hi there, could someone please help me draft a warning for doing personal things during working hours without permission. thanks Charnelle
From South Africa, Cape Town
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3From South Africa, Cape Town
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Team,
Greetings. We would like to bring to your notice that some of our employees are involved in personal work during office working hours. We would like to address this issue. People working on personal tasks during official hours will definitely bring down the productivity of an individual as well as the group. This will undoubtedly affect the company's turnover as well. Individuals who intend to work on personal tasks during office hours undermine the morale and the value they hold in the company. There is a great level of trust that we have for our employees, and we are confident that you will not let it diminish. Considering these points, we kindly request your cooperation.
Regards,
HR Team.
After this mail, if your employees still continue, then you can add your action plans.
From India, Salai
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Greetings. We would like to bring to your notice that some of our employees are involved in personal work during office working hours. We would like to address this issue. People working on personal tasks during official hours will definitely bring down the productivity of an individual as well as the group. This will undoubtedly affect the company's turnover as well. Individuals who intend to work on personal tasks during office hours undermine the morale and the value they hold in the company. There is a great level of trust that we have for our employees, and we are confident that you will not let it diminish. Considering these points, we kindly request your cooperation.
Regards,
HR Team.
After this mail, if your employees still continue, then you can add your action plans.
From India, Salai
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Dear Charnelle,
Who is engaging in personal activities during working hours? What is their job title? Are you the manager of that individual? What is your role in the organization? Are you part of the HR team? Who brought this matter to your attention - was it you or someone else? Have you conducted a thorough verification of this information? Do you have sufficient evidence to support these claims?
If an employee is indeed using the company's time for personal activities, how much time are they spending on this? Is this behavior exhibited by only one employee or are there multiple individuals involved? If they are not engaged in personal activities, what other tasks could they have been working on?
There are several questions that need answers before a draft can be provided. Therefore, I suggest you draft a response on your own and share it here for review. Some senior professionals, like myself, will provide feedback.
Moreover, if an employee is found to be using work hours for personal tasks, it indicates they may have excess time available. Apart from issuing a warning letter, it is important to conduct a workload analysis for this position. Does the employee have enough tasks to fill their time? This factor should not be overlooked.
Thank you,
Dinesh V Divekar
From India, Bangalore
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Who is engaging in personal activities during working hours? What is their job title? Are you the manager of that individual? What is your role in the organization? Are you part of the HR team? Who brought this matter to your attention - was it you or someone else? Have you conducted a thorough verification of this information? Do you have sufficient evidence to support these claims?
If an employee is indeed using the company's time for personal activities, how much time are they spending on this? Is this behavior exhibited by only one employee or are there multiple individuals involved? If they are not engaged in personal activities, what other tasks could they have been working on?
There are several questions that need answers before a draft can be provided. Therefore, I suggest you draft a response on your own and share it here for review. Some senior professionals, like myself, will provide feedback.
Moreover, if an employee is found to be using work hours for personal tasks, it indicates they may have excess time available. Apart from issuing a warning letter, it is important to conduct a workload analysis for this position. Does the employee have enough tasks to fill their time? This factor should not be overlooked.
Thank you,
Dinesh V Divekar
From India, Bangalore
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Dear Kiruthika V.N,
The poster of this post has asked the "Warning Letter". The draft that you have given is somewhat ok for the office circular. In fact the language looks like as if it is some homily delivered by the towering personality of that company. Exhortation do not work in corporate environment. We need to be specific. I recommend you verifying your draft with "The 7 C’s of Business Writing" In addition to this, please check correctness of 1-2 words as well.
Hope you did not mind bringing out the anomaly in your writing.
All the best!
Dinesh V Divekar
You can draft a letter this way
Team,
Greetings.We would like to bring to your notice that some of our employees are involved in personal work during the office working hours. We would like to address this issue. People working on personal task during official hours will definitely bring down the productivity of an individual as well as the group. This will definitely affect the companies turnover too. People who indent to work on personal works during office hours bring down the morale and the value that they hold in the company. There is a great level of trust that we have for our employees and we are sure that you will not let it go away. Taking these points into consideration , we kindly request you to cooperate.
Regards,
HR Team.
