What is included in a Disciplinary Outcome Letter?

This Disciplinary Outcome Letter template covers: the employer’s and employee’s details details relating to the misconduct or poor performance details relating to the disciplinary hearing what the outcome of the disciplinary hearing is where relevant, details relating to the disciplinary warnings the employee’s right to appeal against the action taken

Why do I need a Disciplinary Outcome Letter?

In order to avoid the risk of getting taken to an Employment Tribunal , it's important that all of the relevant steps in a disciplinary process are communicated to an employee. Make sure you do things right when disciplining an employee by following a clear Disciplinary procedure . This includes making and sending the correct Disciplinary Outcome Letter. Read our guidance to find out more about disciplining employees , including how to investigate misconduct, how to run disciplinary hearings , and the disciplinary sanctions available for employees. Ask a lawyer if you have any questions or concerns.

Which Disciplinary Outcome Letter should I choose?

Use a Misconduct outcome letter if the matter relates to misconduct . Use the Poor performance outcome letter for matters relating to poor performance . By using these Disciplinary Outcome Letters, you can issue a first or final written warning or confirm that no further action will be taken.

What should a Disciplinary Outcome Letter include?

The content of your Disciplinary Outcome Letter will depend on whether it is used to issue a warning or to confirm that no further action will be taken. If the Letter contains a disciplinary warning, it will address the nature of the warning and whether it is a first or second (ie final) warning . It will also outline why disciplinary action is being taken, what will happen if the employee shows no improvement, and the employee’s rights to appeal and the procedures for appeals. If no further action will be taken, the Letter will confirm this.

What do I do after an initial disciplinary hearing?

A Disciplinary Outcome Letter will inform the employee that they have a right to appeal the disciplinary decision. If the employee wishes to appeal your decision, you should send an invitation to an appeal hearing. They have a right to bring a companion, and you should inform them of this. Depending on the specifics of the situation, you can either use an Invitation letter to a disciplinary appeal hearing for misconduct or an Invitation letter to a poor performance appeal hearing . According to the Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures , an appeal must be conducted impartially and by a manager who was not involved in (and ideally who is more senior than the manager who conducted) the previous hearing, if possible. After a decision has been reached, it should be confirmed in writing. For more information, read Disciplinary appeals .

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Other Names: Disciplinary Hearing Outcome Letter Outcome Letter for Disciplinary Hearing Outcome of Disciplinary Hearing Letter Disciplinary Outcome Letter No Further Action Disciplinary Warning Letter

Disciplinary Outcome Letter document preview

What is a Disciplinary Outcome Letter?

Managing poor performance or misconduct of an employee is simple if you follow proper procedures and send a Disciplinary Outcome Letter. In situations of poor performance or misconduct, Disciplinary Outcome Letters confirm that no further action will be taken or provide employees with a warning or final warning.

These documents are GDPR compliant.

When should I use a Disciplinary Outcome Letter?

Use this Disciplinary Outcome Letter:

only for employees based in England, Wales or Scotland
in situations of poor performance or misconduct
after a disciplinary hearing, to either confirm that no further action will be taken or to issue a disciplinary warning

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Dear ,

Following the poor performance hearing held on the decision has been made to give you a final written warning.

The aspects of your work which fall below an acceptable standard are :.

During the poor performance hearing, we discussed the standards of performance expected of you, namely . We also explained that you are required to achieve these improvements immediately and afterwards to permanently maintain them.

This warning will remain permanently on your personnel record, but will be disregarded for poor performance purposes after , so long as the improvements set out above are achieved and maintained throughout that time.

Failure to achieve and maintain the required standards of performance while the warning is active is likely to result in further poor performance action, which may lead to your dismissal.

You have until to appeal against this decision. To do so, please write to , giving full reasons for contesting the decision.

If you have any questions regarding this warning please contact .

We treat personal data collected during the disciplinary procedure in accordance with our data protection policy. Information about how your data is used and the basis for processing your data is provided in our employee privacy notice and other policies.

