101: Written warnings

There are many reasons supervisors may deliver warnings to employees whose conduct negatively impacts business, such as customer complaints, repeat absenteeism or contributing to a toxic work environment. It’s important verbal warnings – if they aren’t heeded – advance to written warnings, according to human resource experts. Here are some ways to use them as an effective tool for change: A written warning should not be the first warning. Employees should hear about a supervisor’s disapproval of their conduct first verbally, says Inc.com’s Michael Schneider, with a warning letter following failed verbal-warning attempts. The purpose of this sequence, he said, is not only to document the issue, but to “ensure that the employee no longer has the excuse of miscommunication for inaction.” When in doubt, document. It’s almost impossible to over-document matters involving employee discipline. In addition to it potentially resulting in liability, having these instances in writing is important as details become fuzzy over time and a company needs documentation for reference, according to SHRM.org. “Among the documentation that the employer should gather and retain are initial complaints … witness reports, written materials relevant to the investigation including emails or notes … the employee’s personnel file … [and] discipline or termination reports” as well as notes from supervisors or other management, the group advises. Cross your t’s and dot your i’s. Speaking to the employee first, privately, may reveal some justified reason for their actions, writes Martina Markovska at CareerMinds.com. Be sure you thoroughly investigate all details surrounding the incident or incidents before preparing the misconduct letter. Ensure you state it’s a written warning letter and deliver it right after an incident. “The longer you wait to take disciplinary action, the more time it will take to rectify damages,” writes Markovska. “Also, the degree of fault may diminish with time and lose validity.”