Employee conduct in the workplace- Who is responsible to manage?

At a glace, Human Resources department is at the receiving end regarding the conduct of an employee at the workplace. There are two points which associate HR with the conduct of an employee in an organization. The processes of recruitment & selection impugn HR in finding a candidate that matches not only job specification but the total organizational aura. The second point that associate HR with a conduct is discipline. HR is seen as the leader in maitaining discipline in an organization. The power to lead discipline originates from ownership of labour policies and procedures.  HR is tasked with a responsibility to read and interprete policies. It is in a better position to apply policies consistetly as a result of sitting in all disciplinary hearings of an organization.

The first point of recruiting & selection of an employee requires a recruitment system that will able to detect traits. Behavioural questions in a questionnaire is just one step in detecting traits of a potential employee. The emphasis should be in aligning a potential employee behaviour with organizational norms and conduct standards. Therefore HR questions should have substance and represent organizational employee attitude.  The questions should lean more on identifying the type of employee against the total organization behavioural norms not limited on how employee responds on job pressures and direct supervision. The respnses in the interview should form a initial step as an employee may answer questions only to please a panel. The next step should be a background check using 360% assissment. An employee should be requested to provide references ranging and including at least peer, internal and external client, supervisor and/or manager.  

The question still stands on who should manage the conduct? The required standards of conduct should be made clear to a potential employee during recruitment& selection process. He/she should decide even before the signing of a contract that conduct integration is important as meeting expected level of performance. If he/she decides to accept an offer of employment then he/she accepts a clearly put standards of conduct. He/she is then required to manage his/her conduct based on predetermined list of conduct standards. The supervisors and managers should not manage performance only, a conduct should as well be part of good supervision. Line management is always working with an employee than with HR. The change in behaviour should be corrected before it becomes a misconduct. Misconduct normally affects integration the future of employee in number of ways. It depreciates relations in a department with management as well as co-workers. Misconduct normally carries a sanction which could lead to dismissal if it is of serious nature. Therefore conduct needs a proactive management rather than reactive management.