Having to deliver or receive a write-up at work is the kind of thing most people wish they never had to do.
Being on either side of the exchange is decidedly unpleasant.
Maybe that’s why most people don’t know how to deal with a disciplinary process when they find themselves involved in one.
But, whether you’re the one who’s getting written up at work or you have to issue a work write-up yourself — our guide should help you figure out what your next steps are.
- A work write-up is a formal written document that informs employees that they have violated the company’s internal processes and regulations.
- Issuing justified disciplinary action forms is crucial for maintaining a positive and productive work environment, as it encourages employees to improve their behavior or performance and protects the company from wrongful termination lawsuits.
- Whether you’re writing, delivering, or receiving a disciplinary action form, it’s crucial to stay calm and professional.
- During the delivery of a write-up at work, both sides of the conversation should stick to the facts and aim to back up their claims with evidence.
Table of Contents
What is a write-up at work?
A work write-up is a formal written document that informs employees that they have violated the company’s internal processes and regulations.
In most organizations, employees receive at least one verbal warning from their manager or an HR representative before getting written up at work.
As such, write-ups represent an escalation in the process of progressive discipline, by which employers use increasingly drastic measures to discipline employees.
This disciplinary action can be initiated due to:
- Dress code violations,
- Subpar work performance,
- Tardiness and missing work,
- Disregarding safety protocols,
- Misuse of the company’s resources,
- Workplace violence, bullying or harassment,
- Working under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or
- Being the subject of multiple employee or customer complaints.
If an employee doesn’t improve their behavior or performance, a manager may issue a final written warning before escalating the issue (sometimes, to the point of terminating their employment contract).
What to do after receiving a work write-up?
Getting written up at work is an anxiety-inducing experience even if you believe that your employer’s intentions are pure.
Whether you’re dealing with a legitimate work write-up or an unprovoked one, the following tips should come in handy:
- Stay calm and professional,
- Ask clarifying questions and take notes,
- Respond in writing,
- Make a genuine effort to adjust your behavior — and keep a record of your progress, and, if necessary,
- Contact an employment lawyer.
Taking these steps will help you minimize the risk of being fired and legally protect yourself from unfair accusations.
Step #1: Stay calm and professional
When your manager pulls you aside to deliver your write-up at work, refrain from emotional outbursts. Don’t cry, shout, point fingers, or offer to quit in a fit of rage — all of this will be held against you.
Instead, take the time to actively listen to what your manager is saying and try to consider whether the complaint might be legitimate.
Think about what a completely neutral third party — such as a jury — might think about your case.
Step #2: Ask clarifying questions and take notes
If there’s any part of the work write-up form you don’t understand, ask your manager (or the HR person who serves you the documents) to repeat why you’re being disciplined.
Feel free to take notes and ask clarifying questions such as:
- What exactly did I do wrong?
- Who made the initial complaint?
- When did this happen?
If you can’t think of any questions you’d like to ask, ask your employer to give you a couple of days to reflect on the issues that have been raised and schedule a follow-up meeting, as shown in the following interaction on Pumble, the internal communication software.
💡 PUMBLE PRO TIP
Whether you’re an employee or a manager, dealing with a write-up at work will most likely require you to ask some pretty tough questions. This guide will help you learn how to do so without seeming upset or disrespectful:
Step #3: Respond in writing
When you are presented with the disciplinary action documentation, you may feel tempted to come to your own defense right then and there.
However, with your emotions running high, you may not be able to deliver a rational response.
With that in mind, it’s best to hold back and respond in writing. That will allow you to:
- Practice respectful communication and affirm your loyalty to the company,
- Reference company policies and point out any relevant inconsistencies,
- Specify which parts of the write-up are true and false and attach copies of evidence, and
- Mention if you believe that you are being targeted due to a protected characteristic (such as race, gender, sexuality, or religion) or activity (for example, if the write-up comes after you’ve complained about workplace safety).
Be polite, professional, and brief — your response should be no longer than 5 paragraphs.
If nothing else, responding rationally should help any potential legal suits you may file later on.
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Step #4: Make a genuine effort to adjust your behavior — and keep a record of your progress
Whether the write-up you have received is justified or not, you should at least make an effort to take responsibility.
Try to follow the action plan your employer has put together — and be sure to keep a record.
