How To Write Up An Employee In 8 Easy Steps

Writing up an employee at work isn’t something anyone looks forward to—or anyone’s first choice.

Often, written warnings are a sign that early disciplinary processes have come and gone, and that an employee is headed down a route for termination. By this point, you’ve likely put in a lot of time and effort to help them change, with little or no improvement.

Escalating things “officially” may feel intimidating, but it’s also an opportunity. A written warning creates a paper trail and provides employees with a formal structure for getting things back on track. Follow these eight easy steps to make sure you get it right and define your write-up format.

Key takeaways:

• The write-up process must begin from a place of calm and objectivity, not anger.
• Documenting the problem with clear, factual examples is essential to justify the write-up.
• Referencing company policies to support the disciplinary action can prevent allegations of personal bias.
• Setting expectations for improvement and communicating them clearly can guide the employee towards better performance.
• Following up after the write-up is crucial to assess the effectiveness of the corrective action.

Table of contents

• When should you write up an employee
• What does an employee write-up look like?
• 8 steps to write up an employee
  • 1. Don’t do it when you’re angry
  • 2. Document the problem
  • 3. Use company policies to back you up
  • 4. Include any relevant witness statements
  • 5. Set expectations for improvement
  • 6. Deliver the news in person (and get proof of receipt)
  • 7. Keep a copy for your records
  • 8. Follow up
• Maintain open communication with your staff using team messaging software
• Conclusion
• Writing up an employee: FAQs

Setting clear expectations with your employees is key, and team messaging apps are here to help. Try When I Work for free to see how easy it is to communicate effectively with your team.

When should you write up an employee?

You should write up an employee as a follow up step to verbal warnings. Where you put “write up” in your policy is up to you, but you should decide on a standard procedure of steps, such as three verbal warnings before a written warning. You should use verbal warnings and write-ups for behavior such as:

• Repeated absences or tardiness
• Below standard work performance, like not meeting certain goals or quality
• Serious misconduct such as unsafe behavior
• Violating company policy or procedure
• Disrespect to managers, coworkers, or customers

Here’s how to get started with an employee write-up:

What does an employee write-up look like?

An employee write-up is a document that contains all of the details you have on the behavior so far. Make sure it includes basic identifying information about the employee, such as their name, employee number, title, and work location so there’s no question who the write-up is for.

In the document, make sure you include all the information you have about the behavior itself (including the company policy it violates), the dates and times of the incidents and verbal warnings, and a description of how you expect the employee to move forward from this official write-up. If you have any feedback from other employees or witnesses, be sure to add that to your document as well.

The document itself can look however you’d like, just make sure it’s easy to read and has any and all information related to the behavior you want resolved. This document can also act as an agenda and talking points for the meeting you’ll have with the employee to go over it.

How to write up an employee: 8 tips

Here are some tips to make sure your employee write-ups are professional and have the desired effect of curbing the unwanted behavior:

1.  Don’t do it when you’re angry

It may be odd to start out with a “don’t”, but this step is by far the most important. Don’t work on an employee write-up when you’re already angry or stressed about the situation. You need to be able to document things objectively (which we’ll get into next), and that can be hard when you’re emotionally involved.

You’ve likely already gone through a verbal disciplinary process and maybe given feedback several times, in multiple ways. You may be ready to let employees know just how badly they’ve screwed up. As tempting as it is, don’t.

It’s important to keep your cool in any employee disciplinary situation, but even more so when it comes to written documentation. A formal employee write-up will go in their employee record, which hopefully won’t need to be referenced in the future. In the case of a wrongful termination lawsuit, you need to share any documentation you have about an employee’s performance, and you want things to stay business, not personal.

A write-up at work is also a form of progressive discipline meant to help correct employee’s behavior in a tangible way, not be a written tirade against them. If it’s not a piece of helpful information for them or is just you letting off steam, it’s not appropriate to include. If an employee does something wrong and it’s time to write them up, take a day, get some space, and come into it clear-headed.

