Sample Write-Up for Not Clocking In and Out [Free Templates]

This is a chapter in our ultimate guide to clocking in and out for employers. To continue learning after you finish this post, use the links on the left (desktop) or bottom (tablet/mobile) to navigate to the other chapters.

Forgetting things is a part of life. You get to the car and realize you forgot your keys. You get home from the grocery and realize you forgot to buy milk. You go to clock out for work, and you realize you never actually clocked in when you arrived that morning.

Employees forgetting to clock in and out happens, but sometimes, it happens so frequently that it becomes a more serious problem. Frequent missed punches can be a sign of time theft, burnout, disengagement with work, or just general carelessness.

If you’ve given all of the leeway that’s reasonable to provide and need to move on to taking disciplinary actions to correct the forgetting-to-clock-in-and-out problem, we have six sample write-ups for not clocking in and out below that you can copy, paste, edit, and send.

When is it appropriate to write an employee up for missed punches?

To start, every employer should have a clocking in and out policy that defines at what point employees receive disciplinary actions for missed punches. This document should detail in what circumstances employees receive write ups, suspensions, and termination for not following the company’s timekeeping policies.

If you don’t have this information detailed in an employee handbook or other policy document, you should add it, redistribute the revised policy to employees, and get their signatures on it.

Most employers allow for up to two offenses during a three-month period with no consequences, though some will provide more informal verbal warnings for these initial offenses.

By the third offense within a reasonable timeframe, it’s likely time to officially write the employee up, review the document with them, get it signed, and add it to their employee records.

What to include in a write-up for not clocking in/out

There are eight key pieces of information you’ll want to make sure to include in an official employee write-up for not clocking in and out:

1. General information: The employee’s name, their ID number (if applicable), the name of the supervisor delivering the write-up, and the date the write-up is being delivered.
2. A description of the problem: Explain why the employee is being written up and how they’ve violated your company policies.
3. List of incidents: Include a list of the dates when the employee previously failed to clock in/out and any actions/warnings that were taken/delivered on those occasions.
4. Reference to your policy: Include a reference to your clocking in and out policy; this can be copied and pasted from the original document or summarized.
5. Impact of the behavior: Briefly describe the issues caused by the employee failing to clock in and out properly.
6. Expectations for improvement: Explain what actions you expect the employee to take moving forward to resolve this problem.
7. Consequences for continued problems: Explain what will happen if the issue occurs again (possibly during a specific timeframe) — e.g., suspension or termination.
8. Signatures: Both the employee and the supervisor should sign and date the document.

6 sample write-ups for forgetting to clock in and out

Below, we’re sharing six examples you can repurpose to handle all types of clocking in and out problems, from whole team reminders to an official, documented write-up.

1. First warning

You can deliver an initial warning verbally, but often it’s best for your documentation to do it via email or some other electronic medium that provides a record.

At what point you deliver this initial warning will depend on your company’s specific timekeeping policies, but generally, it’s reasonable on the second offense within a three-month period.

In the first warning, you simply want to remind the employee of your policy, explain why clocking in and out consistently is important, and let them know you’re available if they have a valid reason for not clocking in and out as expected.

2. Second warning

The second warning can also be delivered informally (verbally or by email/chat app) after the third offense within a three-month period.

This warning should include the same information as the first warning, but this time, you’ll also want to include the date of the last warning and possibly some tips the employee can follow to be better about remembering to clock in and out.

3. Official write-up

After the fourth offense within a three-month period, it’s time to officially document the problem. Make sure to include all of the pieces of information listed in the “What to include in a write-up for not clocking in/out” section above. Here’s an example:

4. Whole staff reminder

If employees forgetting to clock in and out has become a company-wide problem, it might be good to send all staff a reminder email about your timekeeping policies.

Include a reference to your policy, explain why it’s important, review the consequences of non-compliance, and provide some tips on remembering to clock in and out.

5. Policy change

When you change your clocking in and out policy, you should redistribute it to employees and get their signatures validating that they’ve received and read the updated policy. Here’s an example of an email you could send notifying employees of the policy change:

6. Timesheet review request

If you believe an employee forgot to clock in or out but didn’t receive a request from the employee to edit their timesheet, you can send the following message asking the employee to review their timesheet before you process payroll.

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What you’ve just read is only a single chapter in an entire guide to clocking in and out for employers. If you want more tips, use the links on the left (desktop) or bottom (tablet/mobile) to navigate to the other chapters and continue learning everything you need to know to set up an effective time-tracking system for your business.