Admonishments

A disciplinary discussion between a management official who has authority to take disciplinary action and his/her employee in which the employee is informed that he/she has been disciplined by receipt of an oral admonishment. It is a disciplinary action which is not an adverse action. It is informal and the least severe penalty in the disciplinary program.

Oral Admonishment
Written Admonishment

Oral Admonishment

Perhaps the most common corrective disciplinary action is the face-to-face admonishment of an employee by a supervisor. To be more effective, such discussions should be conducted in private. The discussion should be informal and the employee should be advised of the specific infraction or breach of conduct, and he/she should also be allowed to explain or offer any comment. Basic facts of the discussion, including the reason for the admonishment, and any corrective steps necessary should be recorded by the supervisor.

The oral admonishment is used to correct misconduct or delinquency or to motivate employees to improve their work habits, work methods, or behavior. Because of its adaptability to a variety of situations, the oral admonishment is often adequate to effect the required correction or improvement, particularly when the employee has no previous history of violations.

The oral admonishment has neither procedural requirements nor prescribed format. The process is oral except for the recording of the admonishment in the supervisor's employee record.

Written Admonishment

Often an admonishment that is written will have a greater impact on an employee and lead to improvement in behavior or performance. The written admonishment should describe the improper actions of the employee and the positive corrective steps the employees should take to preclude a recurrence. The pertinent facts relating to the written admonishment should be recorded by the supervisor.