Written warning at work.... please help??

Question

I have a first written warning at work which wasnt really my fault. a colleague conned us into doin dtuff for her which broke procedures. anyway its on my record for 12 months,,,, if i apply for another job will this come up in my reference and should i declare it at any interviews or on my CV????????

Answer 1

It does not show up on your CV at all, since it is not a description of your work (merely your disposition). No, don't be open about it at a job interview ... they are more concerned anyway with whether or not you have any criminal convictions.

However, it can and may be mentioned in any reference, particularly if the warning was quite sharp (i.e., you REALLY broke the rules) or occurs quite soon after this written warning. I know, you are feeling blue about the entire written warning. You should. However, what the employer is hoping is that you will learn from the incident and come back with gusto from the affair and become a model employee. I would suggest doing that, since it builds character to overcome your own internal demons. Then, and only then, if you still want out, go. Therefore, the job change won't look so much like retaliation but more as finiding something better for yourself.

Of course, if you didn't quite set the problem up as it really occured (i.e., you were at fault and you knew it), the written warning is a key step to becoming fired or laid off, since it is a written notification to you that you are not doing your job.

Employers use the written warning too as a tool to let other employees know just where the lines lie, since they know you'll talk about it to your coworkers. Depending on the circumstances here, you may want to think on this possibility, in which case you should reexamine why you are working where you are working, why you are doing something you don't want to do, etc.

Good luck as you face this ... it's one of the toughest things you will encounter. I was laid off in my 20s, just a major downsizing of the company, but I reevaluated what I wanted to do with me life and changed careers. Now I am much happier.

Answer 2

Hi Hollie
I have had a written warning twice from work and both times it wasn't my fault either. Think of the written warning as a Police Caution, a means to an end. The company you work for HAS to be seen to do something about what happened and they now have.
That is the end of it! It will not be mentioned again and you don't have to mention it when applying for other jobs.
But DON'T let the warning put you off working where you are. As I said the whole thing is OVER now and you can put it behind you.

Answer 3

The short answer is probably not. However, there is a longer response.

If you have a written warning, it will not be given to a prospective employee unless there is an in depth background check performed or you have a person who brings it up.

The person who answered it was illegal for employers to give out information is incorrect. Generally, businesses will not give out more information than date of hire, end date, start salary, end salary, and would you re-hire because businesses do not want to be sued. That does not Preempt a business (usually one-man operations or a business with employees that are not supervised much) from telling more than you would like.

My advise, keep it off the resume and do not mention it to prospective employees.
Find great references in the company who will not mention your faults.
Make sure the person who gave you the written warning sees that you are diligently working to overcome the written warning.

Good luck

Answer 4

the written warning is only a formality procedure and should stop within the company you are working for if you change jobs and it's on your reference then you can always write an explanation along with it explaining why it was given and it's up to you if you want to declare it but to me it shows that you are willing to work as a team and help some one out to get the job done good luck for the future

Answer 5

I think your manager has over reacted! in this PC culture we have some people may have been offended! if you can, check round the office and see if anyone was upset by your comment - if not it may be worth asking your boss to revoke it! written warnings are quite severe and should only come after 3 verbal warnings! personally though, i think it was a hilarious comment to make - and would have kept me giggling to myself all day!

Answer 6

No, it will not effect another job, dont worry about it its not that big of a deal. Also it is important to accept responsibility for your actions and make it clear that you are aware that you messed up and you will make sure it does not happen again. Dont say things like its not really my fault. If it wasnt really your fault than you would not have gotten written up.

Answer 7

Get real!

Resumes (CVs) are a public relations tool to help sell yourself - not a confession of your sins!

Of course it will not show on any records - unless, perhaps, you're looking for a job within the same organisation.

Answer 8

No. It should not come up. Ask HR but at most companies, that stuff never leaves the company because of legal liability. All most companies will tell is whether you worked there or not. No do not declare it at all ever.

Answer 9

It depends on what your new job asks. Your old job is not allowed to give you a bad reference, so unless they are specifically asked about warnings etc then they wont say anything.

Answer 10

Ignor it, but don't be so gullible next time. If you know the rules, follow them. If you got conned or not, you participated. But don't worry about it.