Effective Documentation
There is an unwritten rule that if it isn't documented, it didn't happen. This is where the supervisor's file described in Chapter 5 comes in. The purpose of documentation is to back up and justify discipline up to and including employment termination if there is a problem with an employee that cannot be resolved.
In the example above about the employee who doesn't file paperwork in a timely manner, the first step in addressing the issue is to give constructive feedback and document the date of the discussion in the supervisor's file (some managers may call it a confidential file); it should not be documented in the personnel file. At this point, it's not a personnel-file issue and the hope is that it doesn't get to that point.
Any incident that has the potential to result in disciplinary action if it continues should be documented. Some examples are being late to work, violating the personal phone call policy, performing inadequate work after being trained properly, etc.
Be specific when documenting something. If someone is late to work, do not just write down that she was late to work on March 21. Instead, state that on March 21, she was scheduled to report to work at 8:00 A.M., but did not arrive until 8:20 A.M. and did not call to say that she would be late.
When something serious happens, such as swearing at a coworker or refusing to perform a reasonable request, jump right into a verbal or written warning. The warning itself is the documentation and this should be placed in the personnel file.
