Why use this Employee Write-up Form Template?

Employee Write-Up Form: The workplace penalty card

An employee write-up form also called the employee discipline form, allows managers and supervisors to clearly document workplace violations and incidents for bookkeeping. A performance review does not gauge an employee’s behavior at work and while an employee can be a great performer, the same employee may also suffer from anger issues at work. This may hamper their relations with their co-employees and work may be affected if such behavior is not heeded too.

An employee write-up form is a great tool to keep track of employee behavior. Sometimes after a final written warning, an employee may potentially be looking at termination. It is the first piece of proof asked while assessing a possible disciplinary violation at the workplace.

How does it help the employee?

If used in the correct manner, the write-up can help avoid having to take disciplinary actions against an employee and thus reduce turnover. A standard practice in most organizations now, an employee write-up also consists of corrective measures taken to ensure that the incident is not repeated.

Does it work like a record?

Yes. In fact, that is the primary usage of a write-up at work. It does act as a filling system for managers and supervisors and help by being easily accessible.

Are there any rules to write out an employee write-up?

A few things that one should keep in mind while filling out the form is to state incidents in an objective manner. One should just explain the incident as it occurred instead of giving any opinion. For example, if someone is being rude and there has been unruly behavior faced by colleagues or the manager himself, the writeup should state the same instead of telling why it was wrong. In this case, one should check the insubordination and rudeness boxes and the incident should detail out the words used to undermine leadership.

The next very important step is to confirm the incident with the employee before filing it. It can be done through email or with them signing a consent form. It may not mean they agree to what is written but they acknowledge that they know what is written in the write-up. This is because a write-up is not the end of the process, rather the start of one.

Can an employee refuse to sign a write-up?

Yes, they can. In fact, in most cases, employees do not sign write-ups unless they are changed to suit their narrative.

Therefore, it should be clearly stated to the employee that their signature on the acknowledgment does not make them accountable, but it only means they understand the content of the write-up.

What are the important components of a write-up form?

Some of the most important requirements in a write-up form are as follows:

  1. Employee name
  2. Employee designation
  3. Employee ID
  4. Type of warning
  5. Type of incident
  6. Incident details
  7. Corrective action plan
  8. Signature of manager or supervisor
  9. Acknowledgment of employee

How many times is too many?

The common practice is to give write-ups 3 times after which an employee may have to face termination.

Is verbal warning considered the first warning?

No. The first warning is counted based on the first write-up received. However, one can give a verbal warning before giving out a write-up on repeated violations.

What are some of the common violations at the workplace that mandates write-ups?

  • Tardiness
  • Incomplete hours
  • Absenteeism
  • Company policy violation
  • Substandard work
  • Violation of safety rules
  • Inappropriate behavior toward customers or clients
  • Insubordination

It should be noted that an employee write-up form should be used for corrective measures and to improve workplace relations. It should not be misused by managers. In fact, proper filing of incidents helps facilitate ethical discharges of employees from the company. Termination decisions are made easier with the help of these write-ups, but one should pay more importance to reduce the turnover with their proper use.

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