Last Updated February 8, 2024
Alternate Names:
An Employee Warning Letter is also known as a:
- Written Warning
- Staff Warning Letter
- Written Notice to Employee
What is an Employee Warning Letter?
An Employee Warning Letter is a notice issued to an employee by an employer to address their misbehavior or poor performance in the workplace and set out consequences or areas for improvement.
Who should use an Employee Warning Letter?
Those who manage employees or who are responsible for employee conduct, such as managers, supervisors, or human resource officers, should use an Employee Warning Letter to document any employee wrongdoings, and to provide clear expectations of their performance or consequences for their actions.
When can an Employee Warning Letter be issued?
A manager or human resource officer can issue a written warning to an employee for the following workplace infractions:
- Absenteeism: missing work consistently without notifying the employer
- Tardiness: frequently late to work
- Poor/Non-Performance: lack of productivity or not fulfilling their job responsibilities
- Breach of policies: Neglecting work policies and rules, such as health and safety, drug and alcohol, or breaching confidentiality
- Theft: stealing items from the workplace or from others
- Other: Negligence, bullying, misrepresenting qualifications, etc
Can there be consequences for employee infractions written in the letter?
As the employer, you may wish to include consequences for recurring behaviour.
For instance, if this is the employee's first offence, you can make it clearly known that a second offence will result in termination.
Can probation be a consequence in an Employee Warning Letter?
Yes. If the employee has violated company policies, such as breaching confidentiality or stealing someone else's personal property, an employer may put the employee on probation for a certain amount of time, during which they can be terminated without notice.
What kind of follow-up can be written into an Employee Warning Letter?
Along with providing notice of the infraction and the consequences, an employer can outline ways that the employee can improve in the future. This might include restating the rules, making expectations clear, or providing additional guidance to the employee.
If there are areas of improvement in the written warning, the employer can follow up with an assessment of the employee's progress since their warning was issued.
Who signs an Employee Warning Letter?
Ideally, the employee should sign the written warning, along with either the manager, human resource officer, or supervisor.
It is not mandatory for the employee to sign the warning letter. If the employee does sign, he or she is not necessarily agreeing with the contents of the notice, nor are the admitting to any wrongdoing. The employee's signature only shows that they received the warning letter and discussed the document's information with their superior.
A witness may also sign, but it should be noted that any witness must respect the confidentiality of the document and not disclose any sensitive information to outside parties.
