Why we document
A few months back we won an unemployment claim only because we found a six-month-old performance review on file. Nothing more recent. The outcome was lucky, not earned. The Coaching Log lives in the Team Hub so we don’t have to be lucky next time.
Pennsylvania pays unemployment unless an employer can show willful misconduct. A UC referee looks for two things in the file:
- The employee was on notice that the behavior was a problem
- They continued the behavior after the warning
Both prongs require documentation the employee saw. A file the employee never knew about is worse than nothing — it looks like a case built in secret. The same logic applies, more strictly, to any potential discrimination or retaliation claim.
If it’s worth documenting, the employee gets to see it.
The five Types in the Hub
Coaching Log records have one of five Types. They form a ladder — the first rung is private to leadership, the rest become part of the employee’s record.
| Type in the Hub | What it is | Who sees it |
|---|
| Quick note |
Contemporaneous observation. Patterns you’re tracking, conversations that may or may not need to happen yet. |
Manager / Admin / Owner only. Not the employee. |
| Verbal coaching (documented) |
A coaching conversation you actually had with the employee. They’re on notice. |
Employee acknowledges in the Hub. |
| Written warning |
First formal warning. Specific, time-bound, with measurable expectations. |
Employee acknowledges in the Hub. |
| Final written warning |
Last warning before termination. Explicit statement that the next step is termination. |
Employee acknowledges in the Hub. |
| Termination |
End of employment. Nate or Eric reviews and acknowledges first; the record then releases to the employee. |
Owner first, then employee. |
Pick the right rung and execute it well. Skipping rungs (e.g., a Written warning with no prior Verbal coaching) is the single most common reason a discipline case falls apart later.
How to log a record in the Hub
Two paths. They open the same forms and write to the same place.
From the employee’s drawer
- Roster → click the employee
- Coaching Log tab in the drawer
- Tap + Quick note or + Formal record
- Fill in the form and Save
From the Coaching Log page
- Coaching Log in the nav
- Tap + Quick note or + Formal record
- Pick the employee at the top of the form
- Fill in the form and Save
The forms are the same except formal records have more required fields (Policy referenced, Expectations going forward, Consequences if recurs).
The employee handbook is being finalized. Until it’s published, describe the policy or expectation you’re enforcing in your own words in the Policy referenced field. Once the handbook is live, the Hub will let you cite the specific section directly from each record.
Termination is different
After you save a Termination, the record sits at Pending Owner Ack. Nate or Eric opens the record and clicks Acknowledge as Owner. Only then does the record release to the employee for their acknowledgment. Until both happen, the employee doesn’t see it.
Behaviors, not characterizations
This is where most write-ups fall apart. UC referees, EEOC investigators, and judges read characterizations as opinion and behaviors as fact.
Bad — characterizations
- “Has a bad attitude”
- “Is lazy”
- “Doesn’t care about quality”
- “Is unprofessional”
Good — behaviors
- “Arrived 15 minutes late on 3/4, 3/11, and 3/18 without prior notice. Verbal coaching was logged in the Hub on 2/27.”
- “Folded 320 boxes/hour on 4/10, against department standard of 800/hour. Boxes 4–17 had visible misfolds requiring rework.”
- “Said to coworker [name], ‘Maybe try doing your actual job for once,’ in front of three other team members on 4/15, after [name] asked for help with a printer error.”
- “Did not complete the closing checklist on 4/8, 4/15, and 4/22, including the temperature log entry, which is a food-safety record.”
A stranger reading the record two years later should be able to picture the actual incident from the write-up alone — names, dates, numbers, direct quotes.
If you find yourself writing a characterization, ask: what did I actually see or hear that made me think that? That’s the behavior. Write that.
Quick notes vs. formal records
Quick notes are for things that haven’t yet become formal anything — patterns you’re tracking, observations from a shift you don’t want to lose by next week, conversations that may or may not need to happen.
Three rules of thumb
- If the conversation has already happened and the employee was told there’s a problem, that’s not a Quick note anymore — it’s at least Verbal coaching documented.
- If you’re looking at a two-month-old Quick note and thinking “this is why I want to fire this person,” the right move is to log a Verbal coaching now and have the conversation, not to keep adding Quick notes.
- Quick notes feed conversations. They do not feed termination decisions on their own.
Quick notes are not private to the author — Admin and Owner can read them. That’s intentional: one source of truth, no lost notebooks. Don’t write anything in a Quick note you wouldn’t be comfortable explaining in front of Nate or Eric.
Scenarios — what goes where
The five Types make sense in the abstract, but a lot of the calibration happens in the specifics. Below are the situations that come up most often, graduated from just say something in the moment through log a record to loop in Nate or Eric. If you find yourself reaching for the Coaching Log every shift, you’re probably overdoing it.
