A Matter of Discipline...

I've been working in retail for over ten years now. It's the kind of job where you start as a kid right out of high school and stick around, maybe moving up the ladder if you're lucky. I was never that one - stuck at the same assistant manager level since my early twenties when the store hired me straight from a local community college... One of my best employees is Jane - she's twenty-five this year, but has been with us since she was eighteen. She's always been reliable and good at her job; even now, there's no one better to train up new hires than her. But over the last few months, I've noticed something different about her... a certain attitude. She's not showing up on time anymore - sometimes not even at all! When she does show up late or skip shifts, she never has an excuse, just vague promises that it won't happen again... I tried talking to her multiple times, giving warnings and chances to improve. Nothing worked. Finally, I decided it was time for something stronger than a typical performance warning - maybe more like the discipline I remember from my own childhood, even though those days are long gone now... So I pulled her aside during one of our meetings when we were alone in my office and told her that if she didn't start showing up on time or skipping work, she'd be fired. And then, to make it clear how serious this was, I spanked her. It was quick - just a couple hard swats on the backside with an open hand. She gasped in surprise and embarrassment but also seemed... relieved? That's what got me thinking after. Was that something she wanted all along, some kind of kink or fantasy to make sense of her rebellious streak at work? Anyway, since then Jane hasn't missed a single day - not even one minute late. She seems happier too. I never thought about anything like this before but now I wonder if there are other employees who need that same firm hand from their boss? It's hard to say...