Exploring the effectiveness of disciplinary measures in a North-West Government Department

Abstract

In May 2013, the National Public Service Commission (NPSC) announced that twenty-two thousand public servants across the country had been charged with misconduct for corrupt activities and that R 300 million had been recovered from perpetrators. At face value it can be concluded that the disciplinary measures that are used to deal with employee misconduct in government are effective. But when a deeper look is taken to determine whether the measures are effective as far as disciplining employees is concerned, the hidden truth is uncovered. This study explored the effectiveness of disciplinary measures in a North-West Government Department. The aim was to determine whether the measures put in place were effective when it came to dealing with the misconduct of employees. A qualitative research approach was used in the study as it provided an in-depth understanding of the issues under investigation for the purpose of finding answers to the research questions. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews were used to gather data. The interviews provided much needed information about the perceptions of employees about the misconduct procedure of the department. The findings showed that employees preferred that an internal disciplinary procedure be formulated instead of relying on the standard Disciplinary Code and Procedure. The findings also highlighted factors such as the damage to the reputation of an organisation and monetary loss as some of the consequences of not properly following misconduct procedures of the Department. The findings also showed that factors such as pressures of life, treatment by management and low wages were causing employees to commit misconduct in the workplace. Furthermore, acts of misconduct such as absenteeism, fraud, corruption and late-coming were some of the common acts of misconduct committed by employees at the North-West Government Department. The regular training of employees was needed in order to deal effectively with misconduct in the Department. This study paved a way for future researchers who would like to conduct the same or similar research.