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Employee Warning Letter

This Agreement is entered by and between Jonas Adam, individually or collectively as the "Signee" and Jane Smith, as the "Signer", together referred to as the "Parties".
The Contract is dated [the date both parties sign].

1. Agreement terms

The Parties agree that the following agreement is dependent on the terms presented as follow:

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Employee Warning Letter

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There are a variety of ways to handle discipline in the workplace, but employers must be careful with which methods they choose. Each method has varying degrees of formality, and it will help your position with a repeatedly problematic employee to have several written warnings on file in the case that you need to let them go. We have several different Employee Warning Letter templates for you to use, depending upon the nature and severity of the warning. 


When should I use an Employee Warning Letter?

Employees can be rewarded or reprimanded within a company based on their performance. Usually, an human resources (HR) department would be in charge of handling these reprimands, but some smaller companies may leave it up to the manager. 

In many cases, an Employee Disciplinary Letter gets issued in response to their behavior. Addressing the letter to the employee will protect employers in future disputes. This letter should be official documentation that directly states the conduct that the employee performed that was unacceptable. 

Some common reasons that employers will issue an Employee Warning Letter include poor attendance, frequent tardiness, failure to fulfill the obligations and duties of their job, unexcused absences, misrepresenting qualifications, breach of company policies (regarding harassment, safety, health, alcohol and drug use, etc.), theft, or threatening coworkers. 


In this case, an employer might issue an Employee Warning Letter about the use of cell phones on company time if there is a policy against usage at work. (Source


You may also want to issue a letter if warning if the employee is falling behind the company’s business standards. If you are aware that the employee continues to model inappropriate behaviors, you may send another letter with more severe warnings and outlined disciplinary actions for continued problematic behavior. 

When it comes to the timeline, you should use issue this letter as quickly as possible after the inappropriate behavior occurred. This ensures that the details are fresh in the mind of the employee, in case they want to dispute it or add any of their own comments or observations. It also ensures that your records are detailed and you are quickly addressing mistakes. 


What information does the Employee Warning Letter need?

Our sample Employee Warning Letter templates include a lot of different circumstances that you can customize to your needs, but here are some pieces of information you want to include. Remember, that the name of the letter speaks to the contents. This is a formal communication that informs an employee of a breach of company policy and warns them that they need to desist. You should always keep a copy of the letters you send for your records. 

The basic information that a letter needs to include is the employee’s name, job title, and employee number (if applicable). You should also include the company information, like the company’s name, the manager, and even the HR officer when applicable. 

It should also contain information about the policy that the employee broke with their behavior. Be specific and direct regarding what exact action the employee took and which part of the HR policy that action violated. You also need to include what the employee must do to improve and the action that should no longer occur. You can choose to include a set of potential disciplinary actions that will be taken if the employee does not correct their behavior.  

You also want to include space for the employee to add any comments to the letter. You need space for all parties involved to sign the letter and the details of a follow-up meeting If one is required.


How is an Employee Warning Letter used?

Employers are required to ensure a stable and safe work environment for their employees. Any circumstances that put this in jeopardy need quick responses. When it is an employee causing that balance to tip, then the employee disciplinary letter will need to be issued. 


Stable work environments are created when coworkers are following policy and trusting one another. (Source)


A person with the authority to do so can issue a warning letter. Be sure to scale the terms of the letter to the severity and nature of the breach, and whether this is a first offense or continued problem. 

The letter can be issued against entire groups or departments if necessary, depending on the breach. It is simply an official correspondence that becomes an official record. Make sure you follow specific procedures.

The National Employment Standards have minimum standards required for employment that you can use for writing the letter. You can also attach additional requirements as necessary for applicable tools and safety necessities as well as mandatory certification processes. 

If the employee has violated the contract of their employment, you can refer to that contract, or any workplace policies, when you are writing the letter, too. Prepare your letter with details of previous verbal or written warnings, any meetings that happened, details regarding poor performance, and confirmation of whether the employee has been given the chance to explain themselves (or will be given the opportunity). 

