⚠ Have you ever been written up at work? How did you respond? Did you make any mistakes? ⚠

In my experience, a good manager will give you an "unofficial" verbal warning with constructive criticism if it's a legitimate problem that they want to fix and keep you. Anytime the official write up comes into play, it's about protecting the company while they get ready to fire you, regardless of if it's for a legitimate reason or not.

A write-up is nature's way of telling you to find a new job.

I responded by quitting and starting my own business. I'll never work for anyone ever again and it gives me peace of mind and makes me happy.

A write-up shows you're working in the wrong place. When you're written up, one of two things is true. Either a) you're not doing the job well or b) the write up is bogus, and they're laying ground work to fire you. Either scenario shows that, regardless of whether it's your fault or their fault, you're employed at the wrong place. Once you get written up you shouldn't focus your energies on "improving", you should focus your energies on obtaining your next job.

Years ago I got written up for violating a company policy. I had to meet with my supervisor, manager, director and some person from HR. I was shocked because I thought I had followed the policy to the letter, but I was getting written up for the way I “handled” the situation. My manager attached a copy of the policy I was accused of violating to my write up. The write up outlined my actions which was almost exactly the same as the policy. They actually proved in writing I was correct! They also accused me of leaving early that day and attached my time card which showed I clocked out three minutes after my shift ended. It was one of the most bizarre experiences of my career.

I worked as a public defender for over 10 years. In my last year there, the office tried to assign an excessive amount of cases that was predetermined as unethical. After a point, I refused to accept new cases because I am ethically required to do so. Soon after, I was written up. I stayed long enough to refinance my home and then left to open my own practice. These office managers are not your friends. They are not family. Always have an exit strategy when you have a boss.

My daughter had a negative write up and was called into HR. Fortunately she had notes from every meeting, including after action notes, and copies of every email. She showed up at HR with a thick notebook with the pertinent pages tabbed. She ended up getting a promotion.

As a HR person in the past. This attorney is absolutely 💯🎯

I got my one and only write up in twenty years earlier this year. I left the meeting, walked out to the parking lot, and made one call to an employer I knew. (I tend to keep potential employers in the background. My first responsibility is to myself and my family!).I had an offer in hand two weeks later. You can imagine the joy with which I turned in my notice immediately thereafter. I absolutely love my new job and the potential career path it has opened. :)

In my experience, when they give you the first write-up you’re on borrowed time. Start looking for a new job after the FIRST write-up.

I’ve been written up over 15 times and I’m still here 30 years later.

This brings me back to when I worked at Walmart. I was a cashier, and pretty good at it. Well, one of the registers I ran, was short on money. I didn't get written up, but the next day, they wanted another employee to shadow me. I wasn't mad at first, I didn't think anything of it. But out of curiosity, I asked why I was being shadowed for the day, and their reply was "You've been making some mistakes, so we just want to make sure you're up to par." I was upset, and wanted to improve, so I asked what mistakes I've been making. The same person said she didn't know. It was that moment when I realized that I hadn't made mistakes. They're treating me like a thief and watching me. So on my 15 minute break, I took 45 minutes. I let it brood for a bit. When I returned, it was busy. And in front of customers I told the CSMs that I'm leaving early and I do not appreciate being treated like a thief. And told them if my early leave affects my attendance and this treatment continues the next day, I would get HR involved. Well, it didn't affect my attendance, and the bullshit stopped.

My wife works at a hospital and they covid test all employees once a week. So yesterday she had a positive test. I called work and told them I can't come in. My manager said it would count as a call out and I would be written up. I said okay I can come in and when I spread covid I'll make sure to tell everyone who gets sick that you made me come in. She said stay home

