Script 25 · from the Firm & Fair Playbook
How to write up an employee: the meeting, word for word
Write the warning before the meeting. Meet in private, with a witness if you have one, and start by saying what this is:
“This is a written warning. I’m going to go through it with you, and then you’ll get a copy.”
Then go through the facts, the earlier step, what has to change and what comes next. They sign for receipt, not agreement.
The situation
Cody has been on your roofing crew for two seasons, and he’s quick up there. On August 27, on the Patel job, he was working the eave unclipped, and you had a documented conversation with him that afternoon. Tuesday on the Henderson job you watched him work the ridge of the main roof for about five minutes, twenty-two feet up on an 8-in-12 pitch, with his harness on and his lanyard unclipped, and Matt, your foreman, saw it too. You called him down, he clipped in, and now it’s a written warning.
Before you talk
- Write the warning before the meeting, on a written warning form. The meeting delivers a decision you’ve already made. Two copies, each with what you saw, the rule, the earlier conversation, what has to change, the help you’ll give, what happens next, and the review date.
- Have in hand: your August 27 record from the documented conversation, Crew Safety Rule 2 with his signature from April, your notes from Tuesday, and Matt’s account.
- Bring a witness. Matt. He saw it, he isn’t there to talk, and if Cody won’t sign, Matt signs that he got it.
- Fix your part too. Bring him a new rope grab and a six-foot lanyard. For the next 30 days, have Matt check everyone’s tie-off at the start of each job, not only Cody’s. That shows the rule is for the whole crew, not aimed at one man.
- Listen for new facts. If he tells you something that changes the picture (the anchor was set wrong, the lanyard couldn’t reach), stop, check it, and finish later. A warning built on a wrong fact is worse than a late one.
- Run the Check below. Has Cody complained lately about safety, the gear, the pace on the jobs, or his pay? Has he told you about something personal that may need time off or lighter work, or filed a workers’ comp claim? Did anything happen in the last few weeks that someone could tie to this warning? Any yes, stop and get advice before the meeting. If there’s a union contract, it sets the steps.
- Pick the place and time. The shop office at 6:45 Wednesday, before the trucks leave. Not on the roof, and not in the truck. Cody is hourly, so the meeting is on the clock.
The first words
You“Cody, have a seat. This is a written warning. I’m going to go through it with you, and then you’ll get a copy.”
“Tuesday on the Henderson job, you worked the ridge for about five minutes with your lanyard unclipped. Twenty-two feet up. Matt and I both saw it.”
“We talked about tying off on August 27, after the Patel job. This is the next step.”
What they’ll say, and what you say
They“Everybody unclips for a second up there.”
You“If I see anyone unclipped, they get the same paper. Matt’s checking everybody’s tie-off for the next month, not just yours.”
They“So what does this mean? Am I getting fired?”
You“Not over this. It means it’s on paper now. If you’re on a roof unclipped again, the next step is a final warning. I’d rather say that plainly today.”
They“Do I have to sign it?”
You“Your signature says you got it and we went over it. It doesn’t say you agree. There’s a space for your side, and anything you write stays with the warning.”
The Playbook’s full script also covers his explanation (“I was about to move my anchor over”), how to close, and what to do if it turns: “You’re making a big deal out of five minutes,” “You’re singling me out,” a refusal to sign, shouting, a walkout, or “I’m calling OSHA.”
Never say
- “Sign it or you’re done here.”Why: Firing someone over a receipt turns a clean warning into a fight you started. “Declined to sign” and a witness do the job.
- “You’re lucky I’m not firing you.”Why: It invites “then fire me,” and it sounds like you’ve already decided the next step.
Write it down the same day
- Right after the meeting, on your copy: who was in the room, and the start and end times; his signature, or “employee declined to sign” with Matt’s signature and the date; what he said, in his words; anything he wrote, kept with the warning; and that he got a copy, and the new gear you issued.
- Put the review date on your calendar now: October 16. For the next 30 days, Matt writes one line each morning: the job, who he checked, and whether everyone was tied off.
- If something new came up in the meeting, write down what you checked and what you found before the warning goes in Cody’s file.
- If it happens again, the next step is the final warning.
Before any write-up or firing: the Check
Trouble often starts with something reasonable done at the wrong moment: a write-up the week after a complaint, a firing right after a request for time off. The Playbook has you run the Check first.
Before you act, has any of this happened?
- They complained about something at work recently.
- They asked for time off, or for a change in how or when they work.
- They told you about something personal that may need time off or a change at work.
- There’s a workers’ comp claim.
- They were a witness in someone else’s complaint.
- They’ve talked with coworkers about pay or working conditions.
- The timing could look like payback.
- It’s a layoff, and you’re choosing someone 40 or older.
- Someone could believe the real reason is a different one.
Any yes: stop, and get advice before the next step.
A tip from the Playbook: many business insurance policies include an HR or legal helpline. Find out whether yours does now, before you need it.
The Firm & Fair Playbook
This is part of Script 25 in the Firm & Fair Playbook. The full script has every beat, what to do if it turns, what never to say, and what to write down the same day.
32 conversations, word for word, 18 templates with a filled-in example each, and Quick Cards for your phone.
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See what’s insideQuestions owners ask
Can an employee refuse to sign a write-up?
They can, and the warning stands either way. The signature line on the form says what signing means: it acknowledges receipt, not agreement. Say so before you ask: “Signing says you got this and we talked about it. It doesn’t say you agree.” If they still won’t sign, don’t push, and don’t turn it into a second problem. Write “Employee declined to sign” with the date and time, have your witness initial it, and give them a copy anyway.
Do I need a witness to write up an employee?
Bring one for a written warning if you have someone suitable: someone senior who can keep things to themselves, like a manager or a co-owner, and not the employee’s friend or rival. They take notes and sign the record afterward. If there’s nobody to bring, you can still do it alone. Keep it short and write your record the minute it’s over.
How many write-ups before you can fire someone?
The Playbook’s path is a documented conversation, a written warning, a final warning, then the end of the job (how to discipline an employee). In almost every state, employment is “at will”: you can end it for any reason that isn’t an illegal one, with or without these steps, unless a contract or a written promise says otherwise. You follow the path because it shows what the real reason was. If your handbook spells out steps, follow them, and run the Check before each one.
Related
- The documented conversation The second time after a coaching talk: the verbal warning that gets written down.
- The final warning The last step before the end of the job, clear enough that nobody is surprised.
- How to discipline an employee Four moves, then the path from a quiet word to a final warning. The same for everyone.
- When they say “lawyer” or “labor board” It’s a right, not a threat. What to say in the moment, and what to do next.
- Employee write-up form The written warning form, in Word and PDF, with a filled-in example.
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Not legal advice. Practical wording and process guidance for business owners, written for workplaces in the United States. For a specific situation, talk to an employment attorney licensed in your state.