Yours sincerely,

About Disciplinary Outcome Letters

Learn more about making your Disciplinary Outcome Letter

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How to make a Disciplinary Outcome Letter
Making a Disciplinary Outcome Letter online is simple. Just answer a few questions and Rocket Lawyer will build your document for you. When you have all of the details prepared in advance, making your document is a quick and easy process.

The information you need to make your Disciplinary Outcome Letter will depend on the document in question. However, the types of questions you may be asked include:

Party details
- What are the employer’s details (eg legal structure and name)?
  - If the employer is a partnership, LLP or company, who will sign on its behalf?
- What are the employee’s details (ie their name and address)?
Letter details
- What is the date of the Disciplinary Outcome Letter?
Hearing
- What was the date of the disciplinary hearing?
- Following the hearing, has the employer decided to:
  - Issue a first warning?
  - Issue a final warning?
  - Take no further action?
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Common terms in a Disciplinary Outcome Letter

Disciplinary Outcome Letters are used to communicate the outcome of a disciplinary hearing for poor performance or misconduct to an employee. While the terms of a Disciplinary Outcome Letter differ, depending on the document in question, examples of common provisions include:

Sender and recipient details

The start of the Disciplinary Outcome Letter sets out the employer’s and the employee’s details.

The body of the Letter

The body of the Disciplinary Outcome Letter provides details relating to the disciplinary hearing and the steps taken in relation to the poor performance or misconduct. Where relevant, the Letter also provides details on what this means for the employee.

Further, where relevant, the body of the Letter details the employee’s right to appeal the disciplinary action. This includes details of who the employee should contact to start an appeal and by what date an appeal should be made.

Data protection

The Disciplinary Outcome Letter explains that any personal data (eg the employee’s name and address) processed (eg used) during the disciplinary process will be treated in accordance with the employer’s Data protection policy. It also encourages the employee to check the Employee privacy notice for more information on the processing of their data.

If you want your Disciplinary Outcome Letter to include further or more detailed provisions, you can edit your document. However, if you do this, you may want a lawyer to review or change the Letter for you, to make sure it complies with all relevant laws and meets your specific needs. Ask a lawyer for assistance.

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Legal tips for making a Disciplinary Outcome Letter
Make and implement all relevant HR policies and procedures

To ensure your workforce is treated fairly, transparently and equally, you should consider adopting certain employment policies. While there are many HR policies, the most important policies to adopt in respect of disciplinary measures include a:
- Disciplinary procedure - to set out how any disciplinary issues are handled
- Grievance procedure - to set out how employee grievances can be raised, how employer decisions can be appealed and how such appeals and grievances will be handled
For more information on other policies you may wish to adopt, read HR policies and procedures.

Make sure to follow a clear and transparent disciplinary process

When disciplining an employee you must make sure to follow a fair and clear process by following all existing (relevant) policies and the employee’s employment contract. While the specifics of the disciplinary process vary depending on the facts of a situation, a disciplinary process should generally include:
- following all existing workplace policies and other relevant documents (eg contracts)
- investigating the facts of the situation
- interviewing all relevant parties (eg the employee and any witnesses)
- holding a disciplinary hearing to discuss the situation
- informing the employee of the disciplinary outcome (ie using a Disciplinary Outcome Letter)
- giving the employee an opportunity to appeal
For more information, read Disciplinary process and How to run a disciplinary hearing.

Understand when to seek advice from a lawyer

Ask a lawyer if:
- the Disciplinary Outcome Letters don’t meet your needs
- you have employees based outside England, Wales and Scotland
- you’re unsure which Letter to use
- you have questions about the disciplinary process
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Disciplinary Outcome Letter FAQs

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What is included in a Disciplinary Outcome Letter?
This Disciplinary Outcome Letter template covers:
- the employer’s and employee’s details
- details relating to the misconduct or poor performance
- details relating to the disciplinary hearing
- what the outcome of the disciplinary hearing is
- where relevant, details relating to the disciplinary warnings
- the employee’s right to appeal against the action taken
Why do I need a Disciplinary Outcome Letter?

