Observing Coworkers’ Violations and Managers’ Discipline: The Effect of Violation and Punishment Severity on Coworkers

The purpose of this two-part study is to understand how disciplinary actions impact coworkers on other coworkers. Study one determines how a coworker’s perception of the severity of a violation is related to desire for retributive justice, attitude towards the violator, and how the severity of a violation impacts perception of appropriate discipline. Study two examined reactions when punishments are too mild, appropriate or severe. Results yielded a complex relationship where the violation’s severity interacted with the punishment’s severity. One finding was that under-punishing has a more pronounced impact on coworkers than over-punishing.