Can the HOD Issue a Warning Letter Before HR?

Warning Letter

Sometimes, a valuable employee becomes unproductive. They move from surpassing their KPIs to being an hour late to work or committing other minor infractions. What measures should be taken to reprimand an employee? Are warning letters the only option?

A warning letter may be the next step if a verbal warning has already been given. The purpose is to explain to employees how their wrongdoing has impacted their work and the firm.

Suppose an employee commits a major, one-time infraction. In that case, it is recommended to bypass the verbal warning and proceed straight to warning letters since you will need written documentation for the employee's personnel file.

Read here to know how to write a warning letter.

There are two types of warning, namely verbal and written.

• A verbal warning is a warning delivered to an employee by a supervisor or manager due to an issue with the employee's conduct or work performance.
• A written warning is a letter from the employer outlining the employee's conduct or performance issue and the consequences if it is not remedied.

Read here to know the difference between verbal and written warnings.

Can the Head of the Department issue a warning letter before HR?

The answer is yes. All complaints must be submitted in writing on a form provided by the department head. If investigations reveal that the complaint does not constitute an offence, the supervisor or department head should inform the complainant that there is no case of misbehaviour.

If an offence is discovered, the employee must be counselled immediately, and the counselling must be documented.

If the same infraction is repeated, a warning letter should be sent. The letter must specify the offence and warn that severe disciplinary action may be taken against the employee if the infraction is not rectified. A second warning letter must be issued if the employee repeats the same offence.

It is appropriate for the department head to issue the early warning letter so that the employee is aware that the person he reports directly to, such as his supervisor or manager, can take disciplinary action against him.

Keynote

As it is better versed in progressive disciplinary procedures, the human resources department should send the second warning letter and handle any subsequent action if the situation gets severe and requires further action. If the infraction persists, it may be termed egregious.

Read here to know more about warning letters.

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