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How to Write Up Employees with Employee Warning Notices
When we think of HR, we normally think of recruitment, job offers and raises. However, HR professionals must also handle the responsibility of ensuring employees are contributing positively to the company. In situations where an employee steps out of line, breaks company rules or underperforms, HR is required to address the employee and reprimand them appropriately. One way this can be done is through an employee warning notice; we will go through what these are, and how to handle these situations tactfully.
Table of Contents:
What is an Employee Warning Notice?
An employee warning notice is an official document addressed to an employee who has demonstrated unacceptable behavior. When an employee has acted outside of a company’s policies for performance or behavior, HR is required to notify the employee so that the employee can be reprimanded appropriately. And also to protect the legal rights of both the employee and employer.
Employee warning notices go hand in hand with performance reviews; as they can be used for documenting an employee's progress and success for situations such as promotions or terminations. Legally, documentation such as employee warning letters are important for both the company and employee. If the employee acts outside of company policies, putting other people at risk as a result, a written warning letter can be used to outline how their behavior does not reflect the company as a whole. For an employee, warning letters can make sure that they are being treated fairly, and can be used to protect an employee against wrongful termination.
A warning notice to an employee also helps employers and employees maintain a professional relationship and can assist in implementing:
1. Corrective Action
To prevent the same situations occurring with the same employee, and for the company as a whole, warning letters to employees can be used to develop a corrective action plan. Corrective action plans are used to develop business processes to mitigate or avoid future negative situations.
2. Accountability
A written warning for an employee can help them become more accountable for their actions. Usually, initial written warnings usually do not involve serious punishments; however, it helps keep HR and the employee accountable for improving their performance or behavior.
3. Prevention
A warning notice for an employee can be the result of deliberate or unintentional performance issues, breaching guidelines or inappropriate behavior. Regardless of the intention, employee warning notices can make sure that the same situation does not occur again.
4. Legal Protection
As mentioned earlier, a written warning to an employee protects both the company and the employee, not only now, but in the future also.
5. Conflict Resolution
If an employee requires a written warning due to their behavior, documenting the incident can help HR and employees figure out ways to reduce the conflict or friction which resulted in the warning.
What Scenarios Require Issuing an Employee Warning Notice?
The criteria for issuing written warnings depends on the company’s policy, as well as the employment law in your area. However, company policy for issuing warnings should be consistent, and readily available for both HR and employees to access. Some common situations where an employee warning notice would be issued include:
Performance Issues
Sometimes, performance goals and quotas are written into employment contracts, such as during a probation period. Underperforming in this situation could result in a written warning, with direct reference to the performance goals. General poor performance and low-quality output can also warrant a written warning, where HR can raise concern regarding an employee's performance compared to their peers in the same role.
Behavioral Issues
Unprofessional behavior towards clients or coworkers can warrant a written warning. Some behavior which is not tolerated in the workplace includes swearing, bullying, yelling or inappropriate responses to conflicts, stress, or tasks.
Policy Violations
Every company has its own policy, which outlines expectations for employees to abide by. Depending on the role and industry, employees are expected to behave in accordance with the company policy. Company policy can extend to things like uniforms, behavior on social media, client confidentiality and intellectual property.
Ethical or Legal Violations
Depending on the role, there could be ethical and legal implications for your work. Companies generally have robust ethical and legal guidelines, and are quick to reprimand those who try to operate outside of them.
Harassment or Discrimination
Companies usually have a zero-tolerance rule towards bullying, harassment and discrimination. For violations which do not result in immediate termination, a written warning will be issued documenting the type of harassment and the situation surrounding it.
The Impact of Having No Formal System for Employee Warning Notices
Having a formal process for issuing employee warning notices, including issuing written warnings, is necessary to ensure the company and its employees operate legally, professionally and harmoniously. Not having a formal system for issuing employee warning notices can result in:
1. Lack of Accountability
Documenting situations through written warnings keeps everyone accountable. HR can reference previous warnings when making decisions about an employee’s performance. Written warnings also provide tangible evidence of situations, so employees cannot deny their wrongdoings.
2. Repetitive Issues
If there is no written warning formally filed by HR, then an employee can essentially deny their wrongdoings, and continue to cause the same issues. Having a formal system to issue employee warning notices makes sure that everyone understands that certain behaviors are not tolerated by the company.
3. Increased Workplace Conflict
Employees who underperform or breach rules constantly without being reprimanded for it can continue causing the same issues. This can cause increased conflict in the workplace, as their coworkers and managers try to compensate for their behavior.
4. Termination Challenges
If an employee’s behavior warrants termination, but there is no formal documentation such as a written warning to support it, it can cause legal issues. HR is required to outline reasons for termination, and without adequate supporting documentation, employees can dispute claims and start a long and expensive legal process. This is why documentation such as employee warning notices is important, as they can be used when issuing termination letters.
5. Poor Company Reputation
If employees can behave or perform poorly and not be reprimanded for it, it could result in poor business outcomes. Business performance, employee satisfaction and the company’s reputation as a whole can be negatively impacted if employees are not held accountable for their wrongdoings.
How to Write an Employee Warning Notice?
