Need Help Crafting a Warning Letter for Negligence with Salary Deduction?

Hi, please help me prepare a warning letter for negligence. Below is the letter I have prepared. Kindly let me know if there is a better way to write this letter. Thank you.

Written Warning for Negligence

Date: July 14, 2014

Employee Name:

Designation: Receptionist

Dear [Employee's Name],

This is a written warning being issued to you for negligence resulting in the destruction of company property.

We have noticed that the main door of the facility was not properly locked on July 15, 2014, after the closing shift. As you were the only person working the closing shift that day, it was your responsibility to ensure the doors were locked properly.

Due to this incident, one day's salary will be deducted from your monthly pay for July.

Sincerely,

"Damage" would be more appropriate based on my knowledge. May I know what kind of damage has happened? Door locking should be the responsibility of a designated person, and in their absence, another person should be given charge. I understand that she must have checked before leaving. However, if there is a designated person to check all the doors and lock them, then their salary should also be deducted.

Keeping the door open is not a grave misconduct. If it's his/her first incident, instead of directly deducting his/her salary, you should give him/her a warning letter. It was not willful. Mistakes can happen to anyone, even to the CEO of the company. Providing them a chance for improvement would be justified.

Security Department's Role

What was the security department doing? It's their responsibility to check if all the doors and windows are locked properly or not.

Rest you can decide...

Regards,
Arun J.

Penalization and Disciplinary Actions

When we appreciate or give a token of appreciation for good performance, likewise, we take disciplinary action or penalize for any misconduct. As I believe, we all have learned the same thing in our management studies. Therefore, the company has to penalize any employees in case of guilt.

However, penalization should be based on the gravity of the offense, not the choice of the company.

For example, as per a court judgment, sleeping on duty by a security guard is a major negligence or offense in his service, and the company can take action against him.

Questions to Consider

Now, in this case, questions arise:

1. Do you have a written job description of the respective person that includes the same responsibilities and is duly signed by both parties?
2. What kind of damage or loss did the company incur due to such negligence?
3. What is the gravity of such negligence?
4. Have you conducted a domestic inquiry on the same on the grounds of natural justice?
5. The company does not have the right to deduct any salary due to such an incident unless and until the company has written standing orders approved by the Labor Department.
6. In such a case, you may issue only a warning letter; you cannot deduct any salary.

I hope these corrections help clarify the message. Let me know if you need any further assistance.

Regards,

I don't think deducting the salary will solve any issue, or it might make the situation worse. I have faced a similar situation in my office, and this action could lead to employee dissatisfaction if the mistake wasn't intentional. It may increase negativity among employees who interact with the receptionist. Also, according to section 108 (not precisely) of labor law, you can't deduct salary on such grounds unless you have provided this in writing beforehand.

So, think wisely for a win-win situation. All the best.

Regards,
Rashmi Atri Bhan

Your warning letter is dated 14th July 2014, and in the letter, it is mentioned that the said incident happened on 15th July 2014.

As per my knowledge, salary deduction is not a solution for any damages. This type of misconduct or incident is common in the industrial field. During this time, we must strictly warn all concerned departments.

My Views on Employee Misconduct

1. If this is the first incident with that employee, then issue only a warning letter.

2. A penalty is applicable if you have a Misconduct policy and have specified the areas for penalty (percentage) in case of damage.

3. These policies should be easily accessible to the employees so implementation is easy for HR (for any deductions in the salary).

The above-mentioned points are only views (not a decision) as per my experience.

Experts have already given their opinions on imposing penalties. Before imposing any punishment, the gravity of the misconduct should be considered. Was the employee responsible for damages willfully or not? If the loss is not significant, you can issue a warning letter to caution them for future incidents; failing this, disciplinary action will be taken. In my opinion, this should suffice. If you still wish to penalize the employee by deducting one day's salary, you must prove their negligence during duty through an inquiry. Such deductions should be documented in Form II for Deductions for damages or loss to the Company as per the Act.

Regards,
Adoni Suguresh
Sr. Executive (Pers, Admin & Ind. Rels) Rtd
Labour Laws Consultant

Please help me out to prepare a warning letter for negligence. Below is the letter I have prepared. Kindly let me know if there is any better way to write this letter. Thank you.

Written Warning for Negligence

Date: July 14, 2014

Employee Name:

Designation: Receptionist

Dear [Employee's Name],

This is a written warning being issued to you for negligence resulting in the destruction of company property. We have noticed that the main door of the facility was not properly locked on July 15, 2014, after the closing shift. As you were the only person working in the closing shift that day, it was your responsibility to ensure the doors were locked properly.

Due to this incident, one day's salary will be deducted from your monthly pay for July.

Sincerely,

Dear [Manager's Name],

Before penalizing her with one day's salary, you will have to note the following important things:

• Whether the door lock and key were under her possession.
• If so, whether the opening and locking work was assigned to her.
• If assigned, is there any logbook maintained at the gate or in the reception itself.
• At the time of joining, in her terms of employment, was this work given to her, or was only an oral assignment to lock the door provided.
• Did her negligence result in any loss to the company due to the door not being locked?
• If the loss is only for the door, you can rectify it and issue a warning letter without a penalty.
• If the damage extends to other properties or theft, you can penalize her as decided.

As far as I am concerned, the letter drafted is okay.

Regards,

V. Ganesan