led to a loss of business, for example, they will better understand the need for them to improve their performance.

8. Put the Reprimand in Perspective

How you approach a reprimand will depend on the severity of the employee's misconduct and whether this is the first time that you have had cause to talk to the individual about their behavior. If the employee is a repeat offender, then you might be on your way to disciplinary action or firing the person. If this is the case, then it should be made clear and put in writing if necessary. If this is the first time that you have had to talk to an employee, though, you should let them know that other than the issue in question, you are happy with their performance.

9. Set Future Expectations

Once you have reprimanded an employee, you should be clear about what will be expected from them in the future. You should also explain what the ramifications will be if the employee does not modify their behavior. It is also good practice to ask the employee if there is anything that you can do to help them achieve the required standards. The emphasis of management in the modern workplace should be on assisting employees to reach their potential rather than unnecessarily harsh discipline.

10. Let the Matter Lie

Unless the problem persists, the reprimand meeting should be the end of the matter, and everyone should be able to get back to work. There is nothing to be gained by using a worker's past mistakes against them. If you keep on raising the issue, it will only create a toxic working environment. If the behavior does persist, though, you will need to address it immediately and, if appropriate, begin formal disciplinary proceedings. The final thing that should do after reprimanding an employee is to document the meeting in case you do need to take further disciplinary action.

Conclusion

Reprimanding an employee is rarely easy, but it is an essential part of managing a team. The crucial thing is to be fair and reasonable and treat all your employees the same. By applying the above tips, you should be able to get the balance right when you next find yourself needing to reprimand an employee and, hopefully, achieve a positive outcome.

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Copyright January 19, 2021 by Rafael Maga?a. Contact for usage license.

Photo Credit: Gillian Fry, Photo Editor & Staff Photographer, Hispanic Executive.

Rafael Maga?a helps organizations grow. Helps leaders accelerate strategy implementation in their organizations. Specializes in donor-centered Philanthropy. Major Gift Officer -Veritus Scholar. Director of Development & Communications at the Emphysema Foundation of America and Breathe Southern California. Enjoys writing about leadership, management and careers. Founder of Latino Professionals, Latina Professionals, & Latinx Professionals. He resides in California. Follow Rafael on LinkedIn (19,000+ followers) and on Twitter: @RafaelMagana

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