I had 3 toxic write ups in 40+ years in IT. First one was the day after my management at a law enforcement agency found out I was pregnant (1980). I responded. I got another one the next day.... and responded...and they proceeded to write me up 2 times a week, every week. Since Id had two years of commendations, I pointed out the odd correlation between their awareness of my pregnancy and the initial write up. I asked with each write up what specifically I needed to do.... which they never did. So, I kept detailed hourly documentation, continued to do my job, read the policies and requested an Internal Affairs investigation. I found a new job, turned in my notice and figured that was it.. nope. They wrote me up for "misfeasance, malfeasance and non feasance" which is criminally failing to do your job, the next day. Game on. Long story short, had an IA trial...me with 4 4" binders of documentation, and them with nothing. I won. In front of me the IA Captain told my 3 managers if I sued them, the department would NOT stand behind them. I did not sue, but their careers in the department died. Worked for me. I was 24. This was my second job in IT. It was a well learned lesson. The next two write ups were 13 and 25 years after that first one. I was unsurprised and handled both the same way. Although, I admit, on the last one I made it a vendetta to get her gone, and I succeeded. However, the stress nearly destroyed my health. As much satisfaction as I got from her transferring out, it was not worth it. Best advice I can give, do EXACTLY what they tell you in the performance improvement plan. Second toxic write up said I had to work 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with an hour for lunch at 11:30 to 12:30. So, I did exactly that. If there was a production support issue going on and 4:30 hit, I left, with apologies that I wasn't allowed to work beyond 4:30. If I was in a meeting, I would leave at precisely 11:30 for lunch. I successfully navigated that because they were very specific and I followed it exactly. Once I was officially off it, I continued to do the plan to avoid any future issues... and found a new job. Do exactly what's in the plan and find a new job.

Got a written warning with a performance improvement plan. Please pray for me I saw “ termination “ as an option if they do not like my performance at end of the month, and I need this career at the moment.

I injured myself at work and as a manager I saw what my job was doing 2 years later. I have lifelong injuries due to my accident, and once I got fired I sued and won. I even coached others dealing with my exact situation. It was sad to see people emboldened with such power squirm in front of the judge and even be questioned by the judge directly, but I’m proud for standing up to them.

I used to get written up at Walmart all the time. I laughed because I knew my value. I was given my "last write-up before being fired" 7 times in one year. Always when it came down to firing me the manager realized he'd then have to replace me and the conversation went something like, "We're going to do you a favor and roll back the last write-up so that this one will be the really for real last one." 6 times. btw to show you how serious they are about firing you they give you what's called a D-day, Decision Day, a paid day off/suspension to reflect upon your need for change. 7 times. Yup, I got a full week's paid vacation for getting written up. I never got fired. I quit the week after the manager I hated got fired. I only wanted to outlast him out of spite.

I’ll make this quick. I got a poor evaluation from a job at had just started. I didn’t feel like it was fair cause my supervisor passed me on to someone else to train me for my first few weeks and that person was frequently out of the office during that period getting her teeth fixed and aiding her sick mother so I was learning the basics on the fly. I wrote a response letter to that evaluation (which was my right to do so). The meeting to discuss my response they asked “did you write this yourself? I ask cause some of the vocabulary words you use don’t seem to fit you”. The word in question was vetted. Sentence in which I used the word “during a training period, all work should be properly vetted by the supervising officer before submission , especially since I was required to use said officer’s credentials since my information has not been integrated into the system as of yet” I am a college educated black man, and for them to insinuate that my use of the 8th grade vocabulary word was beyond my reach even though they haven’t had any conversations with me to be able to ascertain that fact was blatant disrespect. I spoke with my father about the situation (bad idea) cause his response was to “not make waves” and forget it. My supervisor started treating me differently from that day on and I lost my job like 6 months later. Moral of my story: don’t let anything slide, protect urself from a legal standpoint and WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!

I would like to add the #4 reason to write you up. In some companies is it general policy that if you have a write up within a certain period of time , 3-6 months, that you don’t get a wage increase. It was training for new managers that you should be writing up people at least once a month so that around 1/2 of your employees do not get a raise and that saves the company money. It also makes it look like I’m doing my job so I can get a better raise later.

I just got written up for a store I manage being burglarized, while enjoying my day off. My boss, the director of retail was messaging my team in my absence and now months later I'm being painted as the fall guy. Thank you for this video.

I was written up on my first full-time job after my first three months. I was never told my job performance was lacking and it made me really angry. I think bosses should address issues long before it becomes a blot on your employee record.

In my entire employment history, If and when I was ever written up I responded accordingly and wrote them up. There are two sides to every incident. I was only written up twice and both times I won the war and the battle, and continued my employment without further harassment. I take the law and my rights very seriously and I exercise those rights when necessary. Simply put, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. I am retired since the early 2000's.

Got two write ups for egregious work-related mistakes on my part during my first year of employment. Write ups covered only the issue at hand and were handled professionally by management. Next year after working diligently and following the performance improvement recommendations, the very same manager who issued me the wrote up and coached me to improve, gave me the employee of the year award (among 100+ employees) along with a bonus. Some managers *are* fair and just do their job.

When I was 16 I got an illegitimate write up because the assistant manager messed up and wanted to blame it on me, so I refused to sign it and took it up with the main manager with my side of the story. I ended up vindicated. I guess the moral of the story is to always stand your ground and explain yourself and don’t let people at work take advantage of you, because they always will.

