How to Give a Verbal Warning at Work: A Guide for UK Employers

A verbal warning is often the right first response to a minor conduct or performance concern - but only if you handle it correctly. Get it wrong and you either undermine your authority or create a paper trail that damages you later. This guide tells you exactly how to give a verbal warning at work, what to say, how to record it.

Informal versus formal verbal warning

These are not the same thing and the distinction matters.

An informal verbal warning is a quiet, private conversation between a manager and an employee. It does not form part of the formal disciplinary process. You are telling the employee their behaviour or performance needs to improve, giving them the chance to correct it before things escalate. No invitation letter is required. No right to be accompanied applies. It is a management conversation, not a legal procedure.

A formal verbal warning is different. It is the first stage of the documented disciplinary process - triggered when the informal conversation has not worked, when the conduct concern is serious enough to warrant immediate formal action. It requires an invitation letter, a disciplinary meeting, a written record of the outcome.

For most minor first-time issues - lateness, attitude, a one-off lapse in performance - start with an informal verbal warning. Use the formal process when the informal approach has already been tried, when the situation demands it from the outset.

How to give an informal verbal warning

Choose the right setting. Never give a verbal warning in front of colleagues or customers. Use a private space - an office, a quiet room, somewhere the conversation cannot be overheard.

Be direct and specific. Tell the employee exactly what the concern is. "Over the last three weeks you have arrived late on four occasions. The contracted start time is 8am and punctuality is important for the whole team." Avoid generalisations.

Give them the chance to respond. Ask if there is something behind the pattern you should know about. A domestic situation, a health issue, a transport problem. This protects you against a later claim that you failed to consider mitigating factors.

Be clear about what needs to change and by when. "I need you to arrive by 8am consistently from this point. I will review this in four weeks."

End on a constructive note. You are trying to correct behaviour, not punish. Make clear you want to resolve it.

What to say - example wording

I want to have a quick private word about your timekeeping. Over the last three weeks you have arrived late on four occasions. That is not acceptable and it puts pressure on the rest of the team. Is there anything going on that I should be aware of?

[Listen to the response.]

I understand. Going forward I need you to be here by 8am consistently. I will check in with you again in four weeks. If punctuality improves, that is the end of it. If it does not, I will need to take this further formally. Is that clear?

Adjust the wording to suit your voice and the situation. The key elements are: state the specific concern, give them a chance to respond, set a clear expectation, tell them what happens next if it does not improve.

Record it - even if it is informal

Write a short note immediately after the conversation. Date it. Record what you said, what they said, what was agreed. Keep it on file.

You do not need to share this note with the employee for an informal warning, though some managers do. The note is for your protection. If the issue escalates and you later need to demonstrate a pattern, show that the employee was warned before formal action was taken, this record is your evidence.

How a verbal warning escalates

If the informal verbal warning does not resolve the issue, the next step is a formal first written warning - which requires the full disciplinary process: investigation, invitation letter, meeting, outcome letter.

The verbal warning creates the foundation for that escalation. "We spoke informally about this on [date] and agreed [expectation]. That expectation has not been met" is a clear and fair basis for moving to the next stage.

What changes from January 2027

How Birchlow helps

Birchlow's discipline log lets you record informal verbal warnings with a date stamp and notes, so your records are always complete. When a situation escalates to a formal stage, the platform generates the correct letters automatically - invitation, outcome, appeal - updated to reflect current employment law.