Q: My employee wrote a long statement regarding a recent disciplinary action. What am I supposed to do with that?
A: If it’s simply a general statement about why the disciplinary action is inaccurate, include it in the employee’s personnel file as part of your ongoing record and documentation.
It becomes more complex if that document alleges inappropriate conduct on the part of others, such as a claim of harassment. That should be taken seriously and as an employer, you have an obligation to investigate. If founded, take prompt and remedial action. However, many statements of that type in responses to discipline can be very open-ended and non-specific so the first place to start would be to ask for more information from the employee making the claim.
