Do you make these mistakes with your problem employee?
If you are dealing with a difficult employee and need
a paper trail in case a termination is necessary, an
employee written warning is a good place to start.
An employee written warning is nothing more than a note
to the employee to let him or her know that job performance
has been unsatisfactory. You can be specific about incidents
that have happened (or not happened), and you should
state the reasons for your concern. Include any impact
the employee's lapses have had on the company or department.
How to: Employee Written Warning
If you plan to draft an employee written warning, there
is a basic format you can follow. For example, address
the letter to the employee, not the manager of the department
or the human resources manager. You can cc them on the
letter, and note that they should place a copy in the
employee's file. However you should address the employee
written warning directly to the employee.
In drafting the employee written
warning, describe, in detail, why you are writing the
letter. For example,
to say, "your work has been unsatisfactory" on
its own would, itself, be unsatisfactory. More information
is necessary. You can note the work has been unsatisfactory,
but then outline the specific flaws. For example, you
might note that a report was late or the employee has
missed many days of work over a certain period of time.
Another detailed note might explain how the employee
refused to answer their emails causing the delay of a
shipment.
Once you have outlined the problems with the employee's
work and the reason for your letter, you can then detail
any problems with the employee's work. Again, this is
only an employee written warning, and you don't want
to make threats about firing if work doesn't improve.
But you can say that they have violated parts of their
employee agreement or because of their work problems,
the company has lost a certain amount of money.
In the employee written warning
you are essentially outlining any reasons you might,
in the future, decide
to terminate. Create a detailed letter, but keep it as
short and factual as possible. Do not get emotionally
involved and do not levy blame. The old expression, "get
in, get out and get on your way," could certainly
apply here. Make your argument; be detailed but concise,
and go on about your business.
Discipline
and terminate a problem employee. Employee
written warning form.
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