Two BASK lists carry this unit, both tested as exact sequences. Learn the order, because the questions ask what comes next.
Progressive discipline, in BASK order
Counseling, performance improvement plan (PIP), corrective action, verbal warning, demotion and termination.
- Arbitration is not a discipline step. The BASK lists it separately as an ADR type.
- A lockout is not a discipline step. It belongs to the strikes and lockouts grouping.
- Orientation, probation, promotion and transfer are employment-lifecycle events, not disciplinary ones.
The sequence exists so expectations are reset and documented before anyone loses a job. An analyst who misses three deadlines after a system change, with nothing documented, gets a PIP with documented expectations before separation is considered. Terminating uses the final step with no record; demoting immediately uses a later step first; moving her to another manager relocates the problem.
Work the other direction too. When counseling and a PIP are done and performance has partly improved but still falls short, steps short of separation remain: corrective action, and then demotion to a role matching demonstrated performance, before termination. Terminating because the PIP period ended skips the remaining steps; repeating the PIP reuses a spent step; removing the quality standard abandons it.
Grievance and complaint resolution, three elements
A grievance procedure, an investigation and an appeal.
- A petition, an election and a certification are NLRB representation-case steps, not an internal grievance system.
- A charge, a complaint and a hearing describe unfair labor practice case handling.
- A demand, an impasse and a strike vote belong to strikes and lockouts.
An appeal is meaningful only before a reviewer who was not involved in the original decision. If a grievance was denied at the first level by the same manager who made the decision complained of, route it to appeal before someone new. Calling the denial final removes the step; re-running the same review cannot cure the objection; external arbitration skips the internal step still owed.
Carry this in: six discipline steps in order, three grievance elements, fresh reviewer on appeal.