Addressing misbehaviour or poor performance of an employee is not an easy task for any HR manager. Usually, HR professionals tackle such circumstances by calling the attention of employees and verbally warning them about the matter. But if an employee continues the same issue, then HR managers are left with no other option but to rely on a written warning, i.e a warning letter.

A warning letter is one of the important business letters that is issued to inform erring employees of their discontent and what requires to be corrected if there is any room for improvement. Needless to say, it can be a bit awkward but a warning letter is believed to be a great HR tool to reprimand employees’ poor conduct or productivity that can impact the overall well-being of an organization.

So, here are 4 major red flags to issue a warning letter:

Regular Absenteeism

Like a wise man once said, “a rotten apple spoils the barrel”. Similarly, when an employee takes leave on a regular basis, it will also encourage other team members to do the same. Habitual absenteeism can dip the overall productivity level of a workforce, thus affecting the business as a whole. So, it is the primary duty of an HR manager to address the whole problem with a warning letter format.

Lateness

Just like absenteeism, lateness can also drop down employee productivity in the workplace. For instance, if a person is habitually late for work every day, then he or she will certainly face problems to complete his or her daily deliverables. In this case, a single employee’s lateness will ultimately impact the whole team’s productivity and morale. This is when a warning letter format comes into play!

Misconduct/Misbehavior

Once in a service period, an HR manager will have to address some cases of employee misconduct or misbehaviour. In some situations, there might be room for improvement but there are times when the problem cannot be overlooked at all. Every HR manager should deal with such issues as soon as possible. Also, one should always examine employees’ misconduct or/and misbehaviour fairly before issuing a warning letter.

Poor Productivity

When employees fail to carry out their duties and responsibilities productively, it’s an implication of poor performance. As mentioned earlier, when employees work as a team, every employee should put the best foot forward. If one fails to do the same, it will eventually affect the overall performance of the team. Now, employee productivity helps a business to grow and flourish, thus HR managers should always have a tab on it and maintain it efficiently. With the help of a warning letter format, one can inform employees about the issue and provide them with corrective action. This will help them to get back on the right track.

Remember, an HR professional should always come up with a fair and sensible decision before relying on a warning letter format. But when nothing works, then one should never tolerate any employee action that can turn disastrous for the company in the future.