How should your organization approach verbal warnings?

A verbal warning is a conversation between a supervisor and an employee that is held in private about a disciplinary problem. The purpose of the verbal warning is to correct a performance or disciplinary problem by bringing it to the employee's attention in a serious yet friendly manner. A verbal warning should be used after the supervisor is certain that:

• Previous casual conversations with the employee have not been successful in solving the problem;

• The employee knows exactly what is expected;

• The employee is properly trained;

• The employee knows exactly what is expected;

The employer's policy regarding the problem area should be reexplained to the employee and the employee should be told what the possible consequences of continuing the problematic conduct are. In addition, the employee should be reassured that if the behavior stops, there will be no further repercussions.

If the employee is represented by a union, he or she has the right to representation at a meeting with the employee's supervisor when a behavior problem is going to be discussed.

The main factors to stress in properly communicating with employees about disciplinary steps are the consequences that may result if the problem behavior continues.

Are verbal warnings effective? Verbal warnings usually take only a minute or two and, when handled well, are sufficient to take care of many disciplinary problems. If the problem and the desired change in behavior are clearly outlined, employees will often make the change immediately in order to avoid further discipline.

What should a written warning stress? A written warning is a documented formal conversation between a supervisor and an employee about a disciplinary or performance problem. The purpose of a written warning is to correct a performance problem by discussing it with the employee and providing a written record of the conversation.

Written warnings are usually used only after a verbal warning has been given and no change in performance has resulted. The written warning should indicate that if further steps are needed in order to curtail the undesired conduct, the action to be taken will affect the employee's pay, that is, the employee will be suspended without pay. The supervisor should reassure the employee that if the problem behavior stops, the employee will not be subject to further discipline.