A clean record is not the goal. A team that knows where the lines are is the goal. Don’t paper a file to feel productive. Most issues resolve with a quick word and never need a record.
How to use this section
Each behavior is graduated from least to most severe. In the moment means say something and move on — don’t log anything. Quick note through Termination are the five Types in order. Skip-to-termination conduct (theft, violence, harassment, working impaired, gross safety violations, knowing breach of confidentiality) goes to Final or Termination on a first occurrence regardless of what the graduated examples below suggest.
After the behavior-by-behavior examples, a cross-reference at the end lists scenarios across categories grouped by response level — useful when you’ve decided what level something is and want to sanity-check.
01Attendance and punctuality
Most attendance issues respond to a single conversation. The graduated record is for patterns, not for one bad week.
In the moment
First time someone’s 5 minutes late on a Tuesday and apologizes. They look stressed. Acknowledge it, move on. No record.
Quick note
Second 5-min late inside a month, no apology, no obvious reason. You haven’t said anything yet — log a Quick note and keep watching.
Verbal coaching
Three latenesses in 30 days. Sit down, explain the impact on the rest of the line, log Verbal coaching same day.
Written warning
Three weeks after Verbal coaching, the pattern continues — two more latenesses in two weeks. The conversation didn’t take.
Final written
Lateness pattern restarts within 30 days of the Written warning’s expectation period, or a fourth instance inside that window.
Termination
Two consecutive no-call/no-shows are treated as voluntary resignation under handbook §3.6 — no graduated record required.
02Clock-ins and time records
Honest mistakes get fixed quietly. Falsification is skip-to-termination — a different category of problem entirely.
In the moment
Someone forgot to clock out for lunch. They told you, fixed it themselves in the Hub, no prior issues. Acknowledge, move on.
Quick note
Second clock-out forget in two weeks. They corrected when prompted but didn’t catch it themselves. You haven’t said anything yet.
Verbal coaching
Pattern of needing manager-prompted corrections over 30 days. Three or more flagged entries you had to chase. Sit down, talk through it, log Verbal.
Written warning
After Verbal, the pattern continues. Or you find an entry that was self-edited to add 5 minutes that wasn’t worked — small but unambiguous.
Termination
Caught clocking in for someone else, or having someone else clock you in. Or altering an entry to add meaningful unworked time. Falsification of time records under handbook §7.1 — loop in Nate or Eric before any record.
03Output, pace, and quality
People have off days. Patterns are different from incidents. Be specific about what’s measurably below standard — numbers, dates, batches.
In the moment
Someone’s slow on a Monday and they know it. They’re already pushing harder by lunch. Ask if they’re okay, move on.
Quick note
Two consecutive shifts noticeably below pace, no clear cause yet. You’re tracking it before saying anything.
Verbal coaching
Three weeks consistently below the team standard for their role — e.g., 30% under expected boxes-per-hour in packaging, repeated bag misseals on the line. Sit down with specifics, log Verbal.
Written warning
After Verbal, performance still below documented expectations after 30 days. Or a single quality miss that shipped to a customer.
Final written
Continued pattern after Written. Or a quality failure with food-safety implications that went undetected on the line — e.g., a missed metal-detect verification on a finished batch.
04Hygiene, safety, and procedures
Food-safety and equipment-safety procedures are the categories where a single miss can warrant escalation if the impact is large enough. Distinguish “forgot the rule” from “ignored the rule.”
In the moment
Someone forgot a hairnet stepping into the freeze-drying area for a quick check. Recognized when reminded, put it on. No prior issues, no record.
Quick note
Second hairnet reminder in a week. They comply each time, but it’s becoming a pattern. You haven’t said anything beyond reminders.
Verbal coaching
Pattern continues after the in-the-moment reminders. Or: missed an item on the closing checklist (temperature log, sanitizer rotation) that’s a food-safety record. Sit down, log Verbal.
Written warning
Repeated checklist misses after Verbal. Or a single procedural violation with safety risk — bypassing a guard on the brewer, eating in production, not washing hands after handling waste.
Final / Termination
Gross safety violation creating real risk: operating equipment they’re not authorized for, bypassing lock-out/tag-out, ignoring an active hazard call. Loop in Nate or Eric before any record.
05How we treat each other
Two coworkers disagreeing isn’t a discipline issue. Repeated disrespect is. Substantiated harassment is termination — and a different process from the rest of this section.
In the moment
Two coworkers got heated about how to do something on the line. Voices raised, then they sorted it. Don’t make it more than it was.
Quick note
Overheard a backhanded comment to a teammate. They moved on. You want to track it but haven’t said anything yet.
Verbal coaching
Pattern of dismissive comments from one person toward a specific coworker. Or: refused to help a teammate who openly asked for support, in front of others. Log Verbal after the conversation.
