How do I write up an employee and actually document performance problems?
Short answer
Write it down the same day, in plain facts, with a clear expectation and a deadline, and have them sign it. A folder of dated write-ups is what protects you and gives the employee a real chance to fix it.
Facts, not feelings, written the same day
A write-up that says 'bad attitude' is useless in a dispute and useless to the employee trying to fix it. Write what happened, when, who saw it, and what the actual business impact was. 'Arrived 40 minutes late on 3/4, 3/11, and 3/18, no call' is a fact. 'Doesn't seem to care' is not.
Write it the day it happens, or the next morning at the latest. Memory gets soft and generous fast, and a pile of write-ups all dated the week before a firing looks exactly like what it is.
Every write-up needs three things
What happened, specifically. What you expect instead, specifically, so there's no ambiguity about the bar. And a deadline by which you'll check again. Without the deadline, a write-up is just a complaint on paper.
Have the employee sign it, acknowledging they received it, not agreeing with it. If they refuse to sign, note that on the form and have another manager witness the refusal.
Use the pattern, don't over-rely on one incident
One write-up rarely justifies firing on its own unless the incident is severe. What protects you and helps the employee is the pattern: three documented issues over six weeks with the same expectation stated each time shows you gave a real chance and they didn't take it.
Keep the folder even after someone improves. If the same issue resurfaces in eight months, you have the full history instead of starting from zero.
Delivering a written warning
Second documented lateness issue in a month.
You
“I want to go over something in writing. This is the second time this month you've clocked in more than 30 minutes late without a call, on the 4th and the 17th. I need you here on time, or calling before your shift if something comes up.”
Employee
“My car's been giving me trouble, it's not like I'm trying to be late.”
You
“I get that, and I want to work with you on it, that's why I need a call ahead of time if it's going to happen, not after. This note is going in your file so we both have a record of what we talked about and what happens if it continues.”
Do not say
- “Keeping it verbal because you feel bad putting it in writing (leaves you with nothing if it continues)”
- “Vague language like 'needs to improve attitude' with no specific behavior named”
Performance write-up form
One page. Keep a signed copy in their file, give them a copy too.
PERFORMANCE NOTICE Employee: __________________ Date: __________ Written by: __________________ What happened (specific, dated, factual): __________________________________________ Why this matters to the job / team / customers: __________________________________________ What is expected going forward: __________________________________________ By when this will be reviewed again: __________ This is notice ____ of a documented issue. Prior notices: __________ Employee signature (acknowledges receipt, not necessarily agreement): __________________ Manager signature: __________________
Where owners get this wrong
- Only documenting problems right before you decide to fire someone.
- Writing down feelings instead of specific, dated facts.
- Never setting a follow-up date, so the write-up has no teeth.
Worth knowing: Documentation standards can matter a lot in a wrongful termination claim. If you're in a state with strong employee protections or a unionized shop, check your process with an employment attorney before you rely on it.
Ask your version of this question
This is one business owner-tested take. Your shop size, trade, and team change the answer. Ask the exact version inside Ask a Shop Owner and get a response grounded in how owners like you actually handled it.
Now run it against your numbers.
This answer is written for shops in general. Inside Ask a Shop Owner it becomes your answer: your revenue, your crew, your market, your history. Ask "How do I write up an employee and actually document performance problems" and get the version that accounts for what you already told us.
Was this helpful?
One click. It tells us which answers to deepen and which questions we still owe you.
Not ready for a trial? Take the scripts with you.
Leave your email and we send three short notes over the next week showing how owners used answers like this one on a real decision. No newsletter, no drip forever.
Three emails, then it stops. Unsubscribe in one click. We never sell your email address.
Answered for these owners