A manager notices that a highly productive employee has

Solution

The manager is using Punishment to improve punctuality of the high performers. Punishment (Negative) involves removing a desirable stimulus (here, the Flexible Friday privilege) to decrease an undesirable behavior (arriving late to office).   This is not Negative Reinforcement which is often confused with punishment. Negative reinforcement actually involves removing something unpleasant to increase a desired behavior (e.g., stopping a loud alarm once you put on your seatbelt).   Kindly note: ·        Positive Reinforcement: Adding a reward to increase a behavior (e.g., a bonus for being on time). ·        Extinction: Withholding any reinforcement at all so the behavior eventually dies out (e.g., ignoring a coworker who tells inappropriate jokes so they stop). ·        Law of Effect: This is the underlying principle by Thorndike that states behaviors followed by pleasant consequences are likely to be repeated, while those followed by unpleasant consequences are not.