Pick the step — documented verbal warning, first or final written warning, suspension or termination — tick the kind of problem, and write down the facts: dates, times and what was seen or measured. Add any earlier conversations or warnings, the improvement you expect and the support you'll give, and the form sets a review date and the standard wording for what happens if it continues. The PDF has room for the employee's comments and signature lines that make clear signing means receipt, not agreement.
Facts, not conclusions. "Clocked in at 9:25, 9:40 and 9:15 on March 3, 5 and 10; shift starts at 9:00" is a write-up; "has a bad attitude about time" is an opinion. Name the policy or standard involved, list earlier warnings with their dates, and state the expected improvement in a way you can check — "on time for every shift for the next 30 days".
Keep the tone neutral and give the employee room to respond in writing. A write-up that reads as fair is far more useful than one that reads as angry, both for changing behavior and if the decision is ever reviewed.
Many employers use a ladder: a documented verbal warning, a first written warning, a final written warning, then suspension or termination. The form shows the next step for the level you pick and fills in the consequences line unless you write your own. Serious misconduct can skip steps — your handbook should say so — and a ladder is a practice, not a legal requirement in most at-will states, so follow your own written policy consistently.
Set a review date so the warning has an end point. If the problem is fixed, say so in writing; that record matters as much as the warning.
Ask the employee to sign to confirm they received the notice; the form says plainly that signing doesn't mean agreeing. If they refuse, note it and have a witness sign. Give them a copy.
Federal EEOC rules (29 CFR 1602.14) require employers to keep personnel records for one year from the date the record was made or the action taken, whichever is later, and to keep everything relevant until a discrimination charge is resolved if one is filed (law.cornell.edu, checked 2026-10-02). The form shows the earliest keep-until date. Attendance problems are easier to document with an accurate timesheet and a sign-in sheet.
The employee and supervisor, the date, the warning level, the facts of what happened, the policy involved, earlier warnings, the improvement expected, a review date, the consequences of not improving, room for the employee's comments, and signatures.
Signing usually only confirms they received it, and the form says so. If they refuse, write "employee declined to sign" and have a witness sign and date it.
At least one year from the date of the record or the action under 29 CFR 1602.14, and until any discrimination charge is resolved. Many employers keep them for the length of employment plus several years; check your state's rules.
For serious misconduct, many policies allow it. Whatever you do, follow your written policy consistently for every employee.
No. It is a form to document a conversation. Employment law varies by state; speak to an employment lawyer or HR adviser before suspending or dismissing someone.
These templates do the same job as an editable document you can fill in again and again.