Write ups...you know, that thing most managers hate to do, and theoretically all employees hate to receive. Write up, corrective action, disciplinary action, performance improvement plan all are meant to put employees on notice that they are doing something wrong. And that they need to improve it, usually with an expected time frame.

Maybe you have received or delivered these in your career. There are good ones and bad ones. Sometimes HR assists and sometimes not. If written or delivered well, you can get a good outcome. If written or delivered poorly, well... you don't get a good outcome. The biggest pitfall of a poor write up is that the employee comes away demotivated and productivity spirals downward.





There are three things to consider: the write up itself, delivery and follow up.

The Write Up. How is it structured? Does it stick to facts and company policy or does it degrade the employee as an idiot, a poor excuse for a human being? Or is it unclear such that the employee is confused? It should state what the employee did wrong, statement of the policy that was not adhered to, expectations of what the employee must do going forward, the consequences if the employee does not improve and the time frame. That's it, clear, brief and to the point.

The Delivery: Manager. This is the most important aspect to have good productivity afterward. It is important to be straightforward about the specifics, no long embellishment dragging details through the mud. Then close with something positive. If the manager REALLY wants the employee to go back to work and be productive, then give the employee something positive to make them want to go back and be productive. Compliment the employee in those areas deserved, and let him/her know that you are confident of their success in overcoming this. Having the employee productive afterward is 80% how the manager delivers. Just remember that turnover is very costly, and salvaging a struggling employee can be well worth the effort.

The Delivery: Employee. OK, the burden is not all on the manager. The employee has to be honest, face up that the corrective action was warranted (almost all are). The best way to prove that you are a great employee is to deliver...correct the performance or behavior, be positive, and thank the manager for believing in you. Deliver these things even if you don't agree with the write up or the manager does not have faith in you. Others will notice, and the manager may change his/her mind about you.

The Follow Up. It has been 30, 60, or 90 days. Time to close the satisfied write up (hopefully). The manager should have been watching, encouraging, taking time to steer and be ready for the update. Of course not all will succeed, and that is worthy of a whole separate article. For those who do succeed, this should be a wonderful meeting. Both manager and employee should be saying "Thank you" to each other. The manager says "thank you for digging in and persevering to overcome this obstacle and succeeding. I knew you could do it, and I am happy and proud of you." The employee says "thank you for helping me along the way, your guidance and advice, and believing in me. I am happy that you are my manager and will continue to do a great job." I have witnessed employees becoming spectacular after working through corrective actions and being given a second chance.
This wonderful scenario doesn't happen on all occasions. There are poor managers, and there are poor employees. Managers should be focused on the bottom line for their department, knowing that productivity affects their bonuses and promotions as does turnover. Employees should be looking at their careers, promotions, or just keeping their jobs. In any case, good, strong productivity is important to both. And productivity can be strong even when write ups are necessary.