Landrum Human Resource Companies Blog

June 14, 2011

Don’t forget this because it’s really important!
By Jim Guttmann, SPHR

When I was 19 years old, I used to take my mother to work in the morning before attending classes at Pensacola Junior College (now Pensacola State College). On the drive one day, it seems that my mother was giving me a discourse on doing well in school, taking care of chores around the house and blah, blah, blah. During this 10-15 minute lecture, my thoughts drifted off to other things which seemed far more interesting to me at the time. When arriving at my Mom’s workplace, I snapped out of my day dream just in time to hear “….and don’t forget this because it’s really important”. Of course, I had to confess to Mom that I really hadn’t heard one word that she had said throughout the whole time. Most surprising to me was that she took it very well. It was a relief to her to know that I really was interested in listening to her “sometimes”. She wanted me to pick her up from work at the end of the day because my father wouldn’t be able to. That was pretty important to know.

Recalling this now amusing incident from 40 years ago, it got me thinking about documentation of substandard employee performance or poor behavior. Occasionally, I’ll sometimes hear from managers who express that they would like to terminate a subordinate’s employment after speaking with the employee “numerous times”. After all, listening to someone whine must clearly communicate that it’s really important; someone should pay attention; and actually do something about it. Yeah, right! When I explain that just repeatedly talking to someone is not necessarily effective in addressing poor job performance or behavior, I’ll sometimes get various excuses for why taking the next step by way of a formal written warning is not the way to go. Some of my favorites excuses for not putting it in writing are “that would be playing head games with him” or “it would just make matters worse” or “we’re all professionals here and don’t need to be written up”. By the way, I don’t think any of those excuses are very valid. And there are a bunch of HR Professionals, Employment Law Attorneys and EEOC investigators that would agree with me. In fact, the “problem employee” may actually be thinking one of the following:

•   Guess he rolled out of the wrong side the bed again this morning.

•   No big deal….he gets on everybody’s case every now and then.

•   He just needs to fuss occasionally to show everyone that he’s still in charge.

•   He will never do anything more than whine with me. I’m too important here.

•   I’m tired of his complaints and don’t pay any attention to him anymore.

•   Must not be that important. I never get written up about it.

•   And….blah, blah, blah!

Like me, I hope you understand and appreciate the psychology involved with formal written warnings. More often than not, something that is received in writing carries far more weight to it than just the spoken word. Written warnings convey a higher sense of importance and seriousness; afford an opportunity for the employee to fully read and understand the issue; understand what the consequences will be in the future if improvement does not take place and creates a lasting record that the matter was indeed discussed. Like an official ceremony, even the act of the manager, employee and witness signing the disciplinary document adds to its impact and significance.

Contrary to what some managers may believe, written warnings often have a long term positive result. It’s not just done in cases where you want to get rid of the employee. In fact, I’ve even seen employees receive a final written warning and then turn their job performance completely around. Putting it in writing did give these employees a true chance to improve and they got the message and are still working for the company in a positive and productive way. Without that written letter, who knows what would have happen? In my view, in cases of ongoing performance/behavioral issues, it doesn’t seem fair to dismiss a long term employee without first providing a clearly written final warning letter. That letter could explain that “failure to improve may result in more severe disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. This is your final warning so please let that guide your actions accordingly”.

In summary, when you have ongoing performance or behavioral problems with an employee, don’t just fuss with the employee about it and necessarily think that things will change one day. To be more effective, treat the employee fairly by putting those concerns in writing in a formal way. And don’t forget this because it’s really important!

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As a Landrum Professional Human Resources Manager, Jim is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and has over 20 years of HR generalist experience for a large government contractor and Fortune 500 Company. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from Florida State University and is an active member of the Greater Pensacola Chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management (GPCSHRM), previously serving as their Vice President of Information Services and Chairman of the Workplace Diversity Committee. Jim is also certified as a County Mediator and in the administration of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator MBTI).