I was written up a few years ago by a new supervisor that clearly had it in for me. I wrote a rebuttal copying in the supervisor and the head of the company. I clearly explained why I was writing the rebuttal with all the pertinent facts. Within five minutes I received an email from this supervisor saying she would like a meeting with me on ways I can improve my performance. When the time for the meeting came she came out into the hallway and stated that the meeting was not necessary anymore. I am sure someone updated her on the whatnots of a rebuttal letter. Anyway, these events prompted me to start looking for a job which I had within a week and it is a much, much better job.

As a business owner I appreciate your videos, I do not want my HR department to fall into the trap of protecting the company at the cost of its people, you are helping me to see where those temptations and pitfalls exist. If I can help steer my HR staff toward a more caring and legal ethic as a result of what I learn here than many people will win as a result. We work hard to create an attractive culture for our employees, I'd hate to see all that work undone by some of these practices I hear about from your content. Thank you sir.

I worked at a big box store many years ago. Management gave me a write-up for not completing a project assigned to me in a binder. Said binder was apparently in a drawer in the back of the department. I said I was unaware of the binder's existence since I was not shown it when I was being trained and coworkers never discussed it, and had I known about the project I would have happily completed it. They responded by saying "you should know the department." Essentially I was punished for not knowing something existed even though I was never shown it and coworkers never discussed it since apparently it wasn't a big deal to anyone in the department.

Former boss at my former job (I was a team lead in a busy office) would write me up for trivial things things over the span of 8 years. We clashed on ways of running the business, and he was always trying to knock me down a peg. I was more hands-on and in-the-trenches like the "regular" employees than management. I ended up outlasting his tenure at the company. Things were great, but they outsourced management to Central America. I put in my two weeks notice after a year of that nonsense. Oh, BTW, never signed a single write up.

1. start looking for a new job. 2. Play their game. If it feels like it is a case build up to justify your termination and evade monetary accountabilities, make the process long and hard for them. Like a chewing gum sticking on their hair! 3. If they couldn't put up with it, then bargain for severance pay in exchange for you voluntary resignation. 4. If all else fail, go over their heads by sending email to the investor or the owner of the company.Spill the beans along with the documents that prove their allegation is false. The reply would be the best proof for your new employer that you were disgracefully dismissed without cause. Speaking on my personal experience on the matter.

My boss spoke to me one-on-one and told me my performance wasn't exceeding expectations. I was only meeting expectations, and that the expectation was to exceed expectations. A few years and a couple bosses later I think I figured out that he was trying to tell me in code that because I was salaried, he expected some significant overtime from me.

I am a union shop steward and this is EXCELLENT advice!

I wish I would have found your videos earlier in my career. Thank you for taking the time to outline how to react to a negative situation.

I got written up at little ceasers I could care less 😂

A writeup is the beginnings of a case file against you. They want to have documentation so you cannot sue them for wrongful termination. They are looking to axe you, and you should be looking for a way out!

Great video! Particularly #9 & #11. I am an engineer and my boss went the written warning route out of the blue. I did as you listed and addressed each complaint in a well written formal letter. I also included in the letter my desire to continue employment wit the company and requested that my boss, HR and myself meet weekly to discuss progress or lack there of. Sure enough my boss blew off the weekly meetings after 2 weeks and HR and I met anyway. After about 6 weeks it became clear to HR who the problem person was and this individual was terminated 2 months later. A written positive response to the complaint and constant follow up was my savior and resulted in the termination of the incompetent manager.

I think the point than everybody's missing at this stage is if you have to fight this much to keep a job then it's not a job worth keeping. An employee should not have to be looking over their shoulder 24/7 just to keep a job there are too many jobs out there that you will enjoy working at and where you would be treated properly with respect and dignity and appreciation. And that being said businesses and companies need to stop and reflect on this because there are thousands of other crappy jobs out there that people can find leaving your company's short-staffed so if you want to try and keep your bottom-line I suggest you start treating your employees better so you can actually retain them and get better work from them

I was a GM if a pizza restaurant. I was trained and instructed in writing people up for the almost exclusive reason to protect the company and not give unemployment compensation. It's sad but true.

