Progressive Discipline

Twin Cities attorney Thomas Wieser advises employers on progressive discipline of employees with substandard job performance. With more than 40 years of practice experience in employment law, Tom has the knowledge and skills to assist clients in addressing employee performance issues.

Progressive Discipline Process

Employers spend significant sums to hire and train employees. As such, terminating an employee for poor performance only to have to conduct a search for a new hire is an undesirable solution, especially in a labor market where job openings vastly outnumber suitable replacement candidates. Utilizing progressive discipline can be a successful approach to addressing substandard job performance by an employee.

Generally, progressive discipline includes the following steps:

• Oral warning
• Written warning
• Final written warning
• Suspension (paid or unpaid)
• Termination

As an employment law attorney, Thomas Wieser’s experience includes assisting employers with preparing progressive discipline documentation for a wide variety of performance issues, ranging from concerns that are easily measured, such as tardiness or absenteeism, to more subjective concerns, such as an employee who does not accept direction from a supervisor or cannot get along with coworkers.

Regardless of what type of performance issues an employee presents, Tom helps an employer assess the situation, determine whether progressive discipline is a viable strategy, and devise a plan for carrying out the progressive discipline.