Documenting Employee Performance Issues

Employee-Performance“Must I document in writing all the performance related issues we have with an employee BEFORE we can fire them?”

– Office Administrator – Medical Practice

While all employees (unless under contract) are Employees At Will, thereby allowing the employer to terminate employment at anytime, with or without notice, with or without cause, documentation is the way to go. The mere presence of a documented paper trail that describes the poor performance and the areas needed for improvement, presented in writing and in discussion with the employee and then placed in their file, will offer the company some added protection if any type of challenge is made to the decision to terminate.