I remember working for a company that had warning write-ups. They would write you up for something they couldn't actually write you up for and then remove the write-up after a couple days. For example I was written up for not staying late to do the jobs of other people six different times. But they couldn't actually fire me for working my schedule so they'd give these write-ups to bluff me. Needless to say I decided to be a royal pain by doing everything exactly as the company stated so I couldn't get in trouble but following rules as written made management angry

Just discovered your channel, as a Union Steward at my workplace I've found your videos very helpful at defending my coworkers

i seem to have poor health and call out sick to work frequently. 8/10 times i do have dr note but if its just one day sometimes I won't get one. also have to call out sometimes in winter due to poor road conditions, apparently its a pet peeve of my manager; if there's a blizzard she expects you in. I got a verbal warning maybe twice, then 2 write ups over 6 months. last write up my supervisor actually mocked me for being sick, saying i never tell her what i have (i don't HAVE TO). I'm looking for another job, at least one that is work from home. If i'm sick I often can still work but the full action of going into an office is exhausting when i'm not well.

As someone who was in corporate management for too long, I can tell you that, in my experience, managers are pressured to write people up for anything and everything. If we had no write-ups in a month, we were questioned as to why.

Here's my story (as briefly as possible). At the public high school where I had just transferred to, I (along with other experienced, competent teachers) were targeted for poor performance -- around the first 2 weeks of school, and it got worse after that. I'll speak for myself now, at the time a 20+ teaching veteran. Before the actual first week of classes, my immediate administrator/supervisor was already saying to me that she was "disappointed in me" and it was downhill from there. There were constant observations, constant meetings, constant (bogus) documentations, and lies. I was "bold enough" to refuse to sign the observation sheets. Union did nothing; a union rep from another school told me "they're trying to fire you." I was trapped, unable to transfer. Surprisingly, an HR employee ended up giving me this unofficial, clandestine advice: "Take a personal leave of absence (before this early evaluation kicks in), and run." I took the leave of absence one-fourth into the school year (in Nov.). I moved away (in the same state) and resumed my career; thankfully, I'm thriving in a rural setting. It can be that cold and evil!

So much of this is easier said than done. I wasn't written up, but I was chastised for a bunch of vague things, then called back in a few weeks later to berate me again. Keeping my cool did not happen. I quit in December, 2-ish months ago 😁

I just came across this channel and this is very insightful. Everything here makes so much sense, and I think this applies in most aspects in life. Whether you’re at work or not, the first tip is a must. Generally, when someone is challenging you, be calm.

I've been written up, and the blatant lies coming out my supervisors mouth was mind-boggling.

I've been written up twice in my life so far. The first was from the best manager I've ever worked for. Sort of odd to say that after a write up, but she was the best manager I've ever had. I learned so much from her, what to expect from good leadership that genuinely wants the best of her staff and lead us to hold the number one rank in our entire company for over a year before she was promoted out. The second write up was quite the opposite, it was from a toxic insecure manager who had it out for me. To this day I still don't understand why she targeted me. I fought the write up and argued my cases but eventually caved and signed, thinking it was all down hill from here. To my surprise it got better for me, as all the other managers knew I was a good worker and stopped helping her, my fellow staff members became cold towards her and all she could do was hide in the office till she transferred to another office, saying she was getting promoted into a lead buyer position. We later found out she was the lead buyers Assistant and took a massive pay cut to escape her mistake. She eventually left the company all together.

I appreciate you so much! I know it is general advice but it is INVALUABLE!!! I wish you all the success in the world. Helping employees via KZfaq who are at a disadvantage in America is very noble

Simple and concise: thank you for the guidelines

I laughed every time a manager threatened me that they were going to write me up. I'd look at them and say "Oh, I'm so scared 😱." 😆

Please keep in mind that a boss can also be fired. The boss or supervisor is not immune to a performance review ALSO! 💥🔥💥🔥💥

Sir, I must say that your presentation was excellently done and very helpful. Kudos to you sir.

Lot of empathy in handling a difficult subject.

I was written up at my last job back in 1995. It had been around 3 years of an unpleasant workplace. I felt they were moving the gaslighting into writing. After receiving the notice I contacted HR and told them my side of the story. I also stated that I had begun looking for a different job. I may not be able to put in my customary 2-week notice when I leave. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't find a different job that week. I sure don't miss the old job and would never go back. The place went out of business about 5 years after I left. Ironically all of my supervisors were gone within two years of my leaving. The building was also full of black mold so I don't want to work there.

