Verbal Warnings and Guidelines

Are you a supervisor with a problem employee? Some one who is late all the time or calls in sick at the last minute when a big project is due? If so, you may need to pull the employee aside and discuss the problem. Many companies require supervisors to document any disciplinary conversation discussed during a verbal warning. In this document, usually done in a memo format, you should record basic information about the employee being warned, the behaviour that is unacceptable and the behaviour that you expect in the future.  Before you begin, always let your supervisor know what you are going to do. Even though a verbal warning is between you and the employee, you need to let your supervisor know about any problems you are having. You do not want your supervisor to be blind sided by a disgruntled employee!

Step1: Prepare for your conversation by drafting a memo laying out your concerns…start your memo with the following statement. "This is to confirm our meeeting on (date) about (explain the problem or rule violated)."

Step2: Include in your memo a short statement of the policy violated. Prepare your memo with attention to detail. During your meeting, you will discuss only the problem at hand and nothing else. If you stick to your memo as an outline during the meeting, you can prevnt wandering off track and going in an unplanned direction. Unplanned converations can lead to legal problems later.

Step3: Call a meeting with the employee. You must discuss the matter in the privacy of your office, not in a public setting, and fully explain what the individual has done inappropriate or incorrectly. During your discussion, make sure the employee understands what the behaviour was that has violated the policy.

Step4: Write a positively phrased statement of how you expect the associate to correct their behaviour, including a time limit for improvement if necessary.

Step5: Put in writing the next steps in the progressive disciplinary process as a warning of what is to come if the incorrect behaviour continues and if improvement is not made in the time limit you have set. Unfortunately you cannot be too careful in documenting interactions with associates, especially if their issues result in a termination. Always keep a written record of what was discussed in any discipline action. Never trust your memory or the employee’s memory of what took place in your office.

Step6: Leave a space at the bottom of the memo for the employee to make any comments regarding their behaviour or the administration of their warning. Consider how you will assist the employee in their progress. This may include a change of schedule, further counselling/coaching, training, weekly meetings, etc. Include this information in your memo.

Step7: Verify both parties understand what the meeting was about. Have the employee acknowledge the conversation by signing the documentation. This can prevent misinterpretation when the employee goes back to their desk and considers what all was said.

Step8: Give the employee a copy of the memo and keep one copy for your self. Assure the employee that this is a VERBAL warning only and the memo will go no further up the chain of authority at this time.

Step9:  As this is a first, second or third verbal warning, the memo does not get inserted into their personnel folder in human resources. However, make sure you keep a copy for your records, in your files, just in case the situation escalates into a formal written warning.