In order to avoid the risk of getting taken to an Employment Tribunal, it's important that all of the relevant steps in a disciplinary process are communicated to an employee.

Make sure you do things right when disciplining an employee by following a clear Disciplinary procedure. This includes making and sending the correct Disciplinary Outcome Letter.

Read our guidance to find out more about disciplining employees, including how to investigate misconduct, how to run disciplinary hearings, and the disciplinary sanctions available for employees. Ask a lawyer if you have any questions or concerns.
Which Disciplinary Outcome Letter should I choose?

Use a Misconduct outcome letter if the matter relates to misconduct. Use the Poor performance outcome letter for matters relating to poor performance. By using these Disciplinary Outcome Letters, you can issue a first or final written warning or confirm that no further action will be taken.
What should a Disciplinary Outcome Letter include?

The content of your Disciplinary Outcome Letter will depend on whether it is used to issue a warning or to confirm that no further action will be taken.

If the Letter contains a disciplinary warning, it will address the nature of the warning and whether it is a first or second (ie final) warning. It will also outline why disciplinary action is being taken, what will happen if the employee shows no improvement, and the employee’s rights to appeal and the procedures for appeals.

If no further action will be taken, the Letter will confirm this.
What do I do after an initial disciplinary hearing?

A Disciplinary Outcome Letter will inform the employee that they have a right to appeal the disciplinary decision. If the employee wishes to appeal your decision, you should send an invitation to an appeal hearing. They have a right to bring a companion, and you should inform them of this. Depending on the specifics of the situation, you can either use an Invitation letter to a disciplinary appeal hearing for misconduct or an Invitation letter to a poor performance appeal hearing.

According to the Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures, an appeal must be conducted impartially and by a manager who was not involved in (and ideally who is more senior than the manager who conducted) the previous hearing, if possible. After a decision has been reached, it should be confirmed in writing.

For more information, read Disciplinary appeals.

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Make your document

Create your document by following Rocket Lawyer’s step by step interview process. If you need to edit your answers after creating your document, you can return to the interview to do so. Get started now!
Check and agree

Read your Disciplinary Outcome Letter to make sure it meets your needs and that everyone involved in the disciplinary process (eg the employee’s line manager) agrees. Remember that if you have any questions you can easily Ask a lawyer.
Sign to make it legal

The employer (or someone acting on behalf of the employer) must sign the Disciplinary Outcome Letter. You can sign the Letter online using RocketSign or in print.
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Send the Letter

Send the signed Disciplinary Outcome Letter to the employee in question. Bear in mind that a Disciplinary Outcome Letter is a formal notice which must be served (ie delivered) correctly. Before sending the Disciplinary Outcome Letter, check all relevant documents (including the employee’s Contract of employment and the employer’s Disciplinary procedure) for any specific rules concerning formal notices. Where such rules exist, make sure to follow them.
Store your document

Keep a copy of the signed Disciplinary Outcome Letter for your records. A copy of the Letter will be stored automatically in your Rocket Lawyer account ‘Dashboard’.
Important details
- If you hand-deliver the Disciplinary Outcome Letter, make sure to give the Letter to the employee personally. Keep a copy of the signed Letter and anything else delivered with it (eg supporting documentation) for your records.
- If you send the Disciplinary Outcome Letter by post, verify that you have the employee’s correct and up-to-date address. It is good practice to send the Letter using recorded delivery. Keep any proof of posting and delivery along with a copy of the signed Letter and anything else delivered with it (eg supporting documentation).
- If you decide to email the Disciplinary Outcome Letter, check that you are allowed to do so (ie by reviewing all relevant documents, like the employment contract and any HR policies). If you can send the Letter by email, request ‘read receipts’ and keep them as proof of service along with a copy of the email and any attachments.
- Where possible, speak to the employee before serving the Disciplinary Outcome Letter, so that they know what to expect. If this isn’t practical, make sure that the employee actually receives and reads the Disciplinary Outcome Letter.

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