Question

In 100 Words state if you agree or disagree with the summary of provided on: How should you document employee counseling sessions and at what point should documentation be sent to HR? PLEASE reframe from using Overuse of ambiguous terms such as it, this, and they should not be used.

Documentation is key in any workplace. I think documentation is something you need to use even when things are going good. Documenting provides employers with information from the past that can help them prove a point. When it comes to documenting employee counseling sessions, I believe anytime you meet with an employee there should be some sort of documenting going on. Creating a file for each employee and using that as backup if ever needed is vital. Personally, I think employers and employees should meet every once in awhile even if things are positive because it will build the trust and relationship between the two. Knowing how things are going with constructive criticism is never a bad idea. I would have two forms of documentation. I would hand write notes when meeting and then convert them into a file on the computer. For problem employees meeting and documenting sessions may have to happen more than just an evaluation type session. This documenting in two places is especially necessary for the employees who are causing the problems. Depending on what is going on in with the employee and at what level of offenses they are breaking that can determine when to go to HR.

If you get to a point when employee counseling is necessary for bad behavior then the individuals actions more than likely warrant HR being sent the information. Even if you give an employee a verbal warning that needs to be documented. In class we have discussed the different meanings for a problem employee and everyone has a different definition of it. In regards to documenting, I would look at the levels of offenses that we discussed earlier in the class and posted about. If you are level 1, where it is a fire able offense then documentation must go to HR because the termination process will more than likely be started. The level 2 offenses are more severe but not fire able, yet, and I would let HR know after a verbal warning followed by one written. Finally, level 3 offenses are the annoying and probably the most difficult because documentation may be ongoing for awhile. In this case, I would hand out a verbal warning then after about 2-3 written warnings, HR would be informed because in many cases these level 3 behaviors will not be on the top of the list for HR to deal with. Keeping HR informed is something that needs to be done, however, because as we talked about in class, having a good relationship with them can help you in the long run.

Answer 1

Documenting is key at any workplace irrespective of whether things are bad or good. Documenting captures all the points of discussion of past between an employer and an employee. When it comes to documenting of employee counseling sessions, it is very much required as it provides the employer to use in future when there is an issue with the employees. Documenting can be done by hand writing in the middle of discussion and entering the information to store on a computer. Documenting is more critical when it comes to dealing with problem employees.

Depending on the level of the problem employees, the documentation should be mandated. If the problem employee commits level 1 offenses which leads to the termination, documentation is mandatory to show as an evidence of the issues. If the problem employee commits level 2 offenses which are severe but don’t result in termination, then there should be a verbal warning followed by written. For level 3 offenses which are annoying, verbal warning should suffice and if the employee still doesn’t change the behavior, written warning is expected. Keeping the HR informed is something which needs to be done for a better relationship between the employer and employees.