These prompts are for HR Managers who need a legally defensible, specific, and professional warning letter drafted fast. Each one is built for a real scenario — attendance, conduct, performance, or policy violation — with variables you fill in and a finished document you send or put in the personnel file.
These prompts pair well with Jasper AI for HR Managers-specific tone control, or Copy.ai for fast iteration.
First Written Warnings — Performance and Attendance
You are an HR Manager writing a first written warning letter for a performance issue.
Employee: {employee_name} Job title: {job_title} Department: {department} Issue: {specific_performance_issue — e.g. “missed three consecutive monthly sales targets by more than 20%”} Previous informal conversations: {date_and_summary_of_verbal_warning} Improvement required: {two_to_three_specific_measurable_expectations} Review period: {review_length — e.g. “30 days”} Consequence if no improvement: {next_disciplinary_step}
Write a first written warning letter of 300 to 400 words. Use a formal but non-hostile tone. Structure: opening statement of purpose, factual summary of the issue with dates, reference to the prior verbal conversation, clear numbered list of what improvement looks like, timeline, and consequence statement. Do not include legalese or threats. Close with a sentence inviting the employee to respond or ask questions.
When to use it: Monday morning, after a Friday verbal warning conversation you documented but didn’t yet formalise. Get this into the file before the week moves on.
Pro tip: In the {specific_performance_issue} variable, paste the exact metric and the exact shortfall. If you write “poor performance,” the AI outputs vague language that won’t hold up if challenged. Numbers force specificity in the output.
You are an HR Manager writing a first written warning for excessive unplanned absences.
Employee: {employee_name} Role: {job_title} Absence record: {number_of_absences}, dates: {list_of_absence_dates} Company attendance policy reference: {policy_name_or_section_number} Pattern noted: {pattern_description — e.g. “seven Monday absences in six months”} Manager: {manager_name} Next step if absences continue: {consequence}
Write a 250 to 320 word first written warning letter. Tone: factual, neutral, no assumption of dishonesty. Structure: one-paragraph factual summary of the attendance record, one paragraph citing the policy, one paragraph stating what attendance looks like going forward and the review window, closing line noting the employee may respond in writing within five business days.
When to use it: When Bradford Factor scores or absence logs hit the trigger point in your policy and a verbal discussion has already taken place.
Pro tip: Including the {pattern_description} variable matters legally. A pattern (e.g. Mondays, days adjacent to public holidays) is relevant to whether the absences are connected. The AI will weave it into the factual summary if you give it the detail — leave it blank and you get a generic absence tally.
You are an HR Manager writing a first written warning for lateness and timekeeping issues.
Employee: {employee_name} Start time required by contract: {contracted_start_time} Incidents of lateness: {number_of_late_arrivals} occasions between {date_range} Average lateness per incident: {average_minutes_late} Prior informal discussion: {date_of_verbal_conversation} Manager: {manager_name} Improvement target: {exact_expectation — e.g. “on site and clocked in by 8:00 AM every scheduled shift”}
Write a first written warning letter of 280 to 350 words. Formal tone, no sarcasm. Open with a clear statement that this is a formal written warning. Paragraph two: factual account of the lateness record with dates. Paragraph three: reference the verbal discussion and what was agreed. Paragraph four: state the improvement required and the review period. Final paragraph: consequence of further lateness and right to respond.
When to use it: When the timesheet data is already in front of you and you need the letter drafted before the one-to-one meeting at the end of the day.
Pro tip: Set {average_minutes_late} even if it’s a rough figure. “Arriving approximately 18 minutes late” reads more credible in a grievance than “repeatedly arriving late.” The AI uses whatever precision you give it.
You are an HR Manager writing a first written warning for failure to meet project deadlines.
Employee: {employee_name} Role: {job_title} Projects or tasks missed: {list_two_to_four_missed_deadlines_with_dates} Impact on team or business: {specific_impact — e.g. “delayed client delivery by two weeks, resulting in a formal complaint”} Expectations previously communicated: {how_and_when_expectations_were_set} Review period: {review_length} Manager signing letter: {manager_name}
Write a 300 to 380 word first written warning letter using a structured narrative approach. Lead with the purpose of the letter. Describe each missed deadline in one sentence each with factual language. State the business impact clearly without editorial commentary. Specify what on-time delivery looks like going forward. Close with the review timeline, consequence of recurrence, and an invitation to respond.
