Balloons, Planes, and Disciplinary Actions

Two recent events attracted much attention: a homemade helium balloon supposedly carrying a six-year-old boy and a Northwest plane that traveled 150 miles past where it was supposed to land and lost contact with air traffic control for over an hour. The balloon incident was a hoax. The plane incident is perhaps still somewhat of a mystery.

In both cases, the culpable parties argue that no harm was done. The parents just wanted media attention. Nobody got hurt. The pilots say they didn’t go to sleep or weren’t arguing (as has been speculated). When they realized their mistake (which may have occurred because they were occupied on their laptops), they turned the plane around and landed it safely.

Hold on. The parents made a false report to authorities and caused the unnecessary expenditure of a huge amount of money. The pilots created a terror alert, placing Wisconsin Air National Guard pilots in the position of having to shoot down the Northwest plane if contact hadn’t been reestablished with air traffic control.

Authorities are considering criminal charges against the parents. The pilots and their licenses have been suspended. What kind of discipline should an employer impose?

The parents surely violated a federal or state law. Fun or not, the perpetrators of the hoax should be prosecuted (another form of firing). Regardless of why the pilots lost contact with air traffic control for over an hour, they deserve to be fired.

In other words, there are situations where a mere warning won’t suffice. I like a laugh as much as anyone, but when an employee goes too far with wackiness and causes chaos at work, it’s bad precedent to give him another chance. When an employee’s conduct puts lives at risk, how can she be allowed the opportunity to do it again?

Discipline requires difficult judgment calls. When viewed with a clear eye, however, some calls aren’t that difficult.