2. Document the problem

Now, onto the do’s. Documentation is important for evaluating employee performance—good or bad—and managers should get comfortable documenting all types of employee interactions. Having solid documentation can protect you by:

• Providing a paper trail in the case of an employee lawsuit, even in at-will states.
• Supporting the decisions behind every employee action you take—including why some employees are promoted and others are fired, as well as who receives a raise and why.
• Giving a concrete timeline of employee behavior and progressive disciplinary action.

When you’re ready (and calm), start your employee write-up with documentation explaining the problem with their performance:

• Address your write-up to the employee and provide a record of their behavior up to this point.
• Use specific examples with times and dates.
• Above all else, stick to the facts. Stay objective, and only speak to what happened and when.

To keep your write-up format professional, make sure you’re not adding your own spin or making employees feel like you’re fulfilling a personal vendetta. Don’t say: “Tom is a procrastinator and lazy.” Say: “Tom has shown up late for his shift three times” and include which shifts those were, with the exact clock-in times.

3. Use company policies to back you up

Ever heard someone say that the reason they were fired is because their manager simply didn’t like them? While employees may say it’s biased or draw their own conclusions for a poor performance review, a manager’s goal should be to come across as the complete opposite.

It’s not that employees can’t hold up to an arbitrary standard. It’s that they’re not upholding the company policies they agreed to when they were hired. So after you’ve walked through what’s wrong with an employee’s performance, the next step is to explain your reasoning and tie their actions back to company policies and expectations for their role. Here are a few common scenarios:

• An employee is constantly late to work: refer to your attendance policy which mandates that employees can only be tardy twice before disciplinary action is taken.
• Dress code violations: include that company policy says employees must always be in their expected uniform while on the clock.
• An employee continues to use social media during work hours: cite your cell phone usage rule and that employees shouldn’t be using social media or personal devices while on the clock.

When it comes to progressive discipline, a write-up is to explain why the documented behavior isn’t up to standard and how employees are expected to improve. If your employees signed an employee handbook or attendance policy when they were hired, now’s a good time to include that as well.

4. Include any relevant witness statements

If the performance issue at stake was raised by another team member, involves multiple employees, or your employee works closely with another supervisor or shift manager between you, include their statement in your write-up. Keep in mind any of these statements may be relevant later in the case of a legal claim. So it’s important for witness statements to follow the same guidelines as good documentation:

• All witness statements should be factual observations, not subjective opinions.
• Witness statements should help build a credible case of ongoing behavior leading to the employee write-up.
• Witness statements should include any efforts or disciplinary measures by other supervisors to correct behavior along the way.

5. Set expectations for improvement

After you’ve detailed where your employee’s performance needs to improve and why, it’s time to set guidelines for how you expect them to correct it. It’s not helpful to simply lay out what employees have done wrong. In fact, the Harvard Business Review reports that more employees would rather receive corrective feedback from their boss than praise and that 72% of employees believe their performance would improve if they received corrective feedback.

Corrective feedback is honest, focuses on the issue (not the person), and includes steps for improvement. So set your employees up for what will come next once they’ve received their write-up. Include the corrective action needed and what the outcome will be if they improve, or if things get worse. If the employee doesn’t improve and the next step after the write-up is termination, make it clear so that they’re prepared for exactly what’s on the line.

6. Deliver the news in person (and get proof of receipt) 

Once you’ve finished the disciplinary write-up, schedule a meeting with your employee and walk through it together in person. Bring a witness along to confirm that the meeting happened and that your employee was made aware of concerns with their job performance. Then it’s time for the conversation to begin:

• Share your concerns and take employees through each example of poor performance. If your employee asks for proof or argues that a certain issue did or didn’t occur, use your documentation.
• Point back to your company policies. Every employee read and agreed to the policies when they were hired.
• Explain what happens next in your company’s standard write-up format and which steps you expect them to take in response to the write-up.
• At the end, have your employee sign the write-up confirming that they’ve received and read it.

