Question

Which of the following statements is NOT true about the evolution of employee discipline?

a. It wasn't until the 1970s that employers could be held legally accountable for their disciplinary actions.
b. In the 18th and 19th centuries, employers exercised unrestricted discretion in directing the workforce.
c. Frederick W. Taylor was among the first management thinkers to advocate a disciplinary approach that focuses on correction rather than discharge.
d. At one time, an employee could be disciplined by having his tongue burned or being whipped in public for speaking to management in an insolent or rude manner.
e. The Wagner Act of 1935 helped shape management's disciplinary policies.

Answer 1

The incorrect statement about the evolution of employee discipline is that employers were not held legally accountable for their actions until the 1970s; significant legislation such as the Wagner Act of 1935 impacted disciplinary policies much earlier. Frederick W. Taylor's scientific management approach in the early 20th century also influenced disciplinary practices, focusing on efficiency and correction.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that is NOT true about the evolution of employee discipline is that it wasn't until the 1970s that employers could be held legally accountable for their disciplinary actions. Significant legislation influencing employee rights and employers' disciplinary actions, such as the Wagner Act of 1935, was implemented much earlier than in the 1970s. This act was instrumental in shaping management's disciplinary policies by specifying that workers had the right to organize unions and that management had to give them a fair chance to do so.

Additionally, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, thinkers like Frederick W. Taylor advocated for a more scientific approach to management, which included a focus on correction and efficiency instead of arbitrary punishment or discharge. His book, The Principles of Scientific Management, laid out principles of improved productivity and standardization of work processes. Before the interventions of such reforms, during the 18th and 19th centuries, employers indeed had a great deal of discretion over workplace discipline, sometimes implementing severe and inhumane punishments.