THIS WEEK’S E-TIP

Disciplinary Notes: How Long to Keep in File? Q&A

Q: We have an employee who violated our Internet policy last year (spending too much time on non-work-related Internet sites during work hours), and we placed a warning note in his file after discussing the issue with him. Now, a year later, he has not had any further disciplinary problems. Should we maintain the warning note in his file or should we remove it in light of his improved performance?

(Download free Disciplinary Procedure model policy including HR best practices and legal background.)

A: Most HR and legal experts agree that it is appropriate for employers to give less credence to past disciplinary actions when an employee’s performance has improved and a substantial period of time has passed, particularly when the disciplinary issues are relatively minor. However, they also advise against entirely removing memos or other disciplinary information from an employee’s personnel file.

Here’s the rationale behind this approach. A progressive discipline policy applies increasingly more severe penalties based on whether the violation is a first, second, or on-going occurrence. Typically, both the severity of the problem and the length of time between incidents are considered when you discipline employees for repeat offenses. For relatively minor issues, many policies reduce the importance of previous incidents after a year or more has passed between occurrences. 

YOU CAN TRUST PPS
Information provided in HR Matters E-Tips is researched and reviewed
by the HR experts at Personnel Policy Service as well as employment
law attorneys. However, it is not intended as legal advice. Readers are
encouraged to seek appropriate legal or other professional advice.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Interested in using an article from HR Matters E-Tips on your Web site or
in a newsletter?

Please contact Robin Thomas, Managing Editor of Personnel Policy
Service, Inc., to request permission. You can contact her by email at
editor@ppspublishers.com or by telephone at 1-800-437-3735.

Please note that the information in every issue of HR Matters E-Tips is
the original, copyrighted work of Personnel Policy Service, Inc., and is
protected under U.S. copyright laws. As such, you may not reprint or
publish in any format any article or portion of article from HR Matters E-
Tips without the express permission of Personnel Policy Service, Inc.

Remember, too, we encourage you to pass along any issue of the E-Tips
by forwarding it to friends and colleagues.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A note to advertisers:
 
Do you want to reach the human resources market?
 
Your message can be seen by over 65,000 HR professionals when you
sponsor an issue of HR Matters E-Tips.
Contact Elise Whitman at ezine@ppspublishers.com
or call toll-free 1-800-437-3735.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
HR Matters E-Tips is a free service of Personnel Policy Service, Inc.
To subscribe, go to: http://www.ppspublishers.com/ezsignup.htm

Personnel Policy Service, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
HR Matters is a registered trademark of:
Personnel Policy Service, Inc.
159 St. Matthews Ave., Suite 5, Louisville, KY 40207
Tel: 1-800-437-3735 - Fax: 1-800-755-7011
www.ppspublishers.com - www.instanthrpolicies.com - www.hrpolicyanswers.com - Twitter @ppshrpolicies

CONTACT US: ezine@ppspublishers.com

FORWARD THIS ISSUE: We invite you to forward HR Matters E-Tips to
a colleague or friend.