A few years ago I was given a PIP (Personal Improvement Plan). Which is a precursor to a write-up. One of the many mangers I have had forgot to edit my time to reflect me working. I was accused of things that were frivolous along with stealing company time, which was an accusation and never proved. All things to cover themselves. I admitted to my poor attitude, I also stressed that not being spoke to and Management mistreating me is not ok either. I was told by upper management that I could find another job and needed to figure out if I wanted to stay. I listened, the management and I improved our work relationship. I am still at the same job (7years now) and haven't never been in trouble afterwards. I still have difficulty with co-workers and find these videos to be a lifesaver. I feel being prepared is the best practice. Thanks

I appreciate the video, and respect your character, and knowledge you shared.

For performance issues, I do everything I can to help someone meet expectations before any kind of paper. “Accountability” is a blunt force tool.

I have only ever been written up once in all my life, here is the story of how I was accused of sexual harassment and how I was able to overcome it: Background: Managers were new to the role, regional office, first couple years of my career, early 2000's when cellphones were just starting to come out. Scenario: during an internal interview, I was blindsided when accusations of sexual harassment were brought up out of left field. No touching or sexual conversations had occurred, I had simply asked a female coworker to hang out over text. This text took place outside of work hours, and I had been speaking with this female employee for months with reciprocated responses. During the initial conversation, HR was not present, it seemed very informal, and I immediately wanted to appoligize to the individual but was given strict instruction not to speak to her... this becomes pivotal later on. I was then told to leave work for the day. One of the following days I was presented with a writeup where an HR rep was present for the first time and appeared to have no clue what the scenario was. I was made to feel almost forced to sign the document on the spot, but luckily thr HR rep clued in to the aggressive tactics and stopped me and told me that I had the right to take the document home and respond after thinking it through. I spent the night writing a full page response explaining the many interactions this coworker and I had over the months, and how I had no intention of making her feel harassed and that I had wanted to appoligize to set things right. I stapled this response to the original writeup, and signed the document stating that I was only signing to state I had recieved the writeup but did not agree and that my response was stapled as attached. Twist: a couple years later in the same organization but in different roles, I found myself in a position where that very same female was also in a new role and needed to work directly with me 1 on 1 between our departments. This required us to travel to islands via a ferry and spend entire day trips together as these were remote locations. I was always on guard, but the longer this working relationship extended, the more all my coworkers would comment how she would be obviously flirtatious dressing up in more enticing ways around me. It carried on so much that when other coworkers were unable to reach her via phone, they would use my desk phone and she would immediately pick up. One day in my presence, her manager called her and told us to return back to the office, where she was laid off. After she was no longer employed, since we kept communication open, I asked what happened many years ago during the sexual harassment accusations. She told me that she never brought forth the accusation, and when asked to make a statement she refused to and wanted no part in the sexual harassment complaint. She had simply showed another coworker the text because she was excited, and someone oversaw. She was also instructed that she was not to communicate with me, and feared for her job at the time. Aftermath: I still work for the company, 17 years and counting, have made many advancements in my career, have been promoted relocated and now work in the corporate division. Two of the managers involved have been exited for unrelated reasons throughout the years, and the primary manager that helped fabricate this accusation is someone who has unfortunately made it to the corporate division aswell. We have both never spoken about the incident, and as we have projects thats overlap we have found ways to have our teams work together..., but I've always felt like I've held an ace in my pocket against him ever since. I wish I saw this video sooner in my career, and am thanking my lucky stars that I handled the writeup in a very similar fashion to that which you described. Thank you for spreading the knowledge

I had worked at this company for 27 years. My supervisor retired and they hired someone with little experience and no certification in the field that she was supervising. She felt very intimidated by my years of experience after she was required to get training and certification. She started to write me up for things like, how I sounded when I spoke. Tried to talk to her about what the real problem was and things got worse. I went from rating exemplary and exceeds expectations in my reviews with previous supervisors. In the last 5 years that she was supervisor, my ratings dropped every year. For the last 3 years, I was rated inconsistent and did not receive any raise. When I spoke to HR, stating retaliation, they said they would look into it. Needless to say, there are no rules to being written up. I gave up the fight.

Just came across this video and it provides a lot of insight especially within the eyes of the management. Through my experience in management I’ve learned that correcting an employee’s behavior relies on them and if they’re willing to change and grow in their roles. Us as managers can only do so much to reset expectations and if those expectations aren’t met further action unfortunately has to be taken.

I received a write up at work because my manager is not trained in my job and I got written up for “arguing” with her when I corrected a misconception she had about my job. As I watch this video I realize that I made some critical errors in my response to that write up, but I’ve already decided to go with recommendation #12 on your list anyway. I wish I had seen this video a couple of weeks ago, but it’s still extremely useful information. Thank you!

