Verbal Warnings

[CLIVE-TRIANGLE]

Just another quesion: the verbal warning is valid for 6 months. After this time period, would the boss have to review the allegations and report back to the employee to say "yes, it has improved"? How will he know if he is on the right track? Can he ask for a "re-evaluation of his attitude" in about 1 months time? Surely there must be constant feedback so that he knows he is improving, although he does not know what he is supposed to be improving on?

In labour law terms, no warning has been issued.

In reality he knows something is cooking. I don't know how he should proceed. I know what I would do; I would sign up with Solidarity and keep them in the loop. One thing I can guarantee; this is not the last he is going to hear of this and by the sounds of things he is no youngster and getting other work is not going to be a cinch.

[Christel]

This is really frustrating. I really feel bad for him as I have known him for years and I know that he will not deliberately be ugly to people or cause a stir. I know he values his work highly and always try to do his best. I think this is just a whole misinterpretation of emails and phone calls etc.
Thanks for all the input.

[adrianh]

I agree that it is absurd to give somebody a warning and not be able to tell him exactly what he is being warned about. How can you give a person a warning for having a bad attitude;

define bad attitude!

Lets say I expect my staff to tell white lies to my customers about the status of jobs - we all do... now 6 staff members are willing to do so and 1 refuses because he says he doesn't want to lie...does he have a bad attitude?

Lets say everybody like to go for a beer at lunch time and talk rubbish (we call it team building) and one guy doesn't, does he have a bad attitude?

Lets say everybody agree with everything the boss says to his face yet everybody knows that the boss is a jackass and one guy stands up to the boss - does he have a bad attitude?

Unless they quantify exactly what it is they consider to be a bad attitude it could be absolutely anything whatsoever. Another problem is that people don't always know what s attitude and what is not, I tend to be deep in thought and seem to ignore people, doesn't mean that I ignore them, it means that I am simply oblivious to their presence (Yes, I did get k@kked on for ignoring people and not greeting them in the passage)

I think that the boss should get a verbal warning for giving him and absurd verbal warning! This is typical corporate cr@p!

[Dave A]

A verbal warning essentially ranks much the same as counselling.
It can go down in the employee record, and could be raised as part of the disciplinary record of the employee in a formal disciplinary process down the line. The effect of a single verbal warning on any sanction would be negligible though.

Still, there is smoke, and I wouldn't let it be if I didn't understand what was causing the problem. (And I mean what rather than who!)

Based on my experience in these things, and without further insight into possible complexities that might make such a course of action a poor option, I'd recommend setting up a meeting between the parties concerned.

Certainly not a formal disciplinary, but a formal meeting none the less (I'd suggest under the chairmanship of the boss or an HR manager if there is one) to see that the issue(s) are better defined, better understood by all, and from there hopefully resolved.

This should be seen as a proactive measure to resolve any possible misunderstands / the problem and should be approached in a positive spirit. (Anyone who doesn't approach this in a positive spirit does indeed have an attitude problem ).