When to use it: After a project post-mortem where the missed deadline has been documented and discussed but no formal action was taken at the time.
Pro tip: “Impact on team or business” is where most HR Managers leave the variable vague. Paste in the client complaint reference number or the internal escalation email subject line. The AI quotes it back and that specificity is what makes the letter defensible.
You are an HR Manager writing a first written warning for an employee who has not completed mandatory compliance training by the required deadline.
Employee: {employee_name} Role: {job_title} Training required: {training_name_and_provider} Original deadline: {original_deadline_date} Reminders sent: {number_of_reminders} on {reminder_dates} New completion deadline: {new_deadline} Consequence of non-completion by new deadline: {next_step}
Write a 220 to 280 word formal first written warning. Tone: firm and clear, not punitive. Structure: one sentence stating this is a formal written warning, one paragraph summarising the training requirement and missed deadline with evidence of reminders, one paragraph setting the new deadline, one sentence on consequence, one sentence inviting acknowledgement of receipt. The letter should be ready to send as a PDF attachment to an email.
When to use it: When your LMS report shows completion is overdue and reminder emails have been ignored. Useful before a regulatory audit window.
Pro tip: Paste the actual reminder email dates from your sent folder into {reminder_dates}. The AI lists them in the letter body. This is the single detail that most commonly determines whether a non-completion warning holds up to an appeal.
Second and Final Written Warnings
You are an HR Manager writing a second written warning letter for continued performance issues after a first written warning was issued.
Employee: {employee_name} Role: {job_title} First warning date: {first_warning_date} Issue that first warning addressed: {original_issue_summary} Evidence that performance has not improved: {two_to_four_specific_examples_with_dates} Final improvement requirements: {specific_measurable_targets} Review period before potential termination: {final_review_period} HR contact for questions: {hr_contact_name_and_email}
Write a 380 to 460 word second written warning letter. Tone: serious and factual. Structure: opening stating this is a second and final written warning, reference to the first warning with date and summary, factual account of what has not improved with evidence, statement of final expectations with measurable targets, explicit statement that failure to meet targets may result in termination, and an invitation to request a meeting within five business days. Do not use threatening language. Every claim should be evidenced in the letter.
When to use it: When the first warning review period has ended and the documented evidence shows the issue persists. Draft this before the review meeting, not after.
Pro tip: In {evidence that performance has not improved}, use manager observation notes, email threads, or system data — not memory. Feed those exact references into the variable. The AI formats them cleanly into the letter and the specificity reduces grievance risk substantially.
You are an HR Manager writing a final written warning for repeated misconduct following two prior warnings.
Employee: {employee_name} Role: {job_title}, {tenure_in_role} Prior warning dates: {first_warning_date} and {second_warning_date} Nature of prior warnings: {brief_description_of_prior_incidents} Current incident: {current_misconduct_description_with_date} Witness or evidence available: {witness_name_or_evidence_type} Consequence if further misconduct occurs: {termination_or_other_outcome}
Write a 350 to 420 word final written warning letter. Tone: direct and formal. Structure: one-sentence statement of purpose, disciplinary history in chronological order, factual description of current incident without editorial language, clear statement that this is the final warning before termination, right of appeal instructions in the final paragraph. Do not soften the consequence language — this letter must communicate the seriousness of the situation clearly.
When to use it: When you are one step before a termination decision and the file needs to show a clear, consistent progressive discipline trail.
Pro tip: {tenure_in_role} matters even in a warning letter. For employees with long tenure, courts and tribunals look for whether the company gave proportionate opportunities to improve. Naming the tenure signals awareness of that obligation.
You are an HR Manager writing a second written warning for attendance after a first warning issued within the last 12 months.
