Handling a Careless Trainee: Should Suspension Be Considered for Negligence?

A trainee was issued a show cause notice for his careless and negligent work during his shift duty. He replied, assuring that he will not repeat the same mistakes in the future.

Dear [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons], you can issue a memo to that individual. A memo is just a simple letter of complaint against that person for his misconduct. However, the show cause notice is something that is issued if the individual fails to adhere to the memo related to his standing orders. A reliable time frame is given in order to respond in writing as to why any disciplinary action shouldn't be taken against him.

Why Not a Warning Letter?

You must be wondering why a warning letter could not be issued. For a warning letter, you need to initially inquire about the situation and then give a show cause notice. If found to be not up to scratch, an adequate chastisement followed by a warning letter is issued as the final point from management.

I hope you are now sure about issuing a memo for the initial mistake.

You did not specify what you want further—whether you want to close the matter or whether you are not satisfied with his explanation. If so, what is to be done?

Regards,
B. Saikumar
Mumbai

Yes, you can issue a show cause notice to trainees even though they are not employees of the company. However, they are still connected to the day-to-day activities of the organization. If any wrongdoing is found during the inquiry, you can proceed to issue a show cause notice.

Regards,
Shishir

Before going further, please ensure that your Standing Orders (certified) permit the engagement of trainees during the night. An apprentice engaged under the Apprentice Act is not expected to work night shifts. In the case of such apprentices, any action initiated should have the permission of the Apprentice Adviser, Related Instruction Centre, or Central Apprentice Board. Therefore, if they do something wrong during a night shift, you cannot take action against them.

Regards,
Madhu.T.K