What is an employee warning notice?
A warning notice is a formal document issued by a senior individual in an organisation to their report or any other junior employee to notify them of their misconduct. The letter highlights an employee’s breach of company policy and informs them of the disciplinary action. An employee then signs the document to confirm that they received it, and a copy goes into their employee record at the company.
How to give written warnings
It’s advisable to first give a verbal warning and instruct the employee on how to correct their behaviour. A written warning notice should follow the verbal warning if the employee doesn’t take action to correct their misconduct.
You can use the following tips to ensure that you handle the process properly:
- Set up time and location in advance to discuss the issue. You can send the employee an email or use another form of a written request to inform them about the meeting. Make a phone call afterwards to stress the importance of the meeting.
- Use a formal setting for the meeting. This can include a supervisor’s room or your office, but never in public spaces like the company cafeteria or in a restaurant.
- Use your company’s letterhead. Using the company letterhead on the letter helps to stress its formality.
- Share your reasons with the employee during the meeting. Inform the employee why you called the meeting and clarify their improper conduct. Have factual data ready to counter any of the justifications they may have.
- Discuss specific outcomes. This includes the appropriate corrective action and its timeline.
- Capture the employee ’s thoughts. If the employee has anything to say, note it down so you can add it to the letter.
- Print two copies. The employee should keep a copy, and the other copy should go into your company’s records.
- Deliver the letter as soon as possible. This helps to ensure that the employee takes the warning seriously, as delaying can diminish its severity.
Related: Behavioural Interview Questions to Ask Candidates
Employee warning notice template
Here’s an employee warning notice template you can use while writing your warning notice:
[Company Name]:
[Address]
Employee Name: [First and last name]
Job Title: [Job title]
Supervisor/ Manager Name: [First and last name]
Date: [Date]
Re: Warning for [reason for issuing warning notice]
Dear [Employee first name],
This letter is to act as a formal warning for your misconduct on [date of infraction]. We received news about your [short description of the incident/infraction]. Such behaviour goes against your expected behaviour in the workplace and is therefore a breach of Company Policy [outline the specific policy that the employee breached, its page number, section number, paragraph number, or the respective serial number within the company policy handbook].
Our work guidelines and policies aim to ensure that our company culture and work environment are open and safe for all kinds of staff. All employees are required to respect and follow the guidelines to ensure a performance-oriented and collaborative work culture.
Since you have violated your expected code of conduct, you are hereby put on a warning period for [duration] during which time we will monitor your behaviour.
The repeat of a similar offence will attract a stricter punishment which can be followed by:
a) Unpaid suspension from work
b) Termination of your employment contract
We still believe that you add a lot of value to the company and expect you to undertake swift improvements. We are looking forward to seeing you take appropriate corrective action for your misconduct.
If you need help or have more questions, please reach out to me. I requested you to acknowledge your receipt of this letter and admission of the conduct discussed by signing below.
Employee signature: [Name of employee] Date: [Date]
Supervisor/ manager signature: [Name of supervisor/manager] Date: [Date]
Employee Warning Notice Templates for PDF & Word
Download these employee warning notice templates to help you write a clear and effective warning.
*Indeed provides these examples as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your HR or legal adviser, and none of these documents reflect current labor or employment regulations.
