The managers of a work team must deal with different issues regarding their company, but also with the problems and inconveniences that may arise concerning workers, who often are absent without prior notice, which must be sanctioned with a warning.
There are several methods to notify the employee of his immoral acts or labor faults. The most commonly used form for this type of observation letter is so that the employee can be notified personally, if the manager is present, by telephone or e-mail.
How to write a warning letter to employees?
If you have noticed that an employee has committed an infraction, you must notify them so that the offense does not happen again. E-mail is the best way to warn the employee, as it has become a direct and effective way for companies to contact and inform their employees.
There is no particular structure to follow when writing a warning letter to employees for absenteeism, but you can download the examples below.
The warning letter should inform the employee that strict measures will be taken if he/she continues to violate company policies (suspension or dismissal if he/she has already committed several offenses).
Before writing the letter, it is best to ask a Human Resources department to warn the employee verbally so that it does not happen again or disciplinary action will be taken. For a record of the warning, a letter should be written and signed by the employee and attached to the employee’s file.
The purpose of this letter is to warn the employee to stop being absent without notice and to explain how the employee’s misconduct affects the company and the rest of the workers.
What should an Absence Warning Note include?
The letter will notify the employee of his or her absence, so it is a good idea to detail the e-mail in the subject line briefly. At the beginning of the letter, you can enter the employee’s contact information (first and last name). Next, a cordial greeting, and then comments that it refers to a warning e-mail for absence from work, so he does not do it again.
In another section, list the consequences that their repeated absences could have in the future (sanction or dismissal). Finally, you can ask the employee to confirm attendance at a meeting to discuss his or her behavior. In summary, the letter should contain the following sections:
- Contact information for the employee.
- Contact information for the manager or Human Resources department of the company.
- Violations or offenses committed.
- Clarify that he/she has violated the company’s rules and policies.
- Detail the worker’s absences (day and work shift).
- Highlight that he/she has not given notice of his/her absence from work.
- List the consequences of absenteeism.
- Recommend that he/she improve his/her behavior if he/she does not want to be penalized.
- Request a response to inform them that you have received the mail.
- If necessary, schedule a meeting.
- End with a reiteration of the warning.
The letter should be written in a formal and professional tone, no matter how much trust there is between the two parties. The notification should be printed, and the employee should sign it as proof that he/she was warned.
5 steps to writing a Warning Letter for employees
While there is no particular structure for writing a good, comprehensive warning letter to employees for being absent from work, as mentioned in the previous section, one of the best ways to ensure that the notice contains the correct information is as follows:
1. Warn about the infraction
To begin the letter, it is best to write the infraction that has caused the manager or Human Resources to contact the employee. It is essential to point out the consequences of the employee’s misconduct and how it is detrimental to the company since the employee has violated company policies.
The warning should contain, as far as possible, reliable evidence of the absence from work, such as data on the date and shift on which the employee missed work, and, if any, mention other infractions he/she has committed and for which he/she has been notified. In this way, the letter is given seriousness.
It is crucial to keep the letter as short as possible and include all the necessary information.
2. List the consequences
To give credibility to what happened, something that should be present in the letter is to list the consequences caused by the absence from work of the employee in question. For example, the absence has caused other employees to work twice as hard, or the day will be deducted from the employee’s paycheck.
3. Name the disciplinary action
Clearly explain the corrective actions that such absence will have on the employee, such as suspension or dismissal, in case of past repeated offenses or other infractions. Make it clear that you need the employee to improve his behavior if you want to avoid reaching more severe instances.
The letter’s purpose is to warn the employee and communicate that the company is aware of what has happened.
4. Formal and professional letter
The warning letter should be professional and formal in tone but always maintain respect and politeness. The letter should be written objectively, avoiding emotion or personal treatment towards the employee. The employee’s absence record should be noted, as it is all on file in the company’s system.
5. Offer solutions
After pointing out the absence and the consequences of the employee’s actions, offer suggestions to improve the employee’s behavior. An example of a solution may be to warn him about the company’s policies and that he cannot miss work without prior notice. That can make the employee come to his senses and start doing things properly if he does not want to lose his job.
If he or she must be absent, the employee must notify the appropriate person. The only exception that may be made is for legitimate emergencies or urgent matters. In addition to providing solutions, the employee must know that the company is giving him/her a new opportunity since they trust in his/her work. It will make the employee come to his senses.
6. Allow for a justified response
If the employee has not attended work for the first time, giving him/her a second chance is okay since everyone can have an emergency. It is best to ask the employee for an immediate justification using an e-mail reply or, if he/she has already committed several infractions, propose a meeting to reach an agreement between both parties.
In this way, the employee will understand that he/she is being allowed to explain his/her absence, which could help to resolve the infraction. On the other hand, while it is ideal for maintaining a professional stance, you can ask human resources to speak with the employee in a more informal tone.
References
- “Sample Written Warning (Relating to Attendance) | Human Resources.” Home | Human Resources, 12 Dec. 2019, https://hr.uconn.edu/sample-letter-written-warning-relating-attendance/.
- Mohapatra, Vik. “Draft Warning Letter for Absence from Work without Permission.” LettersFormats, Blogger, 11 Nov. 2019, https://www.lettersformats.com/2019/11/warning-letter-to-employee-for-absence-without-permission.html.
- “Warning Letter to Employee for Leave without Information | Wisdom Jobs India.” Wisdom Jobs, Wisdomjobs, 12AD, https://www.wisdomjobs.com/careeredge/warning-letter-to-employee-for-leave-without-information-2866.