Employee Write Up Forms - Here's What You Need To Know

A Collection of Resources for Employee Write Up Forms

Most managers secretly hope they’ll never need to write up their employees. We like to be optimistic and think that we won’t have any problems, and most of the time, that’s precisely what happens.

It’s also important to remember that at many small businesses and most companies in general, managers and employees are friends on a social level. The problem is that when negative feedback is needed, it can be challenging to confront employees for fear of upsetting them or hurting their feelings.

If you spend enough time in business or working as a manager, you’ll eventually need to write up an employee, which means you’ll need an employee write-up form. The whole point of these forms is to create a tangible document for the records of both the employer and the employee.

However, we’re also increasingly under time pressure, and so if we don’t create and prepare these forms ahead of time, it can be an unpleasant surprise when we need to use one and have no idea where to start. That’s why it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with these forms and how they’re used as soon as you start considering hiring someone. It’s always better to be prepared.

But what exactly do you need to know? And what are the best resources for you to take advantage of? The good news is that we’ve brought them all together for you right here.

When to use employee write-up forms

Employee write-up forms should be used whenever you need to provide documented negative or constructive feedback to any employee. Some companies use forms to provide positive feedback, too, by including copies of the forms in employees’ personal records and development plans.

But broadly speaking, most forms provide negative and constructive feedback to employees. These forms can help you stay focused on the issue and take some of the sting out, primarily when you meet face-to-face; they also act slightly more formal than a traditional verbal warning.

These forms can effectively provide structured feedback to your employees, but only if you don’t overuse them. If you send out too many, they’ll start to lose their impact and be seen as a joke by your employees. Instead, you want to ensure they cut through the noise, grab employees by the collars, and give them a little shake.

If you get your approach just right, you can improve communication within your company while aiding personal development and stopping your employees from making the same mistakes repeatedly. Everybody wins! And if the worst comes to worst and you need to terminate the employee, you’ll have the documentation to fall back on to prove that they’re not up to the required standard.

What to include

Different companies use different standards, and in some cases, other managers at the same company use different forms to provide feedback. We’ve shared some templates here for you to use as a starting point, but feel free to create forms of your own or modify the ones we’ve shared to address your needs.

After all, the decision of what to include is mostly a matter of personal preference; be sure to include the date, the employee’s name, the manager’s name, and the specifics of the complaint. As a general rule, it’s better to include more than too little information because the company and the employee may need to refer back to it.

If you’re still unsure what to include in your employee write-up forms, read on to look at some of the best downloadable forms, as well as some courses, videos, and more. We’ve created this post specifically so you’ll know what you should include in your write-up forms.

Resources:

In addition to the information above, you’ll find resources that offer tips related to employee writeups and sites that offer forms you can download and use as is, or modify to include the information relevant to your situation. Have a look to see what works best for you.