Does the thought of writing up one of your employees put a pit in your stomach? It does for me! SHRM wrote an article with some great reminders on drafting up productive, compliant disciplinary action letters.
Does the thought of writing up one of your employees put a pit in your stomach? It does for me! SHRM wrote an article with some great reminders on drafting up productive, compliant disciplinary action letters.
While there is no guarantee these steps will keep your company out of hot water, the points described below will help in maintaining clean employee relations practices and get the best results from your employees.
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1. Be specific about the offending conduct.
2. Provide the real reason for the warning, not the reason that sounds better.
3. Connect the employee's conduct to the company's policies.
4. Describe the impact of a policy violation if the effect is readily ascertainable.
5. Avoid unneeded commentary. Keep the discussion focused on the specific wrongdoing.
6. Avoid legal conclusions.
7. Don't attach supporting documents.
8. Mention previous verbal or written warnings.
9. Ask a union representative to be present when the employee is given the warning.
10. Issue written warnings promptly. Letting bad behavior fester will only lead to more problems later.
11. Follow through with the steps outlined in the warning.
12. Give the employee the opportunity to provide a written response.
13. Ensure consistency.