Tip Tuesday! 7 must-haves for defensible documentation

by Julian Lopez

You know how important clear and thorough documentation is. But your managers may be another story. 

Thankfully, employment law attorney Allison West has some steps managers can use to make documenting performance issues less painful — and more defensible if ever brought up during a lawsuit.

Her firm, Employment Practices Specialists, helps companies prevent and resolve employment claims.

West shared these steps at the SHRM15 Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.

What managers need to do

Of course, it’s smart to record the good with the bad. But when performance problems arise, West said managers need to include seven points in their documentation:

1. The unmet expectations

What goals, policies or standards has the employee not met?
It’s good to refer back to a specific job description or a code of conduct, and be specific about why the conduct is a problem.

2. Behavior that needs to change

Focus on the conduct alone, not the person, and stick to objective observations and details, West says.
Example: If you think a worker is drunk on the job, write what makes you think that. Did the worker slur words together, stumble to the desk, or have alcohol on his or her breath?
It’s also good to record examples of how the conduct impacted others and the work environment.

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