Employees sometimes misbehave or flunk company policies. As a standard work environment, appropriate measures should be taken to prevent indiscipline and the reoccurrence of such attitudes towards work.
It is, therefore, vital to document these behaviors and bring them to the notice of such employee(s). How, then, do you go about this? Below are all the details you need to know about handling employee write-ups.
WHAT IS AN EMPLOYEE WRITE-UP?
An employee write-up is a formal document issued by an employer to employees when they commit an offense at work. It is used to keep note of employees’ actions that are against work policies and standards. Therefore, if the HR department must use the write-up process, there must be a specific template and set company policies around its use. An employee write-up should be used in a severe break of company policy, not as a vengeful weapon.
WHAT DETAILS MUST BE INCLUDED?
Every employee write-up must have:
- The employee’s name or ID Number
- Status/position of the employee
- Name of manager or supervisor issuing the write-up
- Details of the misconduct (including date and time)
- Statement of witness(es) of the misconduct
- Statement of acknowledgment of misconduct (by the employee)
- Disciplinary action (stating the policy flunked and the reason for punishment)
- Improvement plan
- Possible disciplinary action for a second violation
- Name and signature of issuer and date of issuance
All these details are crucial, as it serves as a way to:
- Make warnings clear to employees, and give them a path to fixing their attitudes towards work.
- Make it easy for HR to recall what went wrong.
- Follow through with the company’s disciplinary action.
- Learn more about and identify negative behavioral patterns of employees.
- Check up on a particular employee.
- Avoid wrongful termination of employment with correct documentation of misconduct, etc.
However, an employee write-up isn’t restricted to this; it can be adjusted and tailored to your company’s needs.
GUIDELINES ON HOW TO PREPARE AN EMPLOYEE WRITE-UP
It’s essential to keep a few things in mind as you create your company’s employee write-up. They are:
1. Scrutinize the severity of the misconduct.
Don’t be eager to issue a write-up; cool down if you’re angry and evaluate the severity of the offense committed. Identify the policy broken by referring to the company’s set guidelines.
2. Gather accurate information.
If an employee is always late, tracking the days and times they show up to work can help identify patterns of lateness. Document their exact words when accused and write down the witnesses at the time. Be as straightforward as possible so that someone reading your report can imagine what happened.
3. State the disciplinary action following the misconduct.
Spell out the disciplinary action meted on him, why such action was taken, and the penalty if the misconduct persists. Don’t totally criticize their work; give credit, and encourage the employee while ensuring they right the wrong.
4. Suggest ways to improve and make things right.
The write-up must specify the employee’s steps to make things right.
5. Ask witnesses to sign the employee write-up, if needed.
The supervisor’s statement, signature, and witness statement must be included in the write-up to back up the misconduct and for review later.
6. Use a constant write-up template.
The only way for employee write-up forms to be meaningful is if they are used consistently. Make use of a standard employee write-up only when it has been established as company policy.
7. Ensure proper safekeeping.
You’ll need a place to keep and retrieve employee write-ups, whether you’ve been using them for years or are just getting started.
You must know everything you need about employee write-ups and how to implement them to increase your organization’s productivity.
