An employee write up template is five boxes, and the second box is the one that makes the other four hold. The incident, with dates and specifics. The handbook policy it breached, cited by section. The expectation from now on. The consequence if it recurs. The signatures, with a line for the employee's comments. A write-up with an empty second box is an opinion about someone's work; one with the policy cited is the application of a rule the employee acknowledged. The employee handbook template on this site prints the handbook, free and without an account.
Box one: the incident
Date, time, place, what was done or not done, who saw it, in plain sentences. One incident. Three late arrivals with dates; the missed safety check on the date; the customer complaint on the date. Not a character sketch.
Box two: the policy
The attendance policy, section and paragraph; the code of conduct's line on respect; the expense policy's receipt rule. Quoted or referenced so the employee can read the rule beside the incident. If there is no policy, the write-up waits and the handbook gets the policy.
Boxes three and four: expectation and consequence
What changes from today, stated so it can be checked; what follows if it recurs, stated plainly and up to termination where the policy allows. Both in words the employee can repeat back. A consequence that is not stated is one the employee can say they did not know, and the box exists so that cannot be said.
Box five: signatures and comments
The manager's signature; the employee's as acknowledgment of receipt, with a comments line and the date. Refusal to sign noted with a witness. HeadcountDesk Pro keeps the write-up with the handbook version it cites. From the vendors' own pricing pages, cited below: Homebase lists its Essentials plan at $30 per location per month billed monthly or $24 billed annually, with unlimited employees, and a Basic plan at $0 for one location with up to 10 employees; BambooHR starts at $10 per employee per month for Core and $17 for Pro; Deputy's Core plan is $6.50 per user per month. HeadcountDesk Pro is $24 per month per location.
Questions people ask about employee write up template
Is a write-up the same as a warning?
The write-up is the document; the warning is the stage it records, per the handbook's process.
Who keeps the write-up?
The employer, against the employee's record; the employee gets a copy.
Is the handbook template free?
Yes, without an account.