After this mail, if your employees still continue then you can add your action plans.[/QUOTE]
From India, Bangalore
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The poster of this post has asked the "Warning Letter". The draft that you have given is somewhat ok for the office circular. In fact the language looks like as if it is some homily delivered by the towering personality of that company. Exhortation do not work in corporate environment. We need to be specific. I recommend you verifying your draft with "The 7 C’s of Business Writing" In addition to this, please check correctness of 1-2 words as well.
Hope you did not mind bringing out the anomaly in your writing.
All the best!
Dinesh V Divekar
You can draft a letter this way
Team,
Greetings.We would like to bring to your notice that some of our employees are involved in personal work during the office working hours. We would like to address this issue. People working on personal task during official hours will definitely bring down the productivity of an individual as well as the group. This will definitely affect the companies turnover too. People who indent to work on personal works during office hours bring down the morale and the value that they hold in the company. There is a great level of trust that we have for our employees and we are sure that you will not let it go away. Taking these points into consideration , we kindly request you to cooperate.
Regards,
HR Team.
After this mail, if your employees still continue then you can add your action plans.[/QUOTE]
From India, Bangalore
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Hi Dinesh,
The employee's designation was an Office Admin position, but she was recently off sick for 60 days. When she returned, we offered her a position in the Store, which she was happy to take. I am the manager of this employee, I am the Accountant, and in her previous position, she reported to me. Since the changeover to the store, she was told she still needs to report to me.
We do not have an HR department, but I deal with staff issues such as contracts and payroll. Our director saw the employee busy with her personal activities, as did a few other employees, and it was brought to my attention. I have sufficient evidence. Yes, we work a normal 8-hour day. The employee was busy with personal tasks for 3-4 hours of the day when she could have been performing her actual job duties.
Thank you for your reply; it is much appreciated and has given me something to think about.
From South Africa, Cape Town
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The employee's designation was an Office Admin position, but she was recently off sick for 60 days. When she returned, we offered her a position in the Store, which she was happy to take. I am the manager of this employee, I am the Accountant, and in her previous position, she reported to me. Since the changeover to the store, she was told she still needs to report to me.
We do not have an HR department, but I deal with staff issues such as contracts and payroll. Our director saw the employee busy with her personal activities, as did a few other employees, and it was brought to my attention. I have sufficient evidence. Yes, we work a normal 8-hour day. The employee was busy with personal tasks for 3-4 hours of the day when she could have been performing her actual job duties.
Thank you for your reply; it is much appreciated and has given me something to think about.
From South Africa, Cape Town
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My friend you will have to first discuss the issue with the staff member concerned.
From Namibia, Windhoek
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From Namibia, Windhoek
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(Fact Checked)-The reply is correct. It is important to have a discussion with the staff member before issuing any formal warning. (1 Acknowledge point)
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Dear Charnelle,
From what you have written, it merits feedback to you as well.
Your subordinate spends around 3-4 hours of her duty time on personal activities. How is it that you did not notice this? What Director could observe this, why couldn't you? In another company, along with that junior, you might have received a warning for your poor supervision. It's good to note that your Director has spared you.
Has the Director given you sufficient authority? Is he the central authority where all power is centralized, leaving cursory roles for others? If there is a devolution of powers, you can enhance the store's performance. Click here to read my reply on how to conduct a financial audit of the stores.
Furthermore, every morning, you could call your staff and inquire how they plan to spend their day. In the evening, monitor their performance. While close supervision may be necessary, especially at this stage.
Take this incident as a warning signal for you as well. What I have written may seem tangential; however, it is in your best interest.
All the best!
Dinesh V Divekar
From India, Bangalore
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From what you have written, it merits feedback to you as well.
Your subordinate spends around 3-4 hours of her duty time on personal activities. How is it that you did not notice this? What Director could observe this, why couldn't you? In another company, along with that junior, you might have received a warning for your poor supervision. It's good to note that your Director has spared you.
Has the Director given you sufficient authority? Is he the central authority where all power is centralized, leaving cursory roles for others? If there is a devolution of powers, you can enhance the store's performance. Click here to read my reply on how to conduct a financial audit of the stores.
Furthermore, every morning, you could call your staff and inquire how they plan to spend their day. In the evening, monitor their performance. While close supervision may be necessary, especially at this stage.
Take this incident as a warning signal for you as well. What I have written may seem tangential; however, it is in your best interest.
All the best!
