Employee Write-Up Form (+ Free Templates)

An employee write-up form is a document that records an employee’s violation of company policy or failure to meet stated goals—when either reaches a point that requires disciplinary action. These forms should be used companywide and completed by the employee’s supervisor, HR, or both. Follow your company’s employee discipline policy and process every time you need to write an employee up.

We’ve prepared three write up templates for you to download and use.

For first workplace violation
For performance issues
For workplace behavior violation

How to Create & Manage Write-Up Forms

Small business owners, managers, and HR leaders should not be afraid of disciplining employees. A crucial component of effective employee management is disciplining employees and correcting behavior in real time.

Your employees are the catalyst that keeps your business running. It might seem counterintuitive to discipline them with a formal write-up, but if they’re veering off track, it is an effective way to help them get back on track for success.

For effective creation and management of write-up forms, follow these steps:

Add Key Sections

Several key sections help make an employee write-up form more solid, especially in the event of a lawsuit. You’ll need to outline the reason for the write-up in as much detail as possible, along with any dates and related conversations you’ve had regarding the issue.

An employee should first receive a verbal warning as part of a progressive discipline policy. This warning should be documented as a precursor to a formal written warning, if the employee does not improve their performance or behavior.

If the employee has already received a verbal warning or a prior written warning, you need to mark the form accordingly. The purpose of doing so is to communicate to the employee the increased severity of their actions and ensure your company remains compliant by following a fair and equitable process for all employees.

Providing vague reasons or one-word responses will lead to employees being confused. When employees are unsure of why they’re being reprimanded, they can become disengaged and frustrated, having the opposite effect of what you intend. Most employees want to know if they’re not meeting your standards, and they also want to know, specifically, what went wrong and how they can improve. Giving vague reasons only makes employees feel you’re setting them up to fail.

Common reasons for an employee write-up include:

Violation of company policies, including excessive tardiness or unexcused absences
Failure to meet company goals and metrics
Violation of safety policies

Regardless of the reason, be honest. It may be easier to discipline the employee for a lesser offense, but that will help no one. Your employee will not be focused on fixing the core problem—and you’ll still have a worker who needs redirection and support. Even though it’s more difficult, honesty is the best policy.

Whenever you write an employee up, you need to include brief notes about prior verbal warnings or write-ups that relate to the present action. Including the history makes it easy for everyone involved to understand why this next step is being taken.

You should have documentation on your prior discussions on this topic with this employee. By referring back to those documents for additional information, you can keep this section short.

Describing what they need to do to improve their performance or behavior is the most crucial part of the employee write-up form. As the employee’s manager, one part of your role is to ensure your team has the tools to succeed. If you have an employee who is missing deadlines or turning in poor work, it’s your responsibility to redirect them and provide the support they need.

When defining the corrective action necessary, be specific. Include milestones or checkpoints and a timeline to review their performance. Describe how you will be intimately involved and available to help them become successful.

Discuss what’s next if the employee does not correct their performance or behavior. That could include another write-up or even termination. Be sure to keep this consistent with your company’s progressive discipline policy.

For help communicating which corrective actions the employee should take, check out our guide to creating a performance improvement plan.

Signatures are proof that you and the employee spoke about the write-up. Getting the employee to sign a document provides proof they received and reviewed it.

While most employees will sign, some may protest. They may disagree with what is written or simply do not want to acknowledge you provided them a copy of the write up. If you encounter this scenario, you can provide space for the employee to write a rebuttal, which can give employees peace of mind that their points are being heard.

However, some employees simply refuse to sign a write-up. If this happens, don’t get combative. Instead, document that you gave the employee a copy of the document but they refused to sign. Then, have a member of HR sign the document, attesting that the employee received a copy but refused to sign.

One of the best ways I’ve found to ensure that employees sign the write-up is to put acknowledgement language on their signature block stating that the employee only acknowledges they have received the document, not that they agree with everything written. Here’s a sample acknowledgment for you: “My signature below indicates that I have read and received a copy of this document. My signature below does not indicate that I agree with the contents of this document.”

Communicate With the Employee

Communicating and discussing the problem areas with the employee makes them feel like a valuable member of the team, not someone you are looking to terminate. Solid people management skills include the ability to have tough conversations.

Whether you’re giving a verbal warning or a write-up, you must have a discussion with the employee. Never simply hand the employee a write-up and send them on their way. To show your team that you’re intimately involved in their success, interact with them and discuss how you’re going to help them improve.

For example, if you’re writing an employee up for excessive tardiness, having a discussion with them could uncover the reasons they’ve been late. Don’t just assume ill intent. Understanding the reasons something happens can help you proactively correct the behavior.

Follow Through With Check-Ins

As part of the corrective action section of your employee write-up form, you will need to include details about check-in meetings and how the employee successfully resolved the issue. Document every check-in you have with the employee, discussing their progress and any support you have provided. Remember, your goal is to help the employee succeed, and that will include involvement and effort on your part.

Sometimes an employee write-up does not end successfully. When that happens, you may decide to end the employment relationship with the underperforming employee.

Tip: If the write-up noted that termination would result if the employee fails to correct their performance or behavior, you need to follow through. While an unpleasant process, you need to ensure that employees are held accountable. Make sure you know how to terminate an employee effectively and legally.

Store Employee Write-Up Forms

Always provide a copy of a write-up to the employee and keep the original in their personnel file. Limit access to employee personnel files to HR. This helps ensure that employees’ information is kept confidential and your company respects their privacy.

When there’s an employment dispute or a former employee sues for wrongful termination, the first document request from their legal counsel will be for the employee’s personnel file, which contains their write-up forms. If you don’t have those forms in the employee’s file, you don’t have evidence supporting your decision to terminate an employee. This could be a costly oversight.

Employee Write-Up Tips

To make sure you give your employees a positive experience and keep your company out of hot water, follow these tips. If you have specific legal questions, speak with your attorney.

Speak with an employee before engaging in a formal write-up (document the conversation)
Follow your company’s employee discipline policy
Investigate issues before reaching a conclusion
Document liberally
Train managers and HR how to complete the form
Communicate openly with the employee
Be specific about violations or underperformance
Be honest with the employee about the real reason for the warning
Retain all documentation in the employee’s personnel file and keep it confidential
Give your employee the support they need to be successful

There are some offenses an employee can commit that may make you want to bypass the write-up stage and lead directly with termination. Check out our list of the top fireable offenses to learn more.

Bottom Line

Completing employee write-up forms is a necessary part of managing employees. Through proper documentation, you can help your employees be better workers and give your company firm footing if an employee ever alleges discrimination or wrongful termination.

About the Author

Charlette Beasley