Employee: {employee_name} First attendance warning date: {first_warning_date} Absences since first warning: {number_of_absences} on {dates_of_new_absences} Total absences in rolling 12 months: {total_absences_this_year} Policy trigger point: {policy_threshold — e.g. “8 days or more in a 12-month rolling period”} Improvement expectation: {attendance_target} Next step if threshold is exceeded again: {next_disciplinary_step}
Write a 280 to 360 word second written warning letter. Neutral, factual tone. Open with the purpose. Reference the first warning and confirm what was agreed at that stage. Summarise absences since the warning with dates. State the current rolling total versus the policy threshold. Set the improvement target and review window. State the consequence. Close with the right to appeal and the contact for doing so.
When to use it: When your absence tracking system flags a returning pattern after a first warning that seemed to have worked for a few weeks.
Pro tip: The {total_absences_this_year} figure compared against {policy_threshold} is the most important data point in the letter. If the employee is at 10 days against an 8-day trigger, the letter should say exactly that. Don’t let the AI round it or generalise it — give it the precise numbers.
You are an HR Manager writing a final written warning for an employee who has failed to follow a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) after two previous formal warnings.
Employee: {employee_name} Role: {job_title} PIP start date: {pip_start_date} PIP milestones not met: {list_two_to_four_unmet_milestones_with_dates} Manager’s documented observations: {two_to_three_observation_points} Current warning stage: Final Written Warning Decision to be made after review period: {outcome_options — e.g. “termination or redeployment to a lower grade role”}
Write a 400 to 480 word final written warning letter. Formal tone. Structure: statement of purpose, brief disciplinary history, PIP summary with original goals, bulleted list of unmet milestones with dates, manager observation evidence, statement of final review period and duration, outcome options if milestones continue to be missed, and right of appeal with deadline. The letter should be ready to go into a personnel file and presented at a formal meeting.
When to use it: When the PIP midpoint review or end-point review shows the employee has not met the agreed milestones and you are moving to the final stage of a formal process.
Pro tip: Do not merge the PIP document into this letter. Reference it by name and date (“the Performance Improvement Plan issued on {pip_start_date}”) and list only the unmet milestones. The AI will try to summarise the whole PIP if you paste it in — resist that. Keep this letter focused on the gap, not the plan.
You are an HR Manager writing a second written warning for unprofessional conduct toward a colleague following a first warning three months ago.
Employee: {employee_name} Role: {job_title} First warning date and conduct described: {first_warning_date_and_issue} New incident: {description_of_new_conduct_incident_with_date} Colleague affected: referenced by role only — {affected_colleague_job_title} Witness or HR investigation reference: {investigation_or_witness_reference} Conduct standard expected: {specific_conduct_expectation_from_policy}
Write a 320 to 400 word second written warning for conduct. Tone: firm, professional, no speculation about intent. Use third-person referencing for the affected colleague (do not name them). Structure: purpose, prior warning reference, new incident described factually, policy standard cited, what acceptable behaviour looks like going forward, consequence of further incidents, right of appeal. One paragraph each.
When to use it: When a colleague complaint has been investigated, the investigation is complete, and you need the formal letter drafted before the outcome meeting.
Pro tip: Reference the affected colleague by title only, not name. The AI defaults to naming them if you give it a name in the variables. Keeping it to job title protects confidentiality and reduces the chance the letter is shared around the team.
Conduct and Policy Violation Warning Letters
You are an HR Manager writing a written warning for a social media policy violation.
Employee: {employee_name} Role: {job_title} Description of post or content: {factual_description_of_what_was_posted — do not include opinions} Platform: {social_media_platform} Date discovered: {date_of_discovery} Policy violated: {policy_name_and_section} Audience or reach: {approximate_reach_or_whether_colleagues_were_identifiable} Outcome of investigation: {investigation_finding}
Write a 280 to 360 word written warning letter. Tone: factual and professional. Structure: purpose of letter, factual description of the post and how it was identified, policy section cited verbatim or near-verbatim, finding of the investigation, expectation going forward, consequence of recurrence, right of appeal. Avoid moralising language. The letter should describe what happened and what the policy requires.
When to use it: After a social media investigation concludes and before you schedule the formal outcome meeting with the employee.
Pro tip: In {factual_description_of_what_was_posted}, be specific but don’t include the post verbatim if it contains offensive language — summarise what it depicted or communicated. The AI mirrors your language, so keep this input clinical.
You are an HR Manager writing a written warning for misuse of company equipment, specifically using a company laptop for personal business activity during work hours.
Employee: {employee