I was injured during my employment in a specific job. During "accommodations" they placed me in a job that I had no previous experience, with lower pay and not a chance of ever getting promoted. After 6 months my first performance report was basically a write up (set up). It was the worst performance report of my life. I know that it was meant to illicit a negative response from me. And my supervisor had another supervisor listen at the doorway to my verbal responses. I did not cuss, but voiced my concerns that I was being set up to be fired. Both their written statements went up the chain. I ultimately retired due to medical conditions, but still feel jaded about it. If placed in this situation, record the conversation and replay it for an attorney. They can give you options. I could have filed with EEO, but just wanted to leave the toxic place. Thank God, I'm better off today.

Having a union helps a LOT with such issues. It can help protect one from abuse by management.

I had a crappy job with a terrible supervisor. The supervisor hated the fact we were 2nd shift. 2pm-12:00am. So to try to get out sooner he would have us start an hour early. The problem was he would just open his office door and yell "We're starting at 1pm tomorrow". He wouldn't send an email, notify other leads or anything. Just word of mouth. I worked in a separate building a mile down the road. My crew and I would never hear of it. Then the next day we would come in at our usual time and he'd write us up for being late. Even though he never informed us. This happened on a daily basis. The way write ups worked at that job was a supervisor presented you with a paper, told you what you did wrong and you were to sign it. I, along with everyone else on my shift, refused to sign said paper. He did not notify us that we were starting early the next day. That is failure on "his" part, not mine. Then after arguing about it for several minutes he realized I wasn't going to cave in. So he signed MY name on the employee signature line. He even spelled it wrong. I pulled out my phone and proceeded to look up a lawyer. His response was epic. "You cant have your phone in here. That's another write up!" "You just forged my signature. That's a felony. I'm getting a lawyer and taking you to court". He tore up the paper and apologized. That was one of the few moments where I felt like I won at my job. The guy probably was used to getting whatever he wanted because of his position. Then he fucked with me and realized I'm not a drug addict, a convicted felon or an illegal immigrant. Meaning I'm not afraid to call the cops. lol

I just had a conversation with my supervisor about me not following my hybrid schedule accordingly. It was justified and all I could say was thank you for having the talk and that I will do better going forward

I am so glad I found him. Well, I responded by sending my letter to hr and quit. The manager write me up during pandemic. Too much stress.

I was accused of sexual harassment and the company blocked my attempts to defend myself. When I discovered the allegations against me had been leaked in the workplace I demanded a meeting with the accuser and as a result I was suspended for nearly two years. I requested to be transferred and then lost my seniority and had my wages reduced because I had complained. I didn’t realise at the time that this was victimisation for making complaints and I resigned. I have filed a lawsuit and now know that I absolutely made the right decision. If I had stayed with the company and accepted being demoted I would have been eventually fired or forced to resign and would not have been able to prove discrimination then.

EXCELLENT PRESENTATION.APPRECIATE THE TIME YOU TOOK TO CREATE THIS VIDEO.

I absolutely love your videos. Please keep up the great work! 👍

I got a write up a few months back for behavior I'd done (swearing, unprofessionalism) in front of a worker who wasn't in our company so much as adjacent to it. I hadn't known at the time, but the resident I'd been attempting to discuss with was having delusions and hallucinations about me doing bad things, and so wouldn't have listened to me anyway, but I'd essentially been trying to help another employee get him out of bed for a meeting. I actually wasn't there working, I was there for a meeting at the same time, and had been trying to help, but I was heavily sleep deprived and very cranky. Needless to say, it all blew up in my face, and I got a write up for it. I didn't contest it because I actually did think it was warranted, but it still stung because parts of it were out of my control, like the very early meeting time and the resident hating my guts. I'm moving on from the company to a new job, because the company has some SERIOUS issues, but i'm gonna take the write up as a lesson learned.

I was written up after I requested 2 weeks of PTO. I hadn't taken any days off for the past year and my team knew of my trip months in advance, however in all my planning I forgot to submit the formal request until 2 weeks before the trip. The requested time off was in Aug during our slowest time of the year (I had a family reunion in Canada). I had also been covering for another team member who quit 6 months prior and had written a manifesto against my boss on his way out. My boss said he couldn't approve my PTO request due to my unsatisfactory performance (despite having a satisfactory performance review earlier in the year). I responded to each item in his bogus write up with several examples and reports countering his conjectured opinion. I went on my vacation and was terminated for job abandonment after 2 days. I came home to a FedEx box of all my belongings, although they never actually notified me so I went into the office at which time they realized they totally botched my termination...they are a subsidiary of reputable company but a lost cause...no regrets for leaving but I probably could have threatened a lawsuit, or at least a workers comp claim for stress

Most cases I was wrongfully and unfairly written up for things beyond what I was originally hired for or able to do. I was generally annoyed because what was being told to me was bull. Two different companies wrote me up for expecting me to do the jobs of three different people and be two places at once. I ended up walking out of those jobs because they became an exploitive company. You can be the greatest employee that ever lived, but they'll always find something to be petty or unreasonable. I have had crappy managers and poor HR departments. That is my experiance.

