DISCIPLINE INTERVIEW CHECKLIST

Before the Interview

	Meet with the employee privately.  Do not discipline an employee in public or in front of other workers.

	Prepare for the meeting by reviewing your notes and files about both the specific incident or problem behavior and any past discipline taken, either verbal or written, with this employee or another.

During the Interview

	Explain to the employee why you’ve called the meeting if the employee doesn’t know already.

	State the specific problem in terms of actual behavior and desired behavior.

	Review your progressive discipline policy/program with the employee.  Discuss what steps have been taken already and what the next step is.

	Give the employee a chance to respond, explain, and defend his/her actions.  Ask for extenuating circumstances.

	Acknowledge the employee’s story and be sure to include it in your notes of the discipline session.  Request details to get them correct.

	Tell the employee that you expect his/her behavior to change.  Give specific examples and suggestions.  Set goals and deadlines.

	Indicate your confidence in the employee’s ability and willingness to change the behavior.  Ask for reinforcement of that confidence.

	Have the employee repeat back to you what he/she understands as the problem to confirm he/she is clear on what changes are expected.

	Explain to the employee that you will write a memo summarizing the session as documentation.  Ask if he/she wants to add anything.

	Reassure the employee that you value his/her work and that you want to work with the employee to make sure that he/she can continue to contribute to your team.

After the Interview

	Using your notes from the session, write a memo or other documentation that summarizes the conversation.

	If it’s a written warning, be sure to give the employee the opportunity to add a rebuttal and sign any documentation for the file.

	Give the employee a copy of the document no later than the end of the day following the interview.

	If the employee has other supervisors, distribute copies to them, but emphasize that the information is confidential and not to be shared with anyone else.

	Monitor the employee’s behavior and performance to make sure that he/she is addressing the problem.