Dinesh V Divekar
From India, Bangalore
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(Fact Checked)-[response] (1 Acknowledge point)
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I have noted that your supervision as a manager is weak and has resulted in a 100% error rate. Enhance close supervision. You have trusted your employees to work without supervision, allowing them to take advantage of the company's resources (e.g., time).
Put in place a performance management system to monitor and evaluate the employees' performance.
Lastly, consider implementing job rotation, analyzing the workload, and providing job descriptions where necessary. If some employees have less work, enrich their roles by assigning challenging tasks. Ensure that everyone has enough work to do throughout the 8 hours.
Establish policies and ensure their implementation.
From Kenya, Nyeri
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Put in place a performance management system to monitor and evaluate the employees' performance.
Lastly, consider implementing job rotation, analyzing the workload, and providing job descriptions where necessary. If some employees have less work, enrich their roles by assigning challenging tasks. Ensure that everyone has enough work to do throughout the 8 hours.
Establish policies and ensure their implementation.
From Kenya, Nyeri
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Dear JuniorAcc,
What were the activities that she indulges in for 3-4 hours during the day?
From the Office Admin position, she has now been shifted to Stores. What are her job specifications? Is it like that of a Store-Keeper?
What kind of organization is yours? What materials does the "STORE" deal with?
Is there enough work for her to keep her busy full-time? Or is she utilizing her spare time to keep herself busy and prevent boredom and lethargy?
She reports to you, yet you are not able to see/observe whether she is busy with official or personal work. However, a director, who must be having lots and lots of responsibilities as compared to you, is able to notice her activities!
Can we rule out any chance of any attempt of her being victimized, discriminated, or harassed for reasons best known to your Director?
How come the matter has been escalated so much so early, so as to warrant the issue of warning letters; without any counseling or verbal warning.
Please don't feel offended by these queries, which are meant to solicit more information and examine every angle.
It's a pity that your organization lacks an HR department or a good HR officer; who could have gone into these HR related issues.
Warm regards.
From India, Delhi
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What were the activities that she indulges in for 3-4 hours during the day?
From the Office Admin position, she has now been shifted to Stores. What are her job specifications? Is it like that of a Store-Keeper?
What kind of organization is yours? What materials does the "STORE" deal with?
Is there enough work for her to keep her busy full-time? Or is she utilizing her spare time to keep herself busy and prevent boredom and lethargy?
She reports to you, yet you are not able to see/observe whether she is busy with official or personal work. However, a director, who must be having lots and lots of responsibilities as compared to you, is able to notice her activities!
Can we rule out any chance of any attempt of her being victimized, discriminated, or harassed for reasons best known to your Director?
How come the matter has been escalated so much so early, so as to warrant the issue of warning letters; without any counseling or verbal warning.
Please don't feel offended by these queries, which are meant to solicit more information and examine every angle.
It's a pity that your organization lacks an HR department or a good HR officer; who could have gone into these HR related issues.
Warm regards.
From India, Delhi
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Hi,
Issue a warning letter as follows:
Dear Mr./Mrs.,
It has come to the Management's attention that you are spending 3-4 hours on a daily basis for your personal work. This constitutes a violation of Company Rules (please refer to the relevant rule).
You are hereby being seriously warned to cease such acts of indiscipline. Failure to comply will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination from the company.
Thank you,
Haragopal
GM-HR
SSPL
From India, Hyderabad
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Issue a warning letter as follows:
Dear Mr./Mrs.,
It has come to the Management's attention that you are spending 3-4 hours on a daily basis for your personal work. This constitutes a violation of Company Rules (please refer to the relevant rule).
You are hereby being seriously warned to cease such acts of indiscipline. Failure to comply will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination from the company.
Thank you,
Haragopal
GM-HR
SSPL
From India, Hyderabad
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I would say, such a warning; "you are spending 3-4 hours on a daily basis for your personal work" is not only ridiculous; it also signifies the inability and inefficiency of the company in terms of their supervision and ability to take work from employees.
Such a poorly drafted (vague) warning letter, signed by a GM-HR, would only signify the quality of Management and the reason "of spending 3-4 hours on a daily basis" on personal work.
One should be careful in drafting such letters. There should not be ANY BIAS.
