How Do I Write an Email to HR About Terminating a Team Member for Misbehavior?

As I am a supervisor, I want to terminate one of my team members due to misbehavior and a bad attitude. How can I send an official email to the HR department to initiate this termination?

Principles of Natural Justice

Principles of natural justice are followed everywhere in disciplinary proceedings against erring employees. As a supervisor, you can report to the appointing authority about the serious misconduct of the employee concerned and request appropriate action, but you should not suggest the punishment to be awarded.

Dear Zabeeno,

This is in addition to what Mr. Umakanthan has said. He has recommended that you send the official communication to the HR Department. In your communication, just write the facts. To write the facts, you may include:

a) What was the incident? When did it happen, and where did it happen? Who is the primary party, and who is the second party of the incident?

b) Was there any violation of the laid rules, regulations, SOP, Executive Order, etc.? If yes, then include the exact details.

c) Do you have any material evidence of the incident? Material evidence means documents, CCTV footage, etc.

d) Are there any witnesses to the incident?

e) In your capacity as a supervisor, did you warn the delinquent employee? If yes, do you have evidence of the warning?

When the HOD or the supervisor provides complete information to the HR Department, depending on the gravity, they initiate the appropriate disciplinary action.

As far as your query was concerned, it has been replied to. Nevertheless, there is a larger issue. Please try to find out whether there is any flaw in the system, and this flaw creates fissures, and fissures, in turn, create conflict. Try to understand what the psychological orientation of this person is. Does this person lack interpersonal skills? Is this person unable to deal with the laziness or slackness of others?

Please note that while removing an employee because of his/her bad behavior, please consider what the quality of output of this person is. Take a comprehensive view.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Handling Disciplinary Matters

Generally speaking, in disciplinary matters, the laws of the country as well as the company's HR policies have to be kept in mind, and appropriate action needs to be taken. That said, your job is to report to the disciplinary authority, in writing, about the specific facts of the incident alleged against the truant teammate and let the procedure take its course as dictated by the governing principles and laws of the land. It is not up to you to suggest any punishment, let alone that of termination, as it is the reasoned judgment on the part of the punishing authority after weighing all the pros and cons.

Regards,
Vinayak Nagarkar
HR and Employee Relations Consultant

Termination Process and Disciplinary Authority

It is not up to any manager to decide or recommend the termination of an employee without going through the due process. This process involves informing the disciplinary authority and providing the delinquent employee an opportunity to defend themselves. Based on the inquiry, the disciplinary authority will decide on the punishment, considering the gravity of the mistake.

Regards, V. Aswath Hari
Advocate and HR Professional