Warning Letter to Employee for Stealing Money

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All businesses have a standard SOP predefined to handle different situations which may arise. These include pleasant as well as unpleasant situations. Just as good performance is rewarded with bonuses and promotions; bad behavior like cheating, stealing or any other negative action is punished by penalties.

These may include fines, cancellation of bonuses, postponement of promotion, or at the very minimum a warning.  Warning letters may be written in a variety of situations these are commonly written for offenses that are not big enough to deserve termination nor minor enough to be ignored.

Warning letters are issued by the Human Resource Department after a thorough investigation into the charges leveled against the employee. Any evidence for or against the employee is presented to the disciplinary hearing committee. The employee is also given a chance to defend himself/herself. The following points should be kept in mind while writing a warning letter:

  • The warning letter must be issued in private.
  • The employee must be clearly informed why the warning letter is being issued.
  • The employee must be informed about the consequences of repeating the behavior on which the warning is being issued.
  • The tone must be very formal and firm.
  • The warning letter must be issued timely. It should not be delayed unnecessarily.
  • Edit the letter thoroughly and proofread it before sending it. There should be no grammatical or spelling mistakes, as that would undermine the authority of the letter.
  • After handing over the warning letter to the employee, take the employee’s signature on the letter and keep a copy for office record.
  • The date of the offense for which the warning is being issued and the date on which the warning letter is being issued should all be clearly mentioned.

Save -1:

Dear Mr. (name)

I (name), (designation) from the HR Department am writing this letter to warn you that you’ve been found guilty of stealing money from the cash register of the departmental store. This is highly unethical and dishonorable behavior, and it will not be tolerated. If you repeat this offense, you will be terminated without further notice and without any severance pay as per the employment contract.

This warning letter has been issued after a thorough investigation into the charges leveled against you. The HR department has obtained CCTV footage of you stealing the money from the departmental store’s cash register after the closing time. We have decided to let you go with a warning only because it is a one-time offense, and you have an excellent record of honest work spanning over (number) years. We value the loyalty you have shown over the years, but this type of behavior will not be tolerated again.

We hope that you will take this second chance seriously and would not repeat this offense.

Looking forward to a positive change.

Yours sincerely.

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Save -2:

I am writing this letter to warn you because you’ve been caught stealing the company’s money. It is your duty to keep a record of the cash which comes from different branches of the restaurant and deposit them in the bank before the day’s end. However, you have been found guilty of stealing money from this daily cash flow which you were trusted with.

This is a very serious offense and a very unethical and highly dishonorable practice. We did not expect such a thing from a professional of your caliber. You have served us for 10 long years and during all this time, we found you to be an honest, hardworking, and loyal employee which is why the management has decided to overlook this mistake and give you a second chance.

But be cautioned that this is the first and the last time we are overlooking such an offense and any repetition of this behavior would force us to terminate you without notice. Also, termination on such charges would deprive you of any severance pay or benefits as clearly stated in your employment contract clause number (number).

We are sure that you would understand the gravity of the situation and would not give us a reason to terminate you.

Looking forward to improved behavior on your side.

Yours sincerely,

Name
Designation
Date

Signature

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