I take it you’re not unionized. If you establish your own progressive disciplinary policy without having to negotiate with a union, you need to be sure that it’s fair and reasonable. Specifically, the punishment must be commensurate with the offence. I respectfully don’t believe that what you’re proposing meets that standard. The problem is that it takes into account only the degree of property damage done. While that’s a legitimate consideration, there are so many other factors you must consider in meting out progressive discipline: Was this a first offence? What was the employee’s state of mind–did the employee act deliberately or recklessly? Or was it just negligence or carelessness? And what if the accident wasn’t even the employee’s fault? Did the employee admit the mistake, cooperate in the investigation, apologize, show remorse, etc. etc.
The other thing that worries me about the policy is how you’ll enforce it. To the extent you make deductions from the employee’s paycheque to cover the damages, you may be in violation of employment standards laws.
I suggest that you stick to a more traditional progressive disciplinary policy and ensure that it expressly lists property damage value as ONE of the criteria. Hope that helps. Glenn
