Employee Write-Up Template (Free) — How to Document Discipline

Nobody enjoys writing up an employee. But an undocumented problem is an unsolvable problem — you can’t fix what you haven’t clearly named, and you can’t defend a termination without a paper trail. A good write-up isn’t punishment. It’s a clear record: here’s what happened, here’s the standard, here’s what changes.

What every write-up must include

• Employee name, date, department, manager name
• The specific incident: date, time, what happened (facts, not adjectives)
• The policy or expectation violated (cite the handbook section)
• Prior conversations about this issue (dates)
• The corrective action required and the deadline
• Consequences if it continues
• Employee comments section + signatures (note “refused to sign” if applicable — the write-up still stands)

What to leave out

• Opinions, diagnoses, or personal commentary
• Anything about protected characteristics
• Threats you won’t follow through on

The conversation script (say this, not that)

Say: “On Tuesday you missed the client deadline, which delayed the launch. The expectation is X. Going forward I need Y by [date].”

Not: “You’re always dropping the ball and I’m tired of it.”

When a write-up becomes a PIP

One write-up = a correction. A pattern = a Performance Improvement Plan with measurable goals and a timeline. Document the pattern early — it protects both of you.