An employee write-up form is used by a company to record the incidents of any violation of the company’s disciplinary actions. It is also referred to as an employee discipline form.

It is the responsibility of the manager, supervisor, or HR Department to fill up the employee write-up form in line with the company disciplinary act and take steps accordingly. Although, it is not a very pleasant job to do. But still, the requirement has to be fulfilled for multiple reasons such as for record-keeping and reference for future disputes.

The employee write-up template records the violation. Also, the violation is conveyed to the employee. So, it can be verified that the violation has been made by the employee and has been clearly described by the manager.

The employee write-up form provides the manager’s leverage to deal with the situation of disciplinary issues. Also, it is sometimes issued to the employee as the final warning and maybe a termination later.

The proper use of the employee write-up template provides managers a kind of control over disciplinary issues and reduces employee turnover by making the workplace comfortable for everyone.

So, many companies have made it a standard practice to use employee write-up form whenever an event of workplace violation occurs.

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What is an employee write-up form?

An employee writes up form is a document that enables managers and supervisors to explain workplace violations and incidents and record them. It is basically an opportunity that is given to the employee to know what correctly the violation was and agree to the way it is explained.

Moreover, it enables you to deal with employee discipline issues properly. An employee writes up form acts as evidence when asked for in any employee dispute.

What is the purpose of an employee write-up form?

The write-up form can be used for the following purposes;

Formal documentation

Creating a form acts as a record that follows the employee. If the employee is shifted to a different department and repeats the same mistake, the new manager uses the previous documentation to handle the situation.

Proof for additional action

You may terminate an employee’s employment or take other disciplinary actions in case they are a repeat offender. If the employee wants to sue you for wrongful termination, this written documentation can protect you in such a case.

Consistency

You build standard procedures to handle employees consistently when you have a standard write-up form and written warning policy. In case, employees claim that you don’t reprimand workers consistently, this written documentation can reduce unfair treatment.

When an Employee Write-up Form is used?

There are several uses of employee write-up forms. However, the following are the common violations that trigger the use of employee write-up form.

Excessive Absences and Unpunctuality
Unsatisfactory Performance
Insubordination or Refusal to Obey the Orders
Violation of the Company Safety Precautions
The act of Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination
Unpleasant Workplace Practices
Theft of the Company’s Physical or Intellectual Property
Anything that is legally a crime
Violation of the Company Policies
Any other kind of Violation of the Company or Constitutional Rules & Regulations.

Why should you use the employee write-up form?

If you have an irresponsible and careless employee and his performance is not getting better after giving several warnings, then you should use written warning letters in order to change his behavior.

During writing the employee write-up form mention the number of times you have been given warnings previously and the results of previous warnings. However, you should use it due to an employee’s lacking job performance. There is a place for notes too if there are other reasons.

Elements of an Employee Write-Up Form

It is important to record enough information on the employee write-up form so it can be used as a legal document. In case, an employee files a lawsuit against the company, seeks unemployment insurance, or seek any kind of claim, the write-up form will help the company to put on their legal stance.

Therefore, it is preferred to record as many details as possible on the employee write-up form. An effective employee write-up sheet will help the company to depend on any kind of lawsuit filed by the employee against the company.

In this regard, the HR professionals recommend to must have the following information on an employee write-up form:

The employee name, designation, and Employee ID.
The number of warnings being issued to the Employee.
The date of the problem/violation
Type of the problem/violation
Details of occurrence (Include the impact on the company)
Corrective Action to be Taken
Expected Improvement(Clearly state the consequences of any further violation)
Employee’s Statement
Signature of the Employee
Signature of the Authority

The employee write up form is also referred to as a notice of disciplinary action, employee warning notice, or employee disciplinary action form.

What information does the employee write-up form include?

The employee write-up form must include important information such as;

Name of the employee
Employee’s respective position and his ID number
Offense committed
Explanation of the incident
Improvement plan
Results of a repeat offense
Area for manager
Employee’s signature
Issuance date

How to write up an employee?

You have to include the following important elements in the employee write-up form;

Firstly, enter the employee’s name and the date of issuance. This is the most important section of the employee write-up form.
In the second section, highlight the aim of discipline. However, the employee already knows the reason but you have to explain it in detail in the comments section.
Here you will discuss the number of warnings you have given to the employee. Usually, in every company, three warnings are given to the employee. After that, before termination, a written warning letter is given to the employee. Hence this is the last warning because after it employee is fired from the company.
In this section, clearly explain the problem. Here you will discuss the employee’s poor performance or behavior and anything that is wrong with the employee.
Next, fixing the problem with the deadline. You will discuss the time when the problem can be solved and when do you want the employee to take corrective actions.
In this last section, to avoid future issues signed the employee write up form with a date.

What are the reasons for writing up an employee?

Here are the common reasons for writing up an employee. Let us discuss below;

The first and foremost reason is absenteeism. Due to regular absenteeism HR department send an attendance warning letter to the employee.
The second reason is tardiness. Likewise absenteeism a late warning letter is sent to the employee to prevent any further damage.
The third and most common reason is misbehavior.
The fourth one is poor employee performance.
And the last one is a safety violation.

How to document employee discipline?

Consider the following tips to effectively write up an employee;

Be specific

Make use of proper justifications and examples to prove the issue. You have to be specific and indicate the dates and times when the employee came late to work. Also, specify the reasons they have given you for being late.

Show consistency

You should make sure of consistency in the problems and don’t write up an employee in case you have previously ignored that issue for other employees. However, if you are in doubt, check whether the same issues have been documented in the past.

Make use of facts to support it

The procedure or policies the employee has violated, note them. Don’t forget to document the date, time, and year in the letter.

Describe the consequences

You should describe the consequences that employees may have to face if the behavior continues. For example, you can state that you will fire the employee from work in case they are late to work again.

Response from employees

The form must give an employee the opportunity of replying. Hence, leave a section for them where they can share their point of view.

Things to consider before or during drafting employee write-ups:

Here are the most important things that you must consider;

An appropriate time to use an employee write-up form

It is the final action to design write-up forms before termination. This form usually sends after one or more verbal warnings. However, you can send directly written documentation if the employee’s action is severe. To specify the types of warnings and write-ups you use, develop a disciplinary action policy. This tells the employees the type of disciplinary action they might face.

Start writing when you are calm

Writing this document when you are angry leaves room for error and non-professionalism. This form is meant to be objective documents. The content of your write-up should be clean and professional. If the employee challenges a disciplinary decision, it also acts as evidence.

Consider company policies

You should consider company policies for issuing a write-up. State the exact policy as well for future reference. Describe the verbal warnings and feedback thoroughly that you have given. Specify that you follow proper conduct procedures to issue this form.

Gather statements from witnesses

Sometimes multiple people are involved in a specific employee’s behavior. Collect statements from all parties when this occurs. Instead of collecting subjective statements, you should consider those that are factual.

Set expectations

Setting expectations for improvement is the next step after addressing performance issues within your write-up. Don’t minimize the seriousness of the matter by avoiding praising strengths in the write-up. It would be better to pay attention to honest and corrective feedback. Also, state what comes after the write-up.