×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

how to write eployee warning letter
4

how to write eployee warning letter

how to write eployee warning letter

(OP)
I would like to draft a warning letter to an employee who has been abusing/misusing company vehicle during and outside working hours. I want to sternly warn this person and tell that if he continues I will have no choice but to dismiss him.

Any help on how best to frame the letter to deliver message properly?

A prompt response to this will be highly appreciated.

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

Best thing is to write it around your company procedures, as long as they cover the use or misuse of company vehicles.

All employees should have a copy when starting, if you do not have these, what can be defined as "misuse"
 

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

Unless the employee has been warned before, it might be better to issue a memo, advising of company policy, to all people using a company vehicle and warning that misuse will not be tolerated.

There may be others abusing their vehicle privileges, without your knowledge.  

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

You should be consulting your lawyer, not a bunch of random strangers on the internet.

 

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

It's amazing how engineers like to play lawyer, but throw a fit when someone untrained in engineering plays engineer.

Reminds me of my lawyer neighbor who insists on doing his own electrical work, but is baffled by plumbing - his sprinkler system freezes and bursts a line every fall.  Thats how we know winter is about to set in.

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

Where in the world are you because that will make big differences to what you can get away with as an evil overlord manager.

Oh, and think twice about what Mint says - at the very least delegate it to HR unless you're too small to have one.

Posting guidelines FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm? (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

My thoughts exactly.  HR are there to give bad news and/or threats.

- Steve

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

I was thinking the same thing, this is something that HR should do.  A letter seems a bit "over the top" to me, but it wasn't stated if any verbal warnings have been issued in the past and this person is a repeat offender.  Typically in the US there is at least one (sometimes several) verbal warning, followed by a letter of this type, then termination.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the best use of these Forums?

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

Here's what I'd do,

1.  State what the abuse has been, e.g. driving home after work while intoxicated, excessive speed, driving off road in a vehicle not made for such conditions, etc.

2. State how you came about this information, e.g.  received report from a passenger, on-board camera or computer, or ticket from law enforcement agency.

3. Give him a reminder of company policies regarding company-owned vehicles including all possible punishments, number of warnings prior to dismissal etc.

4. Indicate that the letter will serve as his first of three warnings, or whatever your policy states.

Where you need to consult an attorney is writing the policy.  Consulting an attorney on a case by case basis of employee abuse of a company vehicle is a bit excessive unless you have one on staff just surfing the internet until he gets a question.

"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!"

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

Before writing any letters the sensible thing to do would be to learn the employment law in whatever country you are in. I can only speak for the UK but it is freely available on government websites, absolutely no need for expensive lawyers.

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

As others have noted, get the HR department involved if you have one...if not, consult and attorney who specializes in employment law.  They usually have such letters "canned" so they can give you examples and tailor them to your specific conditions.

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

To counter monkeydogs amazement; "It's amazing how engineers like to play lawyer, but throw a fit when someone untrained in engineering plays engineer".

That's because people can get seriously hurt when playing engineer. Playing lawyer is easy, we are shown how to do it on TV all the time.
 

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

A chat is the first option as the employee might not be aware of the rules you have laid down, so a quiet word is always best. If you want to go for a formal verbal warning then make sure that they are aware that it is a formal warning and allow them to have a colleague or representative present. After that you can go to the written warning stage and then dismissal. In the UK it is important that you follow correct procedure as otherwise you could get sued for wrongful dismissal and/or unfair dismissal.  

ex-corus (semi-detached)

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

Taking the advice of engineers on this website is also subject to the usual caveats.
No one should act on the unconfirmed advice given in these fora whatever that advice is and whatever the subject - without checking it out.
So long as the caveats are accepted we can give advice on anything.
We just don't charge for it.

PS (applies to all) Free advice is worth what you pay for it.
(often)

 

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

a star for corus. A little common sense can go a long way. Have a chat with the person. Why bother investigating how to draft a letter.  

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

We have a form at work called Written Warning.  The areas to fill in are
Date, Time and Description of Incident.  It goes in the employees file.  There is no second written warning, it's a dismissal.

drawn to design, designed to draw

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

A place that I worked in the past used to have a tool called the "Decision-Making Leave" or DML.  The offending employee would be given a day off of work with pay (not a Monday or Friday for obvious reasons) to think about the decision as to whether or not they would stay with the company.  

The next morning, he/she would then be required to write a letter of disposition as to whether he or she would be interested in continued employment and if so, what specific things would be done to correct the behavior in question.  We would then retain the letter and if there were even the slightest further transgression in the area of problem, it was out the door with 'em.  

The problem is bigger than improper vehicle usage, though.  I have never had an experience to work with someone who abused <fill-in-the-blank> at work who wasn't also abusing <ten other fill-in-the-blanks>.  I would be shocked if you didn't already know that you're going to have to get rid of him/her at some point in the future.  Get HR or a consultant involved because the people who cause nightmares and headaches while they're on the job always turn out to be the ones who cause bigger nightmares and headaches after they've been justly fired.  With that in mind, if you're going to get rid of him, make sure that you don't take any steps which would be seen as singling him out for termination.  Follow CorBlimeyLimey's advice and send the reminder memo to everyone.  If it continues, send a letter specifically to him a week later and give him a DML (if you can) and specifically put it in terms of violation of company policy.  After that, the next time he puts his toe over the line, send him home for good.   

Violating the rules is a really big deal.    

Engineering is not the science behind building.  It is the science behind not building.   

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

best consult with a lawyer

Ibertest Internacional S.A. - Materials Testing - http://www.ibertestint.com
 

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

Install a remote vehicle shut off. So that after hours when he is driving to the pub in the company car you can shut him down on the freeway without help. Next time he will think twice pipe.  

peace
Fe

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

FeX, just hire that kid that shut down all of those vehicles.  Can't recall the details but I'm sure I saw a thread on it in the pub.

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

Yes, I remember that thread as well.
Good one pipe.  

peace
Fe

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

Shouldn't you be speaking with the person directly? Isn't this an easier way? Because why should you bother to write a letter, maybe it is just wasted paper smileAnd it is much faster to communicate directly.  

RE: how to write eployee warning letter

To the OP: If you have incontrovertible evidence, call the employee in for a face-to-face, with an HR representative present, and tell him to shape up or ship out.

What bothers me most about all this is all the dancing the OP has to do for CYA, and is one of the biggest reasons I would never accept a managerial role for a large company. If employee A is an idiot and violating company policy or not performing their job duties adequately, you should be able to tell him/her as much. After which you should be able to let them know that if they don't/can't/won't meet expectations then they can expect to be fired. Not terminated, not let go, not a "parting of ways", fired.
Frankly, I'm so tired of people not stepping up and taking responsibility for their actions. It's always the same lame reasons (read: excuses): "I didn't know", "No one told me", "Is that a new rule?", ad nauseam.

Sorry for the sidebar.
</rant>

 

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Design Manager/Senior Designer
M9 Defense
My Blog

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources