Disciplinary action form template
Write up a warning while the job continues: what happened, the action you are taking, what must change by when, and the employee’s response and signature.
23 questions · about 8 min · logic · file upload · e-signature
- No sign-up to start
- Unlimited responses on Free
Employee’s name
Job title
Department
Supervisor issuing this notice
Date of this notice
What happened
Type of issue
Policy or rule involved
For example “Mobile phone policy, section 3”.
Date of the incident
The first date, if it happened more than once.
What happened
Facts only: dates, times, who was there and the effect on the work. Describe conduct or performance, not the person.
Has this been raised with the employee before?
Supporting documents
Click or drop a file here
PDF, images, Word · up to 10 MB
The action
Action being taken
What needs to change, and by when
Review date
When you will check progress together.
If things do not improve, further action may follow, up to and including dismissal.
Supervisor’s signature
What you get back
Every response lands in your results the moment it is sent. Turn on email notifications and each one arrives like this, and the same answers become a row in your spreadsheet.
From PulseFormCreator
Subject New response to Disciplinary action notice
- Employee’s name
- Jordan Ellis
- Job title
- Warehouse operator
- Department
- Dispatch
- Supervisor issuing this notice
- Nina Kowalski
- Date of this notice
- 2026-10-06
- Type of issue
- Attendance or lateness
and 8 more answers
| submitted_at | Employee’s name | Job title | Department | Supervisor issuing this notice | Date of this notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-22T09:41:00.000Z | Jordan Ellis | Warehouse operator | Dispatch | Nina Kowalski | 2026-10-06 |
The first 6 of 40 columns. Export to CSV or Excel, or send each response to Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, Slack or a webhook as it arrives, all on the free plan. The answers above are made up.
What this form asks, and why
The last column shows how many of the 18 real disciplinary action forms we read ask the same thing.
| Question | Why it is there | Real forms |
|---|---|---|
| Employee’s name Required | Whose record this is. | 18 of 18 forms |
| Job title Required | Ties the standard to the role, asked on 11 of 18 forms. | 11 of 18 forms |
| Department | Optional. Tells HR whose team it is. | 6 of 18 forms |
| Supervisor issuing this notice Required | Who is accountable for the action. | 10 of 18 forms |
| Date of this notice Required | Starts the clock on any review period. | 14 of 18 forms |
| Type of issue Required | A category checklist like 12 of 18 forms, so patterns show across records. | 12 of 18 forms |
| Policy or rule involved | Required after “Breach of policy”: the rule itself, not just the category. Only 5 of 18 forms ask. | 5 of 18 forms |
| Date of the incident Required | Kept apart from the notice date, which is often days later. | 7 of 18 forms |
| What happened Required | The one field every form has. The prompt asks for facts about conduct or performance, not opinions. | 18 of 18 forms |
| Has this been raised with the employee before? Required | Progressive discipline depends on the history. | 10 of 18 forms |
| Earlier conversations or warnings Required Only when “Has this been raised with the employee before?” is Yes | Shown after Yes: the record the next step relies on. | 10 of 18 forms |
| Supporting documents | Optional: examples, timesheets or the policy itself. | Our own recommendation |
| Action being taken Required | The level of action, recorded on 17 of 18 forms. | 17 of 18 forms |
| Suspension starts Required Only when “Action being taken” is Suspension | Shown only for a suspension. Payroll needs the dates. | 4 of 18 forms |
| Last day of the suspension Required Only when “Action being taken” is Suspension | The day before they return. | 4 of 18 forms |
| Is the suspension paid? Required Only when “Action being taken” is Suspension | Decides what payroll does. | 4 of 18 forms |
| What needs to change, and by when Required Only when “Action being taken” is not Termination | What must change and by when, on 16 of 18 forms. Hidden for a termination. | 16 of 18 forms |
| Review date Only when “Action being taken” is not Termination | Optional: when you will check progress. | 7 of 18 forms |
| Supervisor’s signature Required | Signed before the meeting ends. | 18 of 18 forms |
| Your comments | The employee’s side, which 13 of 18 forms make room for. | 13 of 18 forms |
| Employee’s signature | Optional, so a refusal does not block the record. The line above says it means receipt, not agreement. | 18 of 18 forms |
| For the supervisor | Ticked by the supervisor. 5 of 18 forms plan for a refusal. | 5 of 18 forms |
| Witness’s name Required Only when “For the supervisor” is checked | Shown after the tick: someone who saw the notice handed over. | 3 of 18 forms |
What we left out
- A threat for refusing to sign. One county says refusal “will cause your immediate termination”. Ours records the refusal and a witness.
- An HR sign-off line. On 10 of 18 forms. Send each record to HR by email instead, or add a second signature.
- A termination date. 2 of 18 forms fold the end of employment in. It has its own record.
What 18 real disciplinary action forms ask
In September 2026 we read 18 disciplinary action forms that organisations use today (US 17, Canada 1) and recorded every field. This is how often each one appears. It is part of the Form Field Index.
The 18 forms we read
- Washington College · college, US
- Alliant Outsourcing · HR and payroll outsourcing firm, US
- Bastrop County, Texas · county government, US
- City of Bowling Green, Ohio · city government, US
- Kansas State University · university, US
- South Island Division of Family Practice · nonprofit (physician network), Canada
- Helpside · PEO (HR outsourcing firm), US
- Alfred University · university, US
- Kean University · university, US
- City of Springfield, Oregon · city government, US
- State Security Agency · security services company, US
- Heart City Health Center · community health center, US
- Grand Forks Park District · park district, US
- Western University of Health Sciences · university, US
- EESI (Employer Solutions) · PEO (HR outsourcing firm), US
- StaffScapes · PEO (HR outsourcing firm), US
- FRM (PEO, Sarasota, Florida) · PEO (HR outsourcing firm), US
- ABC Equipment Rental (Tulsa, Oklahoma) · small business (equipment rental), US
How the form changes as people answer
Most people see a shorter form. These questions and screens only appear when an answer calls for them.
-
When “Has this been raised with the employee before?” is Yes
shows “Earlier conversations or warnings”
-
When “Action being taken” is Suspension
shows “Suspension starts”, “Last day of the suspension”, “Is the suspension paid?”
-
When “Action being taken” is Termination
shows “A note”
-
When “Action being taken” is not Termination
shows “What needs to change, and by when”, “Review date”, “A note”
-
When “For the supervisor” is checked
shows “Witness’s name”
-
When “Action being taken” is Termination
shows the “Now record the termination” ending
-
At the end
shows one of 2 thank-you screens: “Notice recorded for …”, “Now record the termination”
Make it yours
-
Send every record to HR
In the Connect tab, turn on email and put HR’s address in Also send to. It is free.
-
Finish it in the meeting
Save respondents’ progress on their device is on under Settings → Responses, so a half-done record reopens on the same device.
-
Match your own ladder
Edit the “Action being taken” options to your policy’s steps. Keep Termination, which ends on a pointer to the termination form.
Good practice and the law
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country and state, so check anything important where you operate.
- US
Discipline decisions may not take race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information into account, or punish a complaint. EEOC, prohibited practices
- UK
Workers may bring a companion to a meeting that could end in a formal warning, and may appeal against any formal decision. The UK preset records the first and explains the second. Acas Code of Practice
Questions about this template
Is a disciplinary action form the same as a write-up?
Yes. “Write-up” is the everyday name for the same record: a documented warning the employee sees and signs.
Does signing a write-up mean the employee agrees?
No, and the form says so above the signature. 11 of 18 forms spell out what signing means, usually receipt rather than agreement.
What if the employee will not sign the warning?
Tick “The employee declined to sign” and name a witness. The record stands without the signature.
Can I use it for a verbal warning?
Pick “Coaching or verbal warning” above the preview: two levels of action and no employee signature.
Which form do you need?
The disciplinary action form is one of the hr & employee forms. If it is not quite the job, one of these may be.
- Employee termination form template
When the employment is ending, with the final pay, property returned and access removed.
- Incident report form template
For an accident, injury or near miss, where nobody is being disciplined.
- Absence form template
For recording one absence when it happens, before it becomes a pattern to act on.
Start with the disciplinary action form template
Open it in the editor, change the actions to match your policy, and fill it in before the meeting.
Updated 22 September 2026. Evidence read September 2026 from 18 real forms.