Your employee may not take the news well. They may refuse to sign the write-up. If you’re worried that might be the case, the Society for Human Resource Management suggests leaving space on the write-up for employees to add their own comments and signed response, or allowing employees to submit a written rebuttal with their signature, which you can then attach to their disciplinary write-up.

7. Keep a copy for your records

Once your employee has signed the write-up, give them a copy and keep one for your own records. Add it to their employee file so that you have a record and proof that they received the write-up.

If any type of wrongful termination or discrimination suit arises, you’ll have the backup you need. The documentation will show that you handled the process correctly and your employee was informed every step of the way.

8. Follow up

The disciplinary process doesn’t end after you write up an employee. Finally, be sure to follow up based on the schedule you outlined in the disciplinary notice. See if your employee’s performance improves and if they hold to the changes expected in their write-up. If not, you’ve already laid out the steps for what comes next.

If your employee does improve, consider continuing the probationary period past their write-up date. Trust takes time to build back, and they won’t become employee of the month overnight. It took time for things to get to the disciplinary notice stage, and it’ll take time to get them back.

A well-defined employee write-up format isn’t a silver bullet to disciplinary problems. Sometimes it takes a formal notice to give an employee the wake up call they need to change their behavior. If they do improve, give them more responsibility and see if they continue rising to the challenge.

Maintain open communication with your staff using team messaging software

The easiest way to keep open communication with your employees is by using a team messaging software, like the one included in When I Work. Not only will it be easier to send messages to your team all at once, in a group, or in one-on-one chats, you can make sure these important updates aren’t lost in various emails, texts, or voicemails. All of your communication about work happens in the same app as the schedule, so it stays organized and separate from your employees’ personal lives.

Plus, When I Work team messaging comes with read receipts, so you know exactly who has seen your messages and who might need some more follow up. That way you can be sure everyone on your team is getting all the info they need and they’re all on the same page.

Preventing issues before they start: How workforce management tools can help you avoid employee write-ups

A great way to prevent issues before they start is to use a workforce management tool like When I Work for improved communication, better scheduling visibility, and more accurate time tracking.

You and your employees will be on the same page with:

• Team messaging that makes responsibilities and expectations clear for everyone, complete with read receipts
• Shift swapping and dropping to empower your employees to get coverage on their own, preventing no-shows
• Time tracking that allows your staff to use their phones to clock in and out, with geofencing to ensure they’re on site

Conclusion

Writing up an employee can be a daunting task, but it’s an essential skill for maintaining a productive and harmonious workplace. Remember that this process is about fostering improvement and growth, not about punishment. 

With patience, transparency, and fairness, you can turn challenging situations into opportunities for learning and development. Explore more helpful tips and tools for effective workforce management at When I Work today. Let us help you simplify your HR processes and enhance the overall performance of your team.

Try When I Work free for 14 days and see just how much it can help simplify scheduling and communication at your workplace.

Writing up an employee: FAQs

How can I professionally document the employee’s problem in the write-up?

You should start by addressing the write-up to the employee and provide a record of their behavior up to this point. Use specific examples with times and dates to give a clear picture of the issue. It’s important to stick to the facts, stay objective, and avoid adding your own spin or personal feelings to the situation.

What should I do if the employee refuses to sign the write-up?

If the employee refuses to sign the write-up, you can leave space for them to add their own comments and signed response, or allow them to submit a written rebuttal with their signature. You can then attach this to their disciplinary write-up.

Should I keep a copy of the written document?

Yes, it’s important to keep a copy of the write-up for your records. Add it to the employee’s file so that you have proof that they received the write-up. This can be essential documentation in the event of a wrongful termination or discrimination lawsuit.

How should I follow up after writing up an employee?

The disciplinary process doesn’t end after you write up an employee. You should follow up based on the schedule you outlined in the disciplinary notice. Monitor if the employee’s performance improves and if they adhere to the changes expected in their write-up. If not, you’ve already laid out the steps for what comes next.