Now we understand why issuing an employee warning notice is necessary, let’s go through how to write a warning notice to an employee. The essential details for a written notice to employees include:
Employee Details
Include the employees name, job title, company name and any other identifying information such as department, employee number or company branch.
Date and Time
Note down the date and time of both the incident requiring the written warning as well as the date and time the notice has been issued.
Description of the Issue
Recount, in detail, the issue which warranted a written warning. Include the actions and behaviors, as well as quoting what was said during the incident, from everyone involved.
Company Policies
Reference which company policies were breached as a result of the incident. Quote the rule or section which was breached by the employee in the written warning.
Signatures
Have HR, the employee, and any other necessary parties, such as their manager or a witness, to sign off on the written warning.
When writing an employee warning letter, make sure you:
1. Use clear language
Although the subject matter could be quite sensitive, it is HR’s responsibility to clearly document the incident. Use clear, precise language, to avoid any confusion – since a written warning could have legal implications, it’s essential that the language in a written notice cannot be left up to interpretation.
2. Avoid personal opinions
The details of a situation which warrants a written warning can be complex, so being objective is required. Don’t include any personal opinions when issuing a written notice – only include a recount of the situation and reference the policies which were violated.
3. Focus on observable behavior
Focus the employee notice letter on specific behaviors or anything which was said by an employee that was observed or witnessed by others. Avoid including judgements or extrapolating beyond the situation to come to a conclusion.
4. Point out consequences
Make sure that both you and the employee are on the same page about the consequences of their actions. Include details of a probation period, next steps or future consequences if the issue is not resolved when issuing a written warning.
Employee Warning Notice Template & Examples
Use the points and tips we’ve mentioned above to create your own employee warning notice letter. To make it easier, we’ve come up with our own employee warning notice template for you to use.
This letter is a formal written notice to [Employee Name and Job Title] at [Company Name] for violating [Specific company policy].
As we have discussed, your [behavior which violated policy] is deemed inappropriate and in violation of our [Specific company policy]. We believe the incident documented in this warning has negatively affected the team’s and company’s output and productivity. We take [relevant behavior] seriously and want to issue this warning to ensure it does not occur in the future.
Specifically, [outline the specific incident which occurred, including who/what was involved/said] is not in line with [Company policy]. At [Company name] we expect our employees to act professionally and in accordance with all company policy.
This is your [first/second/third] warning, and we expect [behavior] to be corrected immediately. A Corrective Action Plan will be addressed to you and your manager to work towards improving your behavior. If your behavior does not improve, HR will take more serious disciplinary action, which could involve probations, suspension or termination of employment.
Please sign at the bottom of this letter to acknowledge that you have read and agree with the details stated above. We are available to discuss how we can support you during this time; please contact your manager or myself if you wish to discuss.
Regards,
[HR signature]
I have read and agreed to the details stated in this notice:
[employee signature]
[management signature]
[any relevant witness/person involved signature]
Written Notice to Employee Example – Poor Performance
Dear Tim Jobson,
This letter is to notify you that your performance this quarter has not met the goals set by your manager. Junior Business Analysts at BizTech are expected to meet their minimum quarterly goals, which are continuously adjusted according to market changes. Despite this, you have underperformed in all sectors which is in violation of our Employee Minimum Achievements Policy.
We want to foster employee success at BizTech, and believe we can assist you in improving your performance. Your manager will set up a meeting to discuss an Action Plan where you can schedule training, development and guidance sessions.
This is your first warning for underperformance. We anticipate that an Action Plan can assist you in improving your performance as a Junior Business Analyst. However, if a continuous pattern of poor performance is observed, BizTech will re-evaluate your suitability for the Junior Business Analyst Role.
Feel free to contact your manager for more detail. Please sign at the bottom of this letter to confirm you have read and agreed to the details outlined in this letter.
Regards,
Julie Repree-Mand
HR Representative
Tim Jobson
Employee
Written Notice to Employee Example – Harassment
This letter is a formal written notice to Tim Jobson for violating BizTech’s Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policies.
As per witness statements, your conduct during the task delegation was inappropriate, and qualifies as intimidation. Raising your voice during the meeting, insulting others for their ideas and attempting to sabotage the project at hand are not in line with BizTech company goals or policies.
BizTech has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to harassment. As this is your first breach of the harassment policy, you have been assigned to complete an anti-harassment workshop and also to write up formal apologies to the affected team members.
We expect you to take immediate action to improve your behavior. If behavior does not improve, we will take further disciplinary action, which could involve probation, suspension or termination of employment.
Please contact your manager to discuss the next steps. Please sign at the bottom of this letter and return it to HR to confirm you have read and agreed to the details outlined in this letter.
Regards,
Julie Repree-Mand
HR Representative
Tim Jobson
Employee
Overall, a written notice to an employee is a way for HR to document incidents in a way that protects the company and employee. There are legal implications to issuing written warnings, so being on top of your company’s policies for behavior, performance and harassment is essential. You can use one of our examples to help you write formal written notices to employees, or use one of our templates for making your own written notices for employees.
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--- Originaly written by Bronte McNamara ---
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