Written Warning Letter Template

Written warning letter templates are given to the employees of a firm due to various reasons that can include unsatisfactory performance, misconduct and cases of breaching several other authoritative restrictions in the office premises. There are certain incidents when an employee is not following the norms, rules and workplace ethics of the firm in which he is working. This can be intentional or may be due to unawareness of the organizational culture of the firm. However, no employee is expected to be so unaware as to show serious issues of misconduct that are stretched over a long period of time, causing loss to the company. This is where the role of human resource management is crucial as someone needs to warn the employee before the employee creates a problem for the various team mates. A written warning letter template specifies the exact cause of warning and is indirectly a signal for the employee, that if he/she is not going to amend his/her ways, the company will be compelled to throw him/her out of the firm.

Various Cases In Which Written Warning Letter is Given
A written warning letter is given to the employees in one of the several cases that are as follows

• Unprofessional conduct that is against the rules of the firm.
• Insubordination.
• Verbal arguments leading to the use of abusive language.
• Continuous or frequent absenteeism without genuine reasons.
• Successive failure to inform the concerned authority for leaves, for a long duration of time.
• Not respecting the management policies.

Tips on Writing A Written Warning Letter Template
Some tips on writing an effective written warning letter template are mentioned below.

Mention The Facts Correctly
Start the warning letter by mentioning the exact cause of the problem. For example, if the employee has been found to be misbehaving over a couple of weeks or days, you can begin the letter like "This written letter is a warning for your misconduct in the office premises during working hours. Over the past three weeks, the supervisor and three colleagues have complained about your misconduct. The management has dealt with the matter with full concern and has found you to be guilty of breaking the rules on which this organizations runs". Give a clear and exact cause of the warning letter.

Be Specific
Try to be specific and mention the exact incidents with dates, facts and the person/people involved. In case you are not aware of the dates and other factors, do mention the issue that the person has created with respect to the code of conduct in the office premises. As a reminder, mention the policies of the firm that the employee has not followed. Any previous warnings (that would have been given in meetings) must be mentioned and the person must be made to realize that this warning letter is more than a piece of paper.

List The Expectations From The Employee
In this paragraph, you can mention what is expected from the employee as per the rules
and regulations of the firm and where is the employee going wrong. He/she needs to be reminded of his/her past credibility or any other achievements and must be made to think that how is misbehavior can hamper the individual and collective performance of the company. (This is mandatory so that the employee does not feel completely discouraged. Remember, making him realize his mistake is more crucial rather than just blaming or criticizing).

Be Strict in Concluding
As a part to conclude the letter, give some time to the employee (known as a demonstration period) in which he is expected to strictly follow the guidelines of the company. The time duration given will be such that his behavior can be watched for substantial time and then some decision is taken. Be very frank to mention that in case the employee is not able to make changes in his attitude, the firm will be forced to terminate him/her from the job.

Written Warning Letter Template
A written warning letter example is presented below that can be used as a sample written warning letter when trying to write one to an employee. The letter is basically an example of a written warning letter template.

To:
(Employee name) John Doe
(Job Title) Project Manager
(Department) Infrastructure

From:
(Administrator or the Authority) Natasha Belinsky
(Job Title) Department Head

Date: 26/10/2009

Subject: Written Warning – Unsatisfactory Performance

This letter is a warning for your unsatisfactory performance over the past few months. The management and the reporting authorities have been closely monitoring your performance and it has been found through evaluation, that you have been unable to meet the targets allotted to you for the past 2 months. You have been previously informed about your frequent absenteeism and that has somewhere added to your lot of pending work. The projects given to you have been already extended by two weeks and this has indirectly cost substantial loss to the firm. It is in the best interest of the firm that you decide and give a proper explanation for the incomplete targets that have cost the firm dearly. Your professional conduct with respect to some of your junior colleagues has also been found to be domineering and difficult. Please be advised that further incidents of this nature are subject to strict disciplinary action and can even lead to the termination of your employment contract with us.

I acknowledge by my signature below that I have been given the opportunity to present my views and explanations and I am signing this review prior to it being placed in my personnel file.

Employee Name: John Doe
(Employee Signature)

Here is the above written warning letter template in a downloadable form and another warning letter template that you can download and use as per your requirement.

• Written warning letter template 1
• Written warning letter template 2

A final written warning letter template is a necessary step in order to stop the employee from causing unnecessary disturbance in the office. In case you wish to know more about various types of letter writing, like writing recommendation letters, professional letters, etc, click on the following links.

• Job recommendation letters
• How to write a recommendation letter

There are various examples of written warning letter samples on the net that you can use, in order to write a perfect written warning letter template. Besides these, many websites have free written warning letter templates that you can use to format your letter.