Issuing a written warning letter to any employee can be a very difficult thing to do; however, it can be very necessary in certain situations to insure the workforce remains productive and positive. Whether you agree or not, every employee is watching to see what you will do when there is a bad apple in the group. If you do nothing it will destroy the morale of your staff.
Ever since Adam and Eve were put in the garden employees have pushed the rules. Therefore, if they notice that nothing happens to an employee that calls in sick all the time they will quickly understand that it is ok when rules are broken. So if you do nothing there is a good chance that your production rate will fall dramatically.
One of the very first and most important things you must do before ever considering issuing a written warning letter to an employee is to inform your staff of your workplace rules. The very best way to accomplish this is to create an employee handbook that covers each one of those rules and what the consequence are if they are not followed. These rules should include topics like attendance, misconduct, sexual harassment, discrimination, insubordination, stealing, fighting, etc.
After producing your employee handbook it is just as important to insure everyone gets their personal copy of it and then signs for it. You will also be encouraged to learn that you can obtain some very good employee handbook programs online for under $50. However, if you are so inclined you can spend a lot more money if you are looking for something more complicated with all the frills.
Another very important aspect of any employee discipline program is to make sure that you are treating everyone the same. More law suits are filed over companies that treat one employee differently than another when violating the exact same policy. You may try to justify your actions by stating that one employee is a better performer than another one, but the bottom line is if they violate your policy then treat them the same. Selective enforcement will get you in big trouble.
The actual written warning letter should contain the facts and only the facts. Do you're very best to leave any emotional words out, such as, "I feel!" The written warning should contain what the violation is (like tardiness), the date(s) that the violation occurred, the specifics of what occurred, if there is any prior discipline, what the employee must do to improve, and what the consequences will be if the employee doesn't improve.
Beginning with the least amount of disciplinary action and progressing to penalties that are more severe, finally ending with termination is a suggested way handling your disciplinary program. There are some instances that will demand immediately terminating someone if they violate a policy, such as fighting or stealing. As you develop your employee handbook it is a good time to make sure you consider all your options. Then, provided you follow your own policies and insure that you are treating all employees consistently and fairly you should be just fine.
Ever since Adam and Eve were put in the garden employees have pushed the rules. Therefore, if they notice that nothing happens to an employee that calls in sick all the time they will quickly understand that it is ok when rules are broken. So if you do nothing there is a good chance that your production rate will fall dramatically.
One of the very first and most important things you must do before ever considering issuing a written warning letter to an employee is to inform your staff of your workplace rules. The very best way to accomplish this is to create an employee handbook that covers each one of those rules and what the consequence are if they are not followed. These rules should include topics like attendance, misconduct, sexual harassment, discrimination, insubordination, stealing, fighting, etc.
After producing your employee handbook it is just as important to insure everyone gets their personal copy of it and then signs for it. You will also be encouraged to learn that you can obtain some very good employee handbook programs online for under $50. However, if you are so inclined you can spend a lot more money if you are looking for something more complicated with all the frills.
Another very important aspect of any employee discipline program is to make sure that you are treating everyone the same. More law suits are filed over companies that treat one employee differently than another when violating the exact same policy. You may try to justify your actions by stating that one employee is a better performer than another one, but the bottom line is if they violate your policy then treat them the same. Selective enforcement will get you in big trouble.
The actual written warning letter should contain the facts and only the facts. Do you're very best to leave any emotional words out, such as, "I feel!" The written warning should contain what the violation is (like tardiness), the date(s) that the violation occurred, the specifics of what occurred, if there is any prior discipline, what the employee must do to improve, and what the consequences will be if the employee doesn't improve.
Beginning with the least amount of disciplinary action and progressing to penalties that are more severe, finally ending with termination is a suggested way handling your disciplinary program. There are some instances that will demand immediately terminating someone if they violate a policy, such as fighting or stealing. As you develop your employee handbook it is a good time to make sure you consider all your options. Then, provided you follow your own policies and insure that you are treating all employees consistently and fairly you should be just fine.
About the Author:
Want to find out more about how to write a written warning letter, then visit Gregory Covey's site. You can also pick up a free employee discipline notice form to assist you in your disciplinary program.
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