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Employee Disciplinary Action (Discipline) Form

An employee disciplinary action form is designed to record and address unacceptable behavior or violations of workplace policy by an employee. The document should outline incident details, the company's response, and actions the employee should take to remedy the situation.
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Updated December 06, 2024

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When to Use an Employee Disciplinary Action Form

Use a disciplinary action form when serious behavior or performance concerns arise, such as inappropriate conduct, safety violations, performance or quality issues, absenteeism, late arrivals, or policy infractions.It is usually best to communicate with the employee before taking formal action. For example, a series of meetings might take place before disciplinary action is deemed necessary. Supervisors can also issue a warning form as a preliminary step.

What to Include

A disciplinary action form commonly includes:

  • The employee’s first and last name
  • The date of disciplinary action
  • A detailed description of the issue (include dates, times, location, and witnesses, if applicable)
  • Any prior history in relation to disciplinary action at hand
  • Any employee comments in regards to the disciplinary action.
  • Corrective action being requested of the employee and the expected date of appropriate behavior or improvement
  • The name of the employee’s supervisor
  • Signature of the employee acknowledging corrective action form and agreement of requested improved behavior
  • Signature of the employee’s supervisor

How to Discipline an Employee (3 steps)

1. Give Verbal Warning of Violation

Woman speaking to another person's ear.

Once a violation, lack of performance, or behavior concern is presented, the employee should be notified immediately. Communication should encompass suggested methods to improve behavior along with pertinent policies and procedures in question.

2. After Second Violation, Give Written Notice

Hand giving written letter.

Once the employee commits a second violation, the appropriate company representative should provide written notice to the employee. The notice should provide details of the inappropriate behavior, performance concern, or policy violation. The employee should be notified immediately of expectations and ways to improve, along with consequences if improvement is not received.

3. Third Strike Constitutes an Employee Review

Series of strikes expresses with numerals.

After a third violation of a company policy, lack of performance, or evidence of inappropriate behavior, a formal review may be conducted of the employee. All previous history of company concerns or violations should be documented, and the employee should be notified of the next actionable steps that may be taken by the Manager or company. Appropriate Human Resources consultants may be present to ensure appropriate performance guidelines and disciplinary action are taken.