An employee’s unprofessional behavior sometimes leads to warning letters by the company heads. If an employee is behaving badly with his fellow workers at a workplace, a formal letter is written to inform him about his actions and the serious consequences if the actions are not mended. A verbal warning can also be made but a written letter is more influential and formal. An employee behaving badly has an adverse effect not just on the co-workers but on the work environment of the office as well.
What might be considered bad behavior?
There is a massive range of behavior exhibited by an employee that can be considered as behaving badly. Some examples of such behavior are as follows:
Insolence
Sometimes an employee physically intimidates or shows disrespectful behavior through certain acts or comments, which might agitate the other person. This leads to miscommunication between employees which therefore affects work efficiency as well as the performance of the company.
Bullying
Manipulative, insulting, and condescending behavior directed towards a specific person is considered as bullying at the workplace and hence, considered bad behavior. Any action or behavior that makes a co-worker feel abused, harassed, or threatened is unacceptable in a safe work environment and is prohibited at any cost.
Gossiping
Revealing personal information about fellow workers is also considered bad behavior. Spreading negative or untrue information about fellows can lead to spreading rumors, true or false, public or private, which can be embarrassing for the employees whose information is being revealed as well as the person listening to private stuff about a fellow worker.
Dressing inappropriately falls under this category too.
Unfulfillment of Duties
Unable to fulfill work duties due to negligence or intent, can also be considered bad behavior. Similarly, employees intentionally refusing to obey orders, interrupting meetings and conferences with inappropriate comments, undermining fellow employees, and missing deadlines because of non-seriousness can all be considered as bad behavior.
Effects of Bad Behavior
Employees behaving badly affects the job performance and profitability of a company in a negative way. Some of the examples of adverse effects that bad behavior can cause are as follows:
Stress
Bad behavior can cause stress which can lead to serious health issues. Constant rude behavior makes employees feel powerless and small, this affects their well-being which in turn affects the company’s productivity.
Workplace Aggression
Sometimes rude remarks and jokes can lead to bullying and creating a hostile environment for the employees. Workplace aggression has shattering effects on individuals and their families. Managing this issue can be challenging for the company. In order to deal with such behavior, the company must implement appropriate policies and rules to manage aggression.
Unproductivity
Badly behaving employees can create a barrier and make it hard for others to communicate with them, which can cause in-completion of assignments and missing deadlines. This can be very unproductive for the company.
Disruption
All employees must work in harmony in order for the company to succeed. If even one employee is working badly, it can cause the whole operation to disrupt.
Ways to Address the Bad Behavioral Issue
- Inform and educate the managers on what behavior is considered bad and inappropriate and create a policy for the management of such issues. A proactive approach towards teaching the employees about unacceptable and bad behavior can avoid a hostile situation.
- Company leaders and managers can set the tone of the company by setting good behavioral examples.
- If HR or company leaders offer support to the employees, bad behavior at workplaces can be avoided. Employees will feel comfortable sharing workplace behavioral problems.
Basic Components of the Letter
The letter must state the wrongdoings of the employee and the consequences of it. Some of the other key features of the letter are as follows:
- Company Name
- Warning Number
- Employee Name and Title
- Employer Name and Title
- Date of Issuance
- Mention of the bad behaviour with reference to events
- Consequences of failure to behavioral correction
- Employer Signature
Sample Letter to Employee for Behaving Badly
Company XYZ
Harrison James
Manager
Heather Charles
CEO
1st July 20XX
Dear Mr. James,
We have noticed a persistent occurrence of bad behavior from you. There has been a series of events where you have been talking rudely with your fellow workers and not cooperating with them as required.
This Tuesday, you were seen yelling at Mr. Smith for not entering the data in the database without enquiring about the whole situation. This certainly created an unfavorable environment for the whole office workers. This will not be tolerated.
Earlier this week, you were heard making rude comments about a fellow worker which was reported to HR by quite a few employees.
We are informing you through this letter that you need to mend these actions or else this could lead to grave consequences and we might have to terminate your job.
You have been a key employee of this company and we don’t want to lose you, but this behavior has reflected on your work adversely.
We wish to see a positive change in you very soon.
Yours sincerely,
Heather Charles
CEO
XYZ
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