Free Employee Warning Notice Template

Why the written record matters

A disciplinary process is judged later on what was documented at the time, not on what everyone remembers. Where an employment tribunal or arbitrator reviews a dismissal, the question is usually whether the employee was told clearly what was wrong, told what to change, and given a fair chance to change it.

A warning notice that records those three things contemporaneously is worth considerably more than testimony given months afterwards. This page is general information, not legal advice; employment law varies substantially by country and by state, and a serious case warrants professional advice.

What to write in the incident description

Write what happened, with dates, in language a stranger could verify. Avoid characterisation.

"Arrived at 09:40, 09:35 and 09:50 for shifts starting at 09:00 on 8, 12 and 19 July" is a fact. "Has a poor attitude to timekeeping" is an opinion, and an opinion is what a challenge will attack first.

Reference any earlier conversation explicitly, including its date, so the escalation is visible on the face of the document.

Warning levels and escalation

Most progressive discipline procedures run from a verbal warning, through a written warning, to a final written warning, and then to dismissal. The notice records which step this is, which is what makes the sequence auditable.

Skipping steps is sometimes justified for gross misconduct, but where a step is skipped the reason should be stated on the notice rather than left to be inferred.

• Employee name, ID, department and position
• Date of the notice and date of the incident
• Warning level: verbal, written or final
• Violation category, and a factual description
• Any prior warnings, with their dates
• The specific corrective action required
• The consequence if the behaviour continues
• Space for the employee's comments
• Signatures from employee and supervisor, with dates

If the employee refuses to sign

A signature normally acknowledges receipt rather than agreement, and it is worth saying so on the form. Where an employee declines to sign, note the refusal, the date, and the name of any witness present, and give them a copy anyway.

The notice should also give the employee room to record their own account. A document that only carries the employer's version is easier to attack as one-sided.