Excerpted from the Executive Report: Terminating Without Fear - What Employers Need to Know
Verbal warnings
are a reliable first step when trying to get people back on the right track
without making a to-do of things.
But it can be a
bit of a judgment call.
A non-specific
verbal warning, such as "Bob, you need to dial up your attention to
detail" probably isn't worth the time it'd take to make a written record
of the interaction.
It doesn't say
enough.
Instead, try:
"Bob, today is the third day in a row you failed to put the extra washer
on the thingamajig. You know that step's been added to the assembly process,
and I've mentioned it to you several times, and it is mandatory. I'm going to
be monitoring your attention to detail, and if you continue to make the same
mistake, I will have to move on to the next disciplinary step."
After an
encounter such as that, a manager should make a written note of the interaction
- as precisely as possible - making sure to include exactly what the employee
was told, the date and time of day. Also include the employee's actions or
response.
The paperwork
should be filed away, but since it is a written record of a verbal warning, it
is not necessary to get the employee to sign off on the document at this point.
If the employee
then fails to improve, the manager might begin a more formal process of
progressive discipline.
And in the first
write-up, the manager should refer to earlier verbal coaching: "As we've
discussed on several occasions, your attention to detail ..."
If the employee
claims he wasn't given prior notice that his performance or behavior was
unacceptable, the manager has the earlier notes to fall back on, and can and
should recount the specifics of those earlier interactions with the worker
again.
DIGGING DEEPER
Managers too
often let fears of legal repercussions cloud their judgment about pulling the
trigger on terminations. For help, get the Executive Report: Terminating Without Fear - What Employers Need to Know
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