Documenting rule breaking: 3 core principles.

When an employee violates workplace rules and discipline is called for, you must capture the details of what happened.

Strong documentation is built on three basic principles.

  1. ACCURACY. Accuracy goes hand in hand with immediacy. Memory is a shaky defense, so be sure to take notes right after an incident occurs.

    That makes it much harder for an employee to cast doubt on the organization's motives if the written explanation comes right after the action, with no intervening events. You get an added plus in case you need a record of what happened down the line after someone leaves the company.

  2. BELIEVABILITY. When an outside observer--for example, an EEO investigator, arbitrator or jury--is called to assess your side of a story, detailed observations add authenticity. The more specific the documentation, the greater your credibility.

    Be prepared to gather information about the who, what, when, where and why of the...

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