Let your manager know how you’re doing and ask them if they think you’re moving in the right direction.
Screenshot any positive feedback you receive.
Alternatively, if you don’t receive any positive reinforcement, that may be a sign that you should start looking for other employment opportunities.
Optional step: Contact an employment lawyer
If things escalate and you start suspecting that someone at work is setting you up, contact an employment lawyer who specializes in your state or country’s employment laws.
Even if you’re not skeptical about your employer’s intentions, an employment lawyer could help you understand the laws regarding write-ups at work and draft your response.
How to write up an employee as a manager or an HR employee
If an employee who received a write-up has to consider the matter from both sides, so does the person who initiated the disciplinary process in the first place.
Managers should be able to approach this difficult conversation with the mindset of delivering corrective advice, rather than administering punishment.
The following steps should allow you to draft and deliver a work write-up form politely and professionally:
- Create a note to file,
- Fill out an employee write-up form,
- Set up a meeting to deliver the write-up,
- Hand over copies of any pertinent documents, and
- Take responsibility.
Let’s see what each of these steps entails.
Step #1: Create a note to file
Before you can start thinking about how to write someone up at work, you should consider whether the employee has a history of behavioral or performance issues.
In other words, you should check whether they have previously received verbal warning by referring back to their file notes.
A note to file is a document that would have been created when the employee received informal warnings from management or HR. This document lists exactly what the verbal warning was about as well as how the employee responded at the time.
Most importantly, file notes allow supervisors to mention previous relevant infractions in the employee write-up.
Step #2: Fill out an employee write-up form
If an employee has violated the same company policy on multiple occasions, their manager may fill out an employee write-up form, otherwise known as a disciplinary action or corrective action form.
After filling out the basic fields of the work write-up form, you’ll see a large section dedicated to the supervisor’s statement or the incident description.
In it, you should clearly explain:
- What the employee did (reference the exact company policy they violated),
- When they did it (provide evidence with examples and mention the previous verbal warnings they received),
- What they should have done instead (and what you expect them to do in the future), and
- What happens next (mention any additional training the employee will have to receive and explain the consequences of not improving their behavior or performance).
Depending on the type of form your company is using, some of these points may be placed in separate fields.
Step #3: Set up a meeting to deliver the write-up
Once you have filled out the work write-up form, all you have to do is set up a one-on-one meeting with the employee it concerns.
While you do that, make sure:
- The employee in question has an idea of what the meeting will be about (you can simply say that you’d like to revisit the issue you previously discussed),
- The location of the meeting doesn’t affect the conversation (for example, if you believe that calling the employee into your office will intimidate them, you could talk in the break room), and that
- You have a witness, if necessary (if the employee is being written up for behavioral issues, it might be helpful to have another manager or an HR employee present when you deliver the write-up at work).
Ideally, HR should be informed of the disciplinary action process from the very beginning. Keeping them apprised will help you avoid accusations of favoritism or bias and ensure that all employees are treated fairly.
Step #4: Hand over the documents
During the meeting, you should go over the write-up form with your employee and make sure they understand what’s going on.
The employee should receive a copy of all the documents relevant to the case and sign the write-up.
Be sure to inform the employee that signing the formal document doesn’t mean that they’re admitting to wrongdoing, but rather acknowledging that they were made aware of the disciplinary process.
Still, even if the employee refuses to sign the write-up, you can simply make a note of that on the form.
Step #5: Take responsibility
After receiving a write-up at work, people tend to get defensive.
To make sure your employee understands that the company wants to help them improve, practice empathic communication.
Ask the employee how you can support them in implementing the improvement plan laid out in the write-up.
On top of that, you should admit to any part your behavior and leadership skills might have played in their performance issues or policy violations.
Going forward, be prepared to monitor the employee’s progress for a while, and don’t hesitate to follow through with the consequences you’ve outlined in the write-up.
Work write-up form example
Most people who’ve never had to issue a write-up at work should still be able to fill in the basic fields of the form.
However, the description of the incident and the expectations part of the form may be more difficult to produce, especially for those who’ve never had to formally discipline employees before.
With that in mind, we’ve prepared an example of a supervisor statement:
On Wednesday, March 13th, the company received several customer complaints about customer support agent, Carol Green. Green’s unpleasant attitude affected the customer’s emotional state as well as their perception of the company. Moreover, her aggressive behavior has also affected her coworkers’ work performance.
