(7) Documentation
Posted on: July 18, 2011
I’m going to make this short and sweet because now that I’ve finished dealing with the problem, I want to go on to something new. As I stated in previous posts, the best place to go if you are into learning more about how to deal with issues of this sort is www.walkthetalk.com. Here’s how I was taught to document discussions:
- Describe the problem using facts and specific actions, including descriptions of the desired and actual performance, and the impact and consequences identified (your lists).
- Describe the “offenders’” history to include how long the problem has been going on, any previous discussions or formal disciplinary action, and an indication if the “offenders” have failed to keep commitments that were engaged in prior discussions.
- Describe the discussion itself to include the time, date and location, specific comments/statements made by the “offender” – especially the agreement, all actions the “offenders” said they would take to correct the problem, and as I had to do, include what I told the “offenders” when mandating compliance.
This is all about the facts. Nothing subjective should be included. That’s the hardest part for me. I am, by nature, a very subjective person. I have to focus on producing positive behavior, not placing blame or excusing actions. I don’t know who originally stated it, I found it written in my notes, but I love this quote:
Remember that your purpose is not to “write THEM UP” but to “write IT DOWN.”
~B
bonnieandtilly 
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