One method used to call employees’ attention when they do not perform their work correctly is a warning letter, which may be due to several reasons, but always to let the employee know that the employer is aware of his faults and personal behaviors and even for labor negligence.
Suppose the employee does not comply with what is agreed in the contract. In that case, the employer has the right to send them a warning letter so that they modify their mistakes or, otherwise, measures will be taken to make them comply with the rules correctly and improve that behavior. Failing this, the employee could be dismissed from the company.
What is an employee warning letter?
A warning letter to employees for not following the company’s instructions is a letter issued by the employer to notify the employee of violations. This document serves as a warning to inform the employee officially and tell them to start doing their job correctly.
Upon receipt of the letter, the employee must sign and attest that they have received this warning. In addition, any committed infractions will be recorded in the employee’s personnel and company files.
What is a Warning Letter to Employees for?
After personally warning the employees about their poor job performance, the next step is to send a formal letter to make it clear that the employees have been notified about their behavior and that they must change it if they do not want extreme measures to be taken with regards to their job.
To issue a warning letter to workers, there must have been clear misconduct, poor work performance, misbehavior, or any other problem that implies poor job performance. This written method is entirely formal and written by the human resources staff.
In the letter, the employees’ expectations for the future are set out to comply with what has been established if they do not want to be fired as a last resort. The letter should highlight the company’s policies, by which the workers have been notified. This document makes it possible to:
- Give a formal warning to the employees to confirm that they have been alerted by the company’s Human Resources team.
- Request the modification of the worker’s behavior within a certain period; if the employee does not change their behavior, they may be dismissed from the company.
- As it is a written document, it is filed in the employee’s file. If they continue to violate the company’s rules, it will be recorded in the system so that it does not happen again, and, if it does repeat itself, extreme measures can be taken.
- The letter serves as an official method of warning and justification for employers in case the outcome of the employee’s poor performance results in dismissal (or any other legal action).
What should a warning letter contain?
Among the most critical and essential points and information that a warning letter to an employee for not following instructions should contain, we can mention the following data:
- Name and surname, position, and employee number.
- Supervisor’s name and surname.
- Name of the company.
- Name of the person in charge of Human Resources.
- Information about the faults committed by the employee.
- The parties that have been affected or involved.
- Details of the guidelines that the worker did not comply with.
- Measures that would be taken for the infractions committed.
- A section for observations, signatures, dates, and other necessary comments.
How to write a warning letter to the employee?
To write a warning letter, you can start by dividing it into different parts. First, write the date on which the letter was written. Then, the subject and reason for the warning. Next, the first and last name of the employee in question, followed by the section in which you explain the details of the infraction committed and the reasons why the employee’s behavior is considered an infraction.
On the other hand, attach the actions that the company will take if the employee does not modify his/her behavior. Finally, the signature of the employer and the Human Resources team.
Tips for writing the warning letter to the employee
It would be best to verbally come to an understanding before sending the warning letter. If the situation is not settled between both parties, you can move on to writing a good warning letter. For this, you should keep the following points in mind.
Length
Get straight to the point. Start the letter with the date, subject, and name of the worker, then continue with a brief description of the situation and include the date the infraction was committed and details of what happened (in short sentences). Maintain your professional stance and leave aside any emotional and personal issues. Remember that this is an official, work-related letter.
Disciplinary action
List the different consequences the employee will face if what happened is repeated. Include the disciplinary measures that will be taken if the employee commits the infraction again.
Explanation of wrongdoing
Allow the employee to explain why they have committed an infraction at work since this point could be an obligation depending on the company’s policies.
List of solutions
Provide the employee with a list of solutions to avoid reoffending and make amends, taking into account the interests and policies of the company and those of the employee.
Professional Approach
Avoid keeping an informal tone when writing the letter, which should be professionally and objectively written. This way, emotions will not be mixed in case of an emotional attachment, as writing it with an emotional tone could undermine the letter’s purpose for both parties.
Ground your arguments
When writing the warning letter, you must have concrete evidence of the infractions committed by the workers, so you should only make assertions with a solid foundation.
Ask for a response
Before finalizing, ask the worker for a response to confirm that they have already received the notice and are aware of it.
Add your contact information.
Enter all the necessary information so that the worker knows to respond to the letter through different means of communication, such as e-mail, office address, or telephone numbers.
Check before sending
The letter must have no grammatical, punctuation, or syntax errors, as this would make it look less professional and severe.
Request a signature and follow-up from the worker
After sending the letter to the employee, ask them to sign it so that there is a record that they received it. This is what the section at the end is for. If you have sent the warning by e-mail, you will need to make sure that the employee receives the letter, so you will need to implement some follow-up with the employee.
References
- Empxtrack Content Team. “Draft a Warning Letter to Employee? Get Free Templates – Empxtrack.” Empxtrack, https://www.facebook.com/empxtrack, 11 May 2020, https://empxtrack.com/blog/want-to-draft-a-warning-letter-get-free-hr-warning-templates-now/.
- “Warning Letter to Employee for Not Following Instructions.” Printable MS Word and Excel Templates, https://www.wordexceltemplates.com/warning-letter-to-employee-for-not-following-instructions/.