Warning Letter for Sloppy and Unorganized Work

What is a warning letter?

When inappropriate and adverse behavior is conducted by an employee, a formal warning notice is issued by the authority of the person in charge. In a company or an organization, a warning letter is usually sent to an employee when he/she is misbehaving, not doing the designated job properly, or violating company policy. Some of the key points that must be kept in mind while writing the warning letter are as follows:

• The behavioral issue must be identified and communicated clearly and properly to the employee.
• The employee being addressed must be consulted before issuing the warning letter.
• The letter must be issued to the employee after proper preparation and investigation.

When is it written?

In case an employee is making his workplace uncomfortable by performing his/her job in an unorganized manner, then the employer can issue a warning letter or a notice to address the matter. Some of the types of issues are mentioned below:

• The employee’s performance is substandard and not up to the mark.
• An employee is making the workplace unpleasant for other workers and colleagues by being unorganized and disordered.
• Because of the employee’s sloppiness, the overall efficiency and profitability are affected.

Importance of a warning letter

Warning letters are essential to protect the company – employee relations as it ensures what employees are expected to deliver. It is important to inform the employee of their unacceptable behavior and let them know about the consequences of their problematic actions.

• A formal warning letter can help protect the company from lawsuits in case the former employee files it.
• It is also important for record-keeping.
• A warning letter provides an employee with a chance to mend their wrongdoings. Also, they realize that after a warning letter has been issued, their job is in jeopardy and one more mistake can lead to severe consequences.
• It is important to let the employee know what they are doing is unacceptable for them to realize the mistake being made. They get to know what the employer wants and expects of them in order to reach the desired company goal.
• Sometimes an employer doesn’t issue a warning letter and starts treating the employee unfairly which results in low morale and less productivity without him even knowing about the real situation. Terminating an employee without issuing a warning letter is also unethical.

Basic elements of a warning letter

• Letter Heading

The warning letter is issued on the company letterhead. It must have the employee and supervisor’s name, company address, contact information details, and issue date.

• Letter Introduction

The subject matter must be mentioned clearly in the letter. Also, the type of letter is stated whether it is a final warning letter or an initial warning letter, in the introduction.

• Reason for issuing a warning letter.

The main body of the letter should emphasize the reasons for the warning. The employee must know that the letter is issued because of their sloppy work and not being organized while doing their job.

• Facts/proof/evidence

The letter should also contain the context behind the miss-conduct with the relevant facts concerning the matter.

• A call to Action

A somewhat solution must also be provided to the employee to rectify the miss-conduct. In this case, a solution to organize sloppy work. The company laws and policies must also be considered while writing the letter.

• Signature

Signatures of both the employee and employers for the acknowledgement of receiving the notice should be on the letter.

Sample Letter

To:

Harrison Ford
Project Manager
Purchasing

From:

Tom Hanks
Head of the Department

Date: 18^th May 20XX

Subject: Warning for sloppy and unorganized work

It has come to my attention that your approach towards your work is not serious. Surely you complete the task at hand, but you do it in an unprofessional and unorganized manner and because of this, the provided work is sloppy and messy. Due to this careless attitude, you tend to miss quite a few details.

On April 25^th, you provided me with the XYZ file, and the dates mentioned on the file were incorrect, and because of this misconduct, we entered the wrong data in the records.

Also, 2 days ago, on 16^th May, when you were called to the purchase department meeting, you refused to come because you were missing your laptop charger and it was not charged at the time.

This kind of misconducting behavior is not acceptable in our company and will not be tolerated.

I am warning you to manage your work in an organized way otherwise I will have to take serious action. You have been working for the company for the past 2 years and we value your efforts, but your behavior is affecting our relations.

In the future, I hope to see you behave and act as a professional. 

Tom Hanks

[Signature]

Size: 18 KB Word .doc File 2003 & later

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