Note that if the individual that you need to warn is not an employee but under some other legal arrangement with the company -- such as a vendor, subcontractor, or agency -- then these warning letters are not really required.


Are there any tips for writing an Employee Warning Letter?

We have provided a flexible sample Employee Warning Letter template, in case you need to use ours and simply fill in the blanks with the violation. This is a great tool if you are feeling overwhelmed. When filling in your details, keep these key points in mind.

Effective letters are a formal way to inform an employee of unacceptable behavior and offer them the chance to change the problematic actions before stricter disciplinary actions are undertaken. 

Make sure that you do not mince words. These letters should cut straight to the point by immediately detailing the specific action of the employee that was unacceptable, and how frequently this action has occurred. Also, detail whether they have received verbal warnings before the letter that necessitated a more formalized warning. 

Remind your employee that this letter is simply a warning of their transgressions and not termination. Also, state the consequences that will occur if the action continues. Let them know that you will take more stern disciplinary action that may include suspension or termination.

Finish the letter by asking the employee to correct their actions and practice good behavior, observing all company policy from that point forward.

The letter should be very simple and very brief. This will make it easier to understand and prevent misinterpretation and miscommunication. Be polite. Although the connotation of this letter is negative and has occurred because of violations, you mist express the request politely. This letter will reflect on both the employer and employee in future disputes, and you do not want to leave room for an employee to complain that you were abusive in dealing with the situation. 

Employee Warning Letters and Mutual NDAs

The way that reprimand is handled by business differs immensely by the company and by industry. There are verbal warnings that are common before anything is put into writing. An employee warning letter can act as a wakeup call for an employee that is underperforming or has done something against company policy. A warning letter could be due to a mutual NDA being violated in a minor way as a major violation would likely result in termination.

The following are tips to help write a quality employee warning letter:

  • The name of the employee, supervising manager, and other staff involved need to be noted.
  • The violation of policy has to be explicitly stated.
  • The solution to the behavior or performance issue should be clear and concise.
  • The consequences for further warnings should be outlined whether it is suspension or termination.

Employee warning letters can protect a company from a disgruntled employee thinking they were wrongfully terminated. In the era of frivolous lawsuits, having everything in writing is imperative. 

Partnership Dissolution Agreements and Mutual NDAs

A partnership dissolution agreement ends a business relationship between two partners. This could be due to the business being sold or one partner starting a new business alone. Mutual NDAs are usually signed in certain dissolutions as certain information can be valuable to competitors. The agreement can help outline expectations of the dissolution especially if the partnership is to end after a few months/weeks. 

A partnership dissolution agreement can be simple and does not have to be overly complicated. The following are tips to create a thorough agreement:

  • The names of everyone involved in the partnership and their contact information.
  • Names of those that are liquidating or cashing out of the business. The payment type and how much they will be paid should be included. 
  • Tax obligations, debts, and assets allocation/responsibility needs to be included. 

Partnership dissolution agreement laws differ by state so having a legal professional write this up is an option but it can be pricey. 

Model Release Forms 

In today’s world, some models are influencers on social media and traditional models simultaneously. A model release form is a legal document between the model and photographer outlining permission for use of the photos. For example, taking photos for a brand’s marketing campaign might not be able to be used in other campaigns. Buyers of photographs retain ownership of them if this is stated in the agreement.

Model release forms are not required but are highly recommended to protect all parties involved. The following are tips to create the best model release form possible:

  • Names of models, photographers, and potential buyers are to be listed.
  •  The state that the pictures were taken in matters as state laws vary across the United States.
  • Expectations on how the different photographs will be used and distributed. 
  • Models or photographers can both draw these up and might already have a template if they work together frequently.

A model release form can be simple and will protect those involved. The last thing a model wants is an image to be used for a campaign that does not align with their values. 

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