The statement "3-4 hours on a daily basis" is vague and prejudicial. An employee in a court can easily point out that these charges are IMAGINARY and cannot be substantiated. Only a foolish management will accept this in court and be a laughing stock that their employees are working only FOR HALF THE TIME ON A DAILY BASIS. One would wonder what their Managers are doing then?
Rather than such VAGUE and WILD ACCUSATIONS, one should be SPECIFIC.
For example, "It has been reported that on --/--/----- you indulged in your personal work for 3 to 4 hours and thus neglected your official duties. This behavior has also been observed on certain earlier occasions too."
Saying that a person is doing personal work for 3-4 hours on a daily basis also questions the ability and involvement of his superior/reporting officers. How did they allow this on a daily basis??
Warm regards.
From India, Delhi
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Such a poorly drafted (vague) warning letter, signed by a GM-HR, would only signify the quality of Management and the reason "of spending 3-4 hours on a daily basis" on personal work.
One should be careful in drafting such letters. There should not be ANY BIAS.
The statement "3-4 hours on a daily basis" is vague and prejudicial. An employee in a court can easily point out that these charges are IMAGINARY and cannot be substantiated. Only a foolish management will accept this in court and be a laughing stock that their employees are working only FOR HALF THE TIME ON A DAILY BASIS. One would wonder what their Managers are doing then?
Rather than such VAGUE and WILD ACCUSATIONS, one should be SPECIFIC.
For example, "It has been reported that on --/--/----- you indulged in your personal work for 3 to 4 hours and thus neglected your official duties. This behavior has also been observed on certain earlier occasions too."
Saying that a person is doing personal work for 3-4 hours on a daily basis also questions the ability and involvement of his superior/reporting officers. How did they allow this on a daily basis??
Warm regards.
From India, Delhi
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Dear Raj Kumar,
You do not know the context of the complaint except as provided in the email seeking advice that 3-4 hours were being spent on personal work. Please refrain from using the word "RIDICULOUS." I am concerned about your professional competence.
Courts will only take cognizance when punishments are awarded, and punishment is awarded following a detailed inquiry. Such an inquiry will illuminate all related circumstances and facts (e.g., when the 3-4 hours were spent, the nature of the personal work, who was involved, who witnessed it, and why no action was taken by his supervisor, etc.).
This draft, I REPEAT, aims to bring the concerned employee in line with a note of caution. DO NOT CONCLUDE WITHOUT EXAMINING FACTS & FIGURES. I am disappointed with your shortsighted approach. Please adopt a more professional stance.
Haragopal
From India, Hyderabad
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You do not know the context of the complaint except as provided in the email seeking advice that 3-4 hours were being spent on personal work. Please refrain from using the word "RIDICULOUS." I am concerned about your professional competence.
Courts will only take cognizance when punishments are awarded, and punishment is awarded following a detailed inquiry. Such an inquiry will illuminate all related circumstances and facts (e.g., when the 3-4 hours were spent, the nature of the personal work, who was involved, who witnessed it, and why no action was taken by his supervisor, etc.).
This draft, I REPEAT, aims to bring the concerned employee in line with a note of caution. DO NOT CONCLUDE WITHOUT EXAMINING FACTS & FIGURES. I am disappointed with your shortsighted approach. Please adopt a more professional stance.
Haragopal
From India, Hyderabad
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Rajkumar,
It is not prejudice. An employee can give his reply denying the charge mentioned in the letter, and that will call for ordering a detailed enquiry wherein all related facts will come out. I think you are getting prejudiced.
Haragopal
From India, Hyderabad
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It is not prejudice. An employee can give his reply denying the charge mentioned in the letter, and that will call for ordering a detailed enquiry wherein all related facts will come out. I think you are getting prejudiced.
Haragopal
From India, Hyderabad
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Dear Hargopal,
Thanks for your response!
It is true, and I agree with you that on most occasions, the full facts and information of the case are not presented by the member. However, one should take care of the extent of what is available. In doing so, we cannot make or suggest certain mistakes that make the proposed action "INFRUCTUOUS," ineffective, bad-in-law, or unprofessional.
Also, kindly note that if a matter goes to court, everything is examined "AB INITIO - from the beginning."
The disciplinary action that you are referring to would amount to have been started with the WARNING LETTER - hence it will also be put UNDER SCRUTINY.
