warnings at work

[hotlips1]

Am I right in thinking if you are given a verbal warning and you were not told it was a verbal warning,you also received no paperwork or signed anything can 6 months down the line say different? A work colleague was called into the office for supervision (in fact it was for something else under investigation) She was then told she'd already received a verbal warning for something else and as I said nothing in writing and noting was said or done at the time.(over 6 months ago) What we'd like to know is if any action is to be taken now (it's for something very trivial)can they say she's already received a verbal warning? I say that I believe she's had no warning. Am I right?

[mccfluff]

a "verbal" warning has to be documented and placed on personel file

[buildersmate]

1) It isn't necessary for the employer to be given notes taken by the employer of the original meeting, or for the employee to have signed these notes (this answers your second comment on the other thread).
2) It is unusual for a verbal warning to last more than 6 months.
3) To follow a proper process, the employer should have written a brief letter to the employee confirming the verbal warning and the reason for the warning (conduct, capability, or whatever).
4) The employer's disciplinary process seems to be flawed. However I wouldn't get hung up about it 6 months after the alleged event - a verbal warning is a relatively minor slap on the wrist.

[boxtops]

This is more info here http://www.theanswerb.../Question1068202.html

[boxtops]

So (in the link) you say that there are signed notes of the meeting in her personnel file.
a) whose signatures are on the report? - if it's the manager who wrote the report, that's fine. As BM says, they don't have to be signed by the person receiving the warning
b) have you looked at your organisation's disciplinary and grievance policy? That will lay out all the processes and make the steps very clear (I know ours does)
b) do you have a union?
c) if not, call ACAS for advice, their helpline is free and impartial

If she had a warning then the management would have kept an eye on her for six months to make sure there was no repeat.

I'm a bit unclear about why she was called into the office in the first place. You say it was an investigation about something else, then you say it was for supervision (and for people not working in a health/care setting, my understanding of supervision is a regular meeting to discuss work, how you're coping with certain cases, learning from incidents, etc.)