A practical manager framework for preparing corrective-action conversations with clear facts, expectations, employee input, support, and documented follow-up.

Good performance documentation should make a manager’s job easier, not turn every coaching conversation into a formal disciplinary event. The goal is to create a clear record of expectations, observations, support, and follow-up so that both the manager and employee understand what happened and what comes next. Start with the expectation. Before describing what went wrong, write down what should have happened. That might be a service standard, attendance expectation, safety p