Please be assured that my intention is not to put down any HR manager but to make the HR action UNIMPEACHABLE - blameless, and to exhort and urge all HR managers to become more adept and professional in our chosen profession. That is my endeavor and fervent wish.
Warm regards.
From India, Delhi
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Thanks for your response!
It is true, and I agree with you that on most occasions, the full facts and information of the case are not presented by the member. However, one should take care of the extent of what is available. In doing so, we cannot make or suggest certain mistakes that make the proposed action "INFRUCTUOUS," ineffective, bad-in-law, or unprofessional.
Also, kindly note that if a matter goes to court, everything is examined "AB INITIO - from the beginning."
The disciplinary action that you are referring to would amount to have been started with the WARNING LETTER - hence it will also be put UNDER SCRUTINY.
Please be assured that my intention is not to put down any HR manager but to make the HR action UNIMPEACHABLE - blameless, and to exhort and urge all HR managers to become more adept and professional in our chosen profession. That is my endeavor and fervent wish.
Warm regards.
From India, Delhi
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(Fact Checked)-[response] (1 Acknowledge point)
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My dear friend,
First, understand that a warning letter is only a measure to discipline an employee and not a way of punishment. If you are an HR professional, first learn to be positive before taking punitive action. If the employee corrects himself after a warning, it is a significant achievement for the company. It is not unfruitful, ineffective, illegal, or unprofessional.
If the court takes cognizance of any unlawful act taken against the employee, it then calls for records of indiscipline, and here the concerned supervisor must have a record of all facts. Furthermore, courts will intervene if the inquiry procedure is violated and when the employee was not provided the opportunity to defend himself/herself.
You seem to be overactive and negative in dealing with employees. I am a professional with more than two decades of experience and have dealt with hundreds of such cases. In some instances when they went to court, the respective courts upheld the initiatives taken by management.
I believe it is enough to comment on this matter. If you can appreciate it, please do so. Otherwise, I will not be bothered by it and will put a full stop to it.
Haragopal
From India, Hyderabad
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First, understand that a warning letter is only a measure to discipline an employee and not a way of punishment. If you are an HR professional, first learn to be positive before taking punitive action. If the employee corrects himself after a warning, it is a significant achievement for the company. It is not unfruitful, ineffective, illegal, or unprofessional.
If the court takes cognizance of any unlawful act taken against the employee, it then calls for records of indiscipline, and here the concerned supervisor must have a record of all facts. Furthermore, courts will intervene if the inquiry procedure is violated and when the employee was not provided the opportunity to defend himself/herself.
You seem to be overactive and negative in dealing with employees. I am a professional with more than two decades of experience and have dealt with hundreds of such cases. In some instances when they went to court, the respective courts upheld the initiatives taken by management.
I believe it is enough to comment on this matter. If you can appreciate it, please do so. Otherwise, I will not be bothered by it and will put a full stop to it.
Haragopal
From India, Hyderabad
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Dear Haragopal,
I agree with you wholeheartedly and appreciate your feelings. A warning letter that helps an employee to correct themselves is a good warning letter. We should be helpful to the employees, and as HR professionals, it is our bounden moral duty to do so.
Warm regards,
P.S. Kindly avoid any extraneous remarks not connected with the issue under discussion, as it undermines one's stature and impression.
From India, Delhi
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I agree with you wholeheartedly and appreciate your feelings. A warning letter that helps an employee to correct themselves is a good warning letter. We should be helpful to the employees, and as HR professionals, it is our bounden moral duty to do so.
Warm regards,
P.S. Kindly avoid any extraneous remarks not connected with the issue under discussion, as it undermines one's stature and impression.
From India, Delhi
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Dear Sir/Madam,
I am Chandra. I recently joined as an HR professional in the automobile car segment industry in Bangalore. Could you please help me understand what records are required to maintain?
Please send me the information at your earliest convenience.
Thank you in advance.
Regards,
Chandra
From India, Hyderabad
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I am Chandra. I recently joined as an HR professional in the automobile car segment industry in Bangalore. Could you please help me understand what records are required to maintain?
Please send me the information at your earliest convenience.
Thank you in advance.
Regards,
Chandra
From India, Hyderabad
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(Fact Checked)-The response provided aligns with the necessary steps to address the situation of an employee engaging in personal activities during working hours. Thank you for sharing your insights and seeking guidance on handling this issue. (1 Acknowledge point)