Demotion and Separation of Employee

DEMOTION OF EMPLOYEE

Demotion is just opposite to promotion. In demotion, the employee is shifted to a job lower in status, grade and responsibilities. “Demotion refers to the lowering down of the status, salary and responsibilities of an employee.”

In the words of Dale Yoder, “Demotion is a shift to a position in which responsibilities are decreased. Promotion is, in a sense, an increase in rank and demotion is decrease in rank.”

When an employee is demoted, his pride suffers a more severe jolt than it does when he is superceded by his junior. Some managers hesitate to demote a man. They prefer to discharge him rather than to demote him on the lower job because he will not accept the lower job and will turn to be a disgruntled employee and his position will not be good for better industrial relations.

Causes of Demotion

There are several reasons for demoting a man from his present position.

1. Inadequacy on the part of the employees in terms of job performance, attitude and capability. It happens when an employee finds it difficult to meet job requirement standards, following his promotion.
2. Demotion may result from organisational staff reductions. Due to adverse business conditions, organizations may decide to lay off some and downgrade some jobs.
3. Demotions may be used as disciplinary tools against errant employees.
4. If there is a mistake in staffing i.e., a person is promoted wrongly.
5. When, because of a change in technology, methods and practices, old hands are unable to adjust or when employees because of ill health or personal reasons, cannot do their job properly.

Demotion Policy

Demotion is very harmful for the employees’ morale. It is an extremely painful action, impairing relationships between people permanently. While, effecting demotions, a manager should be extremely careful not to place himself on the wrong side of the fence. It is, therefore, necessary to formulate a demotion policy so that there may be no grievance on the part of the trade unions.

Yoder, Heneman, Turnbull and Stone have suggested a five-fold policy in regard to demotion practice:

1. A clear list of rules along with punishable offences be made available to all the employees.
2. Any violation be investigated thoroughly by a competent authority.
3. In case of violations, it is better to state the reasons for taking such a punitive step clearly and elaborately.
4. Once violations are proved, there should be a consistent and equitable application of the penalty.
5. There should be enough room for review.

Demotions have a serious impact on need fulfillment. Needs for esteem and belongingness are frustrated leading to a defensive behaviour on the part of the person demoted. There may be complaints, emotional turmoil, inefficiency or resignation. Hence, demotions are very rarely resorted to by managers. Managers prefer to discharge employees rather than facing the problems arising from demotion.

SEPARATION OF EMPLOYEE

It occurs when employees cease to be members of the organization, the service agreement ends and the employee leaves the organization.

Causes of employee separation

1. Resignation

A resignation refers to the termination of employment at the instance of the employees. A resignation may be put voluntarily by the employee. An employee resigns when he secures a better job elsewhere, in the case of a female employee when she marries and has to quit for personal reasons or when an employee suffers from ill health or for any other reasons.

2. Dismissal or Discharge

Dismissal is the termination of the services of an employee as a punitive measure for some misconduct. Discharge also means termination of the service of an employee, but not necessarily as a punishment step. A discharge does not arise from a single irrational act. Dismissal or discharge is a drastic step and should be taken after careful thought.

A dismissal needs to be supported by just and sufficient reasons. Before discharging or dismissing the employee, advance notice of the impending danger must be given and the reasons of discharge must be stated clearly. The employee must be given the opportunity to defend himself.

3. Death

Some employees may die in service. When the death is caused by occupational hazards, the employee gets compensation as per the provisions of the Workmen’s Compensation Act. On compassionate grounds some organizations offer employment to the spouse/child/dependent of the employee who dies in service.

4. Suspension

Suspension means prohibiting an employee from attending work and performs normal duties assigned to him. This is a serious punishment and is generally awarded only after a proper enquiry has been conducted. During suspension, the employee receives a subsistence allowance. If the charges against the suspended employee are serious and are proved, suspension may lead to termination also.

5. Retrenchment

Retrenchment, too, results in the separation of an employee from his employer. Retrenchment is generally on account of surplus staff, poor demand for products, general economic slowdown etc. Termination of services on disciplinary grounds, illness, retirement, winding up of a business does not constitute retrenchment.

Retrenchment entitles the employees to compensation which in terms of section 25 (f) of the Industrial Disputes Act 1947, is equivalent to fifteen days average pay for each completed year of continuous service. The principle in the procedure of retrenchment is that the last person employed in each category must be the first person to be retrenched i.e. “last come first go”.

6. Lay off

A lay off is a temporary separation of the employee from his employer at the instance of the latter without any prejudice to the former.

“Lay off means the failure, refusal or inability of an employer on account of coal, power or raw-materials or accumulation of stock, breakdown of machinery or by any other reason to give employment to a workman whose name is borne on the muster roll.”

Thus, lay off is resorted to as a result of some bonafide reasons as factors which are beyond the control of the employers. As the employees are laid off at the instance of the employer, they have to be paid compensation for the period they are laid off. Sec. 25 of the Industrial Disputes Act 1947 makes it mandatory on the part of the employer to pay compensation for all the days of the lay off.

The compensation must be equal to half the normal wages the employee would have earned if he had not been laid off. It goes without saying that employees with the shortest period of service to their credit are first laid off and the older employees are retained as long as conditions permit. Competence as the basis for lay off is not possible in unionised companies because of the outright resistance shown by union leaders.

As soon as the layoff is lifted, the employees should be recalled. The seniority system usually specifies that those who were laid off last will be called back first. However, the management may seek to call junior employees whose skills are essential for the resumption of production.

Because of the heavy costs involved in lay off, employers should take every possible step to avoid the causes of lay off. A possible adjustment of placements of workers such as demotions, transfers etc. should be made.