Thank you for posting this particular segment. I got written up for not attending a mandatory meeting that was never described or documented as a mandatory meeting. I planned to scorch the earth but luckily I came across this post. I replied in a respectful way which was essentially now that I know this meeting is mandatory I will be attending. Just know that you saved me from making things worse.

I needed this badly ! Thank you because if I didn’t watch this tomorrow May be my last day, but now I know what to do

I was once written up for not displaying company policy in a large enough font on my wall. It wasn’t a policy to post this policy and nobody else did. I did it as a courtesy because people I interacted with needed it referenced often. It had been 28 point font. So, I printed and assembled a comically huge font/poster and put it on my wall. I then took a photo and emailed it to my boss asking if I was now in compliance. Also, I started looking for jobs.

Thanks for the very useful info, counselor. Good night.

This is such excellent advice. Thank you so much.

I have seen someone get FIRED for 1st time mistake. That person has never got any write up before. Management didn't follow the steps like coaching, verbal warning, write up, PIP. They just FIRED him and he is the only Minority in the group.

Thanks by I kind of knew a lot of things you talked about!!

If only I learned this a month ago. I did so much wrong that I cringed watching this. At least I asked for a copy of the written warning but I asked SIX TIMES until I finally received it because it was in retaliation to my harassment compaint on their hands. I genuinely felt they hoped I would break down and quit. I'm still there and still documenting. I'm so glad I'm educating myself with your videos because I'm literally just waiting to be fired. They just sent me home Fri telling me not to come back until I have NO limitations to return to work. The day before they violated HIPPA policies. There are so many moving parts but this has empowered me some. Thank you.

I was threatened with being written up at work. But, I had not violated any rule, policy, or verbal directive. It was my boss that had screwed the pooch (so to speak). When my boss threatened to write me up for the alleged infraction, I told her that if she so much as put a pen to paper I was walking out the back door immediately full stop. Now my kids are grown, I have money put away, and I am the only IT guy for a large two-branch library system. So having had to just suck these things up in the past, it was great to stand on principle and have the trump card so to speak. They backed off immediately. I am still here doing my IT thing and my Boss is long gone!

I began working at age 14 and am now 42. I've had multiple write ups in a one year period of my life and none outside of that. Basically the general manager did not like me on a personal level (opinion reciprocated). I held on because at that company management got shuffled around frequently and I knew he wouldn't be around long. I was right about that, but he fired me three days before he transferred to another store.

Branigan, You are an exceptional presenter. Your appearance (suit and tie, haircut) really lends a professional presentation to your audiences, both in videos and, as I can attest having been in court numerous times in my career, lends a believability and competence to a jury.

Great video & Thank you

Wish I had known this in 2015-2016... then again, that write-up not only pushed me out from a toxic company but pushed me to Japan, where I upgraded my language skills there, and use that new skill in a better company with better benefits & better bosses, after I came back from Japan. Short, detailed & true story as below. I was given a write-up when I reported my middle-manager to our managing director his actual work performance, which was dismal & slacking to the point we lost an influential client that time. My middle manager decided to fire me by sending me not just the write-up letter, but hire 2 OTHER Managers to sack me - to "keep his hands clean". The first one refused to do his bidding because he found no fault with my work performance, so he was promptly fired for that. The second one was more desperate to stay longer in the job & was in denial he was next to be fired by the same middle manager (which happened, after I was forced to leave). After I left, Karma went to work - the middle manager who fired me, was also terminated from his job, by the same executive director I had reported my middle manager to. My middle manager was fired for mainly, screwing another sales contract - he never learned to buckle up, due to his managerial status he took for granted. And the second secret reason he was fired was his mistress. He brought her aboard as his compensation to her, after she came to his office & told him she was pregnant with his child. He refused his child & she chose abortion afterwards. But his mistress was hired into the company, given a finance department position she has no qualifications for and was given monthly salary than is higher than average there. She left before my middle manager was fired. Some drama indeed.

