What does the phrase "putting them in time out" mean?

I have a sentence, but there is an expression I can't understand. Could someone explain it to me? Here it is:

"You should treat your employees like adults instead of putting them in time out like a child."

Could someone direct me to a list of explanations of similar expressions: come out, take off, and so on

Solution 1:

Time out means "an imposed temporary suspension of activities, especially the separation of a misbehaving child from the others as a disciplinary measure."

Solution 2:

Time out is defined by the Merriam-Webster as:

: a quiet period used especially as a disciplinary measure for children

The sentence is saying that the employees should be treated stricter, and their punishments need to be more severe.

"Putting in time out" in this case is a metaphorical way of referring to giving the employees very mild punishments.