Progressive Disciplinary Policy

A progressive employee discipline policy is a company-wide document by which an employer outlines its policy regarding poor behaviour and poor performance by its employees. Typically, this type of document is given to employees at the beginning of their employment so that they fully understand what is expected of them.

These documents are not formal contracts. Rather, they are policies written by the employer without employee input. Many employment policies are established this way.

How to use this document ?

This document is fairly short and simple. All it requires is the name of the employer, followed by a few basic questions about the procedure for the employee being disciplined.

The completed document describes the objective of the policy, the behaviour considered unacceptable and the exact steps in the disciplinary process.

It is not a negotiated agreement, so when it is completed, it should simply be given to employees or added to another employment document, such as a contract of employment.

Applicable Law

It can be difficult to determine whether a disciplinary or administrative breach has occurred. As a result, the tribunals have determined that there may be mixed situations.

Thus, before imposing any disciplinary sanction the employer is obliged to respect a gradation of sanctions, i.e.: verbal warning, written warning, short suspension, long suspension, termination.

It is important to note that in the presence of a zero-tolerance policy, duly transmitted to employees, the employer is not obliged to respect the principle of progressive sanctions. It's also important to note that suspensions without pay are risky and may lead to a lawsuit by the employee.

How to modify the template?

You fill out a form. The document is created before your eyes as you respond to the questions.

At the end, you receive it in Word and PDF formats. You can modify it and reuse it.