by Mary Beth Barry
Disciplining with Compassion While Protecting Your Mission
One of the greatest challenges for leaders in Catholic organizations is balancing two responsibilities that can sometimes feel like they are in tension: treating employees with dignity and compassion while faithfully protecting the mission entrusted to the organization.
Many leaders hesitate to discipline an employee because they do not want to hurt someone’s feelings, damage a relationship, or jeopardize the employee’s livelihood. This hesitation can be even greater in Catholic organizations, where leaders often worship alongside employees, know their families personally, and are called to model mercy and forgiveness.
While there is rarely a quick or easy answer for addressing poor performance or misconduct, avoiding those conversations is often not the most loving response. Left unaddressed, behavior that is inconsistent with your mission, values, or workplace expectations can diminish employee morale, undermine your organization’s ability to carry out its religious mission, negatively affect those you serve, create inconsistencies in how employees are treated, and increase legal risk.
As leaders, we are called not only to show compassion but also to be faithful stewards of the ministry entrusted to us. Addressing performance and conduct concerns in a timely, fair, and pastoral manner protects both the dignity of the employee and the mission of the organization.
A Pastoral Approach to Discipline
Being pastoral does not mean avoiding difficult conversations. It means having them with dignity, honesty, and a sincere desire to help the employee succeed.
Whenever possible, discipline should be viewed as a process of formation rather than punishment. Addressing concerns early gives employees the best opportunity to improve and helps prevent small issues from becoming more significant problems.
When discipline becomes necessary, leaders should clearly identify the performance or conduct concern, explain the expectations going forward, establish a reasonable timeframe for improvement, provide appropriate support when appropriate, and communicate the consequences if those expectations are not met.
To help members implement these best practices, we’ve added new sample corrective action templates and sample language for common disciplinary situations to the Members Only Room (MOR).
Throughout the corrective action process:
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Address concerns promptly rather than allowing problems to continue.
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Be specific about the behavior or performance that must change.
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Document conversations and follow up on commitments.
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Treat every employee with dignity and respect, even when delivering difficult feedback.
Some employees respond positively and make meaningful improvements. Others may decide the position is no longer the right fit, or the organization may ultimately determine that termination is necessary. Regardless of the outcome, a fair, consistent, and well-documented process demonstrates respect for the employee while reinforcing the values and standards of the organization.
Catholic Organizations Have Additional Responsibilities
Unlike many secular employers, Catholic organizations are not simply enforcing workplace rules. They are also safeguarding a religious mission.
When an employee’s conduct conflicts with the organization’s Catholic mission or religious beliefs, leaders should address both the workplace issue and, when appropriate, its impact on the ministry.
This does not mean every disciplinary conversation must become a theological discussion. Rather, leaders should thoughtfully explain how certain behaviors conflict with the organization’s religious beliefs and values when that is genuinely the case.
The stronger the connection between your employment decisions and your documented religious mission, the better positioned your organization will be to preserve important religious liberty protections.
Documentation Matters—Especially When Religious Reasons Are Part of the Decision
Most HR professionals understand the importance of documenting performance deficiencies and policy violations. However, Catholic employers should take an additional step when discipline involves religious reasons.
Whenever possible, use progressive discipline and document each step of the corrective action process. Doing so demonstrates fairness and creates a record that the employee understood the concern and had an opportunity to improve.
Although progressive discipline is often the preferred approach, certain acts of serious misconduct may warrant immediate termination. Because these situations frequently involve important legal considerations—particularly for Catholic employers—we recommend consulting with legal counsel before making a final decision.
If termination becomes necessary, we recommend preparing a written summary before the termination meeting that identifies not only the employment-related reasons for the decision, but also, when applicable, the religious reasons supporting it. Rather than simply documenting what the employee did, explain why the conduct conflicted with your organization’s Catholic mission, values, or religious beliefs.
For example, if an employee is terminated for conduct that is contrary to Church teaching, the documentation should identify the relevant teaching, explain how it was communicated to the employee, note the employee’s agreement to abide by those expectations (when applicable), and describe how the conduct impaired the employee’s ability to fulfill the responsibilities of the position. When those facts are true, documenting them can strengthen the connection between the employment decision and the organization’s sincerely held religious beliefs.
**For additional practical guidance, we recommend members to review our updated legal memorandum, **Maximizing Catholic Employers’ Religious Liberty and Speech Defenses. Prepared by CBA legal counsel, this resource helps members understand and apply the legal protections available to Catholic employers.
Build the Foundation Before Problems Arise
Remember, strong documentation often begins long before corrective action becomes necessary. Religious expectations should be communicated consistently throughout the employment relationship—from hiring through performance evaluations and corrective action. When employees clearly understand your organization’s mission and the standards expected of them, leaders are better equipped to address performance or conduct concerns in a fair, consistent, and mission-aligned manner.
Remember the Goal
When approached thoughtfully, discipline becomes an opportunity to uphold both the dignity of the employee and the values that define your organization. The goal is to help employees succeed whenever possible while ensuring the organization remains faithful to those values.
Sometimes that means coaching. Sometimes it means providing additional support. Sometimes it requires difficult conversations. And sometimes, despite everyone’s best efforts, it means ending the employment relationship.
Remember to visit the CBA Members Only Room for practical resources including a new sample corrective action template, our updated legal memorandum, and our article, Is It Loving to Ignore an Employee’s Bad Performance or Behavior?