First, it is a very time consuming process. There is a lot of documentation that must be taken at every step and some follow-up work may be necessary. Second, it requires that everyone in disciplinary authority be properly trained in applying the rules to the steps and to know the policy to the fullest extent. Third, you must have a formal, written policy available to all employees. Fourth, an area of an employees misconduct is governed by a certain type of disciplinary action that must be taken, sometimes the at-will status of employees is altered.
Most large companies have some form of a progressive discipline policy.
Businesses are trying to build and sustain high employee morale. Many of the businesses that I looked at use the standard four-step progressive discipline procedure when unacceptable behavior occurs. Not every step has to be used in that exact order. It really depends on the circumstances of the misconduct and how severe it is. A progressive discipline system should contain at least three basic elements.