Green previously received several customer complaints in February, on the 6th, 20th, and 23rd, at which point her supervisor issued a verbal warning and was assured that the employee would make an effort to correct this behavior.
In the interest of helping the employee work through this issue, the company has signed her up for a 4-week anger management course. Green will also be expected to report back on her progress during 4 follow-up meetings with her supervisor, which will take place on Fridays at 11 a.m.
This document will serve as the first of 2 written warnings issued to the employee regarding this matter. The second warning will trigger a temporary pay reduction and the final warning will precede a termination of the employee’s contract.
For a more customizable version of the text we just shared, check out our work write-up template.
⬇️ Get a free employee write-up form template
Why are work write-ups important?
Ultimately, work write-ups are useful tools for:
- Building a positive and productive work environment,
- Reducing the number of employee terminations, and
- Providing legal protection against wrongful termination suits.
If you ever feel bad serving or receiving a write-up at work, just think about these benefits.
Reason #1: Building a positive and productive work environment
Disciplining disruptive employees can help create a more positive work environment for other team members.
After all, having to deal with difficult coworkers can negatively affect employee morale, causing productivity to drop.
So, identifying employees with behavioral or performance issues and helping them improve can lead to a better work environment all around.
Reason #2: Reducing the number of employee terminations
If employers and employees alike are willing to take the improvement plan that’s usually included in the write-up form seriously, we can see how getting written up at work may reduce the overall number of terminations.
However, the successful implementation of those action plans usually takes commitment and participation from both sides.
Reason #3: Providing legal protection
Last but not least, write-ups also provide legal protection against wrongful termination or retaliation suits.
Simply put, these documents can serve as proof that the company has taken steps to correct employee behavior or improve their performance before resorting to termination.
Alternatively, the paperwork connected to the work write-up — such as the employee’s written response — can also help the employee legally protect themselves.
FAQ about work write-ups
Now that we’ve gone over the basics of issuing and receiving disciplinary write-ups at work, let’s answer some frequently asked questions.
What does an employee write-up document contain?
A work write-up is a formal document that lists:
- An employee’s name and position within the company,
- The employee’s department as well as the name of their supervisor,
- The type of policy violation they have committed, and
- The current date (and, sometimes, the time frame during which the employee must correct their behavior or performance).
This document also contains larger sections devoted to:
- The supervisor’s statement, which contains a factual description of the incidents that led to the write-up as well as any evidence the employer has,
- A corrective action plan or the expectations the employer has of the employee (which may include additional training, follow-up meetings, and potential consequences of not meeting expectations), and
- The employee statement, which allows the employee to respond to the allegations in the document.
Can one be written up at work without a verbal warning?
Depending on the circumstances, some employers may file an official disciplinary action form the first time an employee violates a company policy.
Still, most people will have received a verbal warning before getting written up at work.
Can a company terminate an employee without a write-up?
Unless your employee contract states otherwise, chances are, your company can fire you with little to no warning as long as the reason isn’t illegal. That is the main feature of at-will employment.
However, most companies still make a point of going through the motions of a progressive discipline process, allowing them to have a paper trail in case the terminated employee comes back with a wrongful termination suit.
What is the difference between a warning and a write-up?
A warning is usually seen as an informal verbal notification an employee receives from their supervisor upon violating a company policy for the first time.
Even though write-ups are seen as the first official document in a disciplinary process, verbal warnings can go on an employee’s record in the form of a file note.
Do I have to sign a write-up at work?
Employees can technically refuse to sign any documents they get at work. However, doing so can be seen as an act of insubordination.
In any case, signing the disciplinary action document doesn’t mean that you agree with its contents.
Still, if you’re worried, you can always make a note that you don’t agree with all the points made in the formal document before signing it.
Pumble helps professionals deal with a write-up at work
Throughout this guide, we have demonstrated how the employee communication app, Pumble, could support every step of the disciplinary process.
You can use Pumble to:
- Privately set up meetings through direct messages,
- Have video calls to deliver the news and follow up with employees,
- Securely share documents related to the employee write-up, and
- Pin messages and set reminders to revisit important topics.
Pumble’s features can make even the most unpleasant work interactions easier. Get started with Pumble.
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