Most people who have managed others will attest there are all types of personalities and a spectrum of motivation levels. The hardest part of managing people are the employee problems that creep up that have little to do with work. These are family problems, crisis problems, and issues that distract from the work setting. We also know that things come up and we have to adjust and change to help our employees. However, there are some that seem to always have problems those are the ones where empathy and firmness can work together.
Its not easy to find that balance. You want to be flexible and give people an opportunity to overcome their own personal issues while at the same time trying to better ensure people are focused on the organization's tasks and goals.
I believe one of the better approaches is to offer flexibility in the first incident and increased gradation for punishment thereafter. There is a point where someone has to perform and personal problems can't always be resolved in the workplace. Once ok...twice we might have an issue kind of thinking.
I've seen people swing the pendulum too far in either direction. Too light and people take advantage and too hard you loose some great candidates. Finding that spot where you can put together a fair and consistent approach can be helpful.
One could write these approaches into the policy book or they can make them part of the unwritten cultural expectations of the workplace. There are risks to either way as differences in treatment can lead to questioning. If it is written in stone you are going to be stuck to that policy even when someone is "gaming" the system while at the same time unwritten explanations often hold up in court.
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