Maintaining discipline is crucial in any workspace to ensure productivity among employees. On rare occasions, misconduct and performance issues may arise. This is when a disciplinary measure should be implemented. But for this to function, you need an employee disciplinary action form. This form, created specifically for managers and HR professionals, allows them to document and manage employee infractions professionally and systematically.

What is a disciplinary action form?

A disciplinary action form is a document used by an employer to inform an employee about misconduct or poor performance and highlight the disciplinary action taken in response. 

This form is required to: 

  • notify the employee of the issue;
  • outline the expected changes in behavior or performance;
  • document the steps taken by the employer to address the situation;
  • understand the consequences of employees’ actions;
  • keep a record for the employer should further actions or legal issues arise.

Key elements of an employee disciplinary action form

An employee disciplinary action form should include the following:

  • Employee information, including full name, position, and department.
  • Date of the disciplinary action.
  • Description of the issue, including dates and any previous warnings.
  • Specifics of the disciplinary action, such as a warning, suspension, or termination, and the reasons for the decision.
  • Employee comments about the disciplinary action.
  • Steps the employee needs to take to correct the issue, including deadlines.
  • Additional comments of the manager.
  • Full name of the manager.
  • Signatures of both the manager and the employee.

How to write up a disciplinary action form

Once a violation of the company policy, performance issue, or behavior concern occurs, the employee should receive a verbal warning. The employer should write up a disciplinary action form if the employee commits a second violation. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Use our disciplinary action form template and customize it based on your needs.
  2. Fill out the employee’s information and any relevant dates.
  3. Describe the infraction clearly, referencing your company policies or standards that were violated.
  4. Specify what actions are being taken in response to the infraction and why. This should be consistent with company policies.
  5. Detail what is expected from the employee moving forward, including any steps they must take to correct the issue.
  6. Have all parties involved sign the form to acknowledge understanding and receipt of the disciplinary action.
  7. If a third violation is committed, the employer may conduct a formal review.

Disciplinary Action Form Sample

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* The template here is provided for reference only, and you should always talk to a professional for all legal matters


Disciplinary actions are never easy but are necessary for a healthy work environment. Our employee disciplinary action form helps employers handle these situations professionally and constructively. 

To assist you in this task, download PDF Expert. This intuitive tool for editing PDF documents makes it easy to customize the template for your specific needs. 

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