I was written up for abusing sick leave. I had a physician's excuse and they even called my doctor! I documented it ALL and set up a meeting with my supervisor, the director and the assistant director. Let's just say that the director probably needed bp medication herself after the meeting. This helped, but did not end the harrassment. On another occasion, I was called to the office. I was told there were complaints against me for not helping the Friends Of The Library when they had asked for my help. While in the director's office I asked who had complained and why. I was told, "I'm not at liberty to tell you that." At that point, I pulled out my wallet and showed her a check written to me from the Friends. The check clearly stated, "In appreciation of your service and help." That evening, I called the President Of The Friends. I was told they were ALL aware of the check because they ALL voted on the gift and it was unanimous. I retired from there with a full pension. The stress over the years contributed to a double bypass. Which goes back to me being written up for abuse of sick leave. The director was forced to retire by the Library Board and she retired one year to the Day of my retirement.

Thank you for all of the wonderful advice. It definitely will help a lot of people out there. I've run into things slightly like this in the past but not so much now. I've eventually came to those exact guidelines. I hope I never have to use them at this point in my life. 😅

Very helpful! Thank you.

First one is to look for a new job. Do not say anything when being called to be written up . Don not sign any documents.Let them fire you.Then sue them.

Worked at a CD store years ago. We had to push these magazine subscriptions on customers and we had quotas. I didn’t meet my quota and got written up. I didn’t have much of an issue with that in itself, but they kept cutting my hours and I had the same quota as everyone else. So if I worked 4 hours a week, my quota was exactly the same as someone who worked 20 hours a week. Didn’t make sense. The weirdest part was my supervisor who wrote me up, she never told me she was writing me up, so I never knew about it till a month or two later when I was written up for the same thing and the store manager had me sign the other write up slip. The supervisor who wrote me up the first time was too much of a chickenshit to tell me. It wasn’t a huge deal. I found another job 2 days later that paid more and I quit.

Great video and advice!

Thanks for these videos 🙏🏽

Do you know any attorneys in CO? Keep the videos coming. A lot of us employees do not know our rights as employees when we are treated unfairly, what to do and how to handle it, and who to talk to beside HR. We all know HR is NOT for Employees.

I think a good experience I had with being kind of talked to about something I did wrong was while I worked at a Subway, I worked for a dad of my friend. He didn't really have a written system that he went by to fire people, but he'd always pull you aside to talk to you about mistakes made, and there was a time when I closed and we didn't get everything done that needed to be done during our closing routine and our boss respectfully talked to us about what we missed, discussing us about what happened that caused us to overlook it and what we could do next time. He was always respectful and a good boss. Although, I do feel looking back, he definitely needed a more written system to keep track, but he was always the friendly type that was lenient and understanding. I was also a teenager at the time so I think he gave teenagers more of a leeway due to the fact that it's typically their first jobs and there's a learning curve compared to someone whose been in the job market longer. On the contrary, I've also worked as a manager for a big corporate company that had a system of writing people up, however, it seemed like the system was abused more often than not where any excuse was made to write up particular employees who didn't quite fit the culture of the company regardless of how well they performed or did. And the work environment was overridden with bureaucracy and political drama. It seemed like stress always trickled down from the top and everyone seemed to walk on eggshells, afraid of being written up for any small infraction due ot the 3 strike system where 3 written ups would get you fired. Even within the management, there was an air of fear among the managers of being written up and we were overworked and under staffed along with the fact we spent a full week letting go and laying off people in December shortly after Black Friday just before Christmas. It was a miserable work environment compared with the less professional subway.

Excellent video !!

in 2010 i went from talking to my supervisor about filing for FMLA to being written up for random stuff and being fired all within 7 days. During the years before all of reviews were great, to the point my supervisor actaully noted she wish she had more people like me! My lawyer said it would have been so expensive to sue for FMLA retaliation.

I was written up just because somebody complained I was taking too long for lunch. Policy stated I had to take 30 minutes to an hour for lunch. It didn't state I couldn't take longer. Also knew a guy who told off a manager who wanted him to work past the end of his shift. Manager wanted him to sign termination papers for insubordination. He said he wasn't signing it and went back to work.

I think employees should talk to their coworkers about being disciplined bcuz others may have experienced the same treatment. There could be a pattern of behavior by management

I've been written up a few times in the 7 years I've worked for ups. Write ups mean literally nothing there. It's the official notes that I have never received but others have that end up in your mailbox that you have to be concerned with. But it really takes a lot to put a manager in a position to send one to someones house.

Thank you Branigan