Written warning
Disrespect continuing after Verbal. Or a single out-of-bounds incident that wasn’t harassment but harmed the team — yelling at someone in front of the line, slamming equipment to make a point.
Final / Termination
Substantiated harassment, threats, physical altercation, or discrimination after investigation. Loop in Nate or Eric before any formal record — see "When to escalate to an Owner" below.
06Phones, music, and focus
One earbud, low volume, screen-down — that’s the policy. Escalation is about safety risk, not about phones being annoying.
In the moment
Caught someone glancing at their phone during a slow moment. Not on a critical task. You said “phone” and they put it away. No prior issues, no record.
Quick note
Third reminder in two weeks. They comply each time, but the frequency means it’s worth tracking.
Verbal coaching
Pattern continuing. Or: caught with both earbuds in while running a freeze dryer with audible alarms — once. You stop the task, address it, log Verbal because it’s a safety issue.
Written warning
Repeats after Verbal. Or: caught taking a non-emergency personal call inside a production area while equipment was running.
Final / Termination
Phone or earbud use that caused or could plausibly have caused injury or product damage. Treat as a gross safety case.
07Confidentiality and social media
We’re under contract on confidentiality with our roasting partners. The line is real. But not every Friday-lunch selfie is a violation.
In the moment
Posted a smiling team photo at Friday lunch from the parking lot. No equipment, recipes, or customer info visible. You’d rather they hadn’t, but it’s not a violation. Don’t make it one.
Quick note
A post that’s getting close to the line — a video of the production floor that doesn’t show recipe-sensitive info but is closer than you’d like. Track it, hold the conversation for next time.
Verbal coaching
Posted something showing equipment configurations or customer-identifiable info. Ask them to take it down (they do), log Verbal. The conversation is about why it matters, not punishment.
Written warning
Repeats after Verbal. Or: a single post that revealed customer or supplier identities, financial information, or recipe details.
Termination
Knowing breach of confidentiality — sending recipes to a competitor, posting financial details intentionally, or harassment of a coworker via social media. Loop in Nate or Eric before any record.
08Skip-to-termination conduct
Some things go straight to the top of the ladder on a first occurrence. The graduated record above doesn’t apply. In every case here, loop in Nate or Eric before logging anything.
- Theft, fraud, or dishonesty — taking product, padding time, falsifying any record, clocking for someone else
- Violence, threats, or weapons on the premises (including the parking lot)
- Substantiated harassment or discrimination after investigation
- Working impaired; possessing or using drugs/alcohol on premises — note: voluntary disclosure under handbook §5.5 is a different path. That’s a support conversation, not a discipline one.
- Gross safety violations creating risk to people or product
- Knowing breach of confidentiality
- Two consecutive no-call/no-shows — treated as voluntary resignation under handbook §3.6
- Refusal of a lawful, reasonable instruction after a clear warning in the moment
The question to ask before any of these: would the documentation hold up under scrutiny by an investigator who reads every word? Not "does it feel justified to me right now?" Lean on Nate or Eric early.
Cross-reference — examples by response level
If you’ve decided what level something is and want to sanity-check across categories:
Quick note
- Attendance Second 5-min late inside a month, no prior conversation
- Time records Second forgot-to-clock incident in two weeks
- Output Two consecutive shifts noticeably below pace, no cause yet
- Procedures Second hairnet reminder in a week
- Conduct Overheard a backhanded comment to a teammate
- Phones Third phone reminder in two weeks
- Confidentiality A social post that’s getting close to the line
Verbal coaching (documented)
- Attendance Three latenesses in 30 days
- Time records Pattern of needing manager-prompted clock corrections over 30 days
- Output Three weeks consistently below the team standard
- Procedures Missed a closing-checklist item that’s a food-safety record
- Conduct Pattern of dismissive comments toward a specific coworker
- Phones Both earbuds in while running equipment with audible alarms
- Confidentiality Posted equipment configurations or customer-identifiable info
Written warning
- Attendance Lateness pattern continuing three weeks after Verbal
- Time records Edited an entry to add 5 minutes that wasn’t worked
- Output Single quality miss with downstream customer impact
- Procedures Bypassing a guard on the brewer, eating in production
- Conduct Yelling at a coworker in front of the line
- Phones Non-emergency personal call inside production while equipment running
- Confidentiality Single post revealing customer/supplier identities or recipe details
Final written
- Attendance Lateness restarting within 30 days of a Written’s expectation period
- Output Performance still below documented expectations after Written + 30 days
- Procedures Repeated checklist misses after Written
- Conduct Continued disrespect after Written
- Phones Repeated non-emergency phone use in production after Written
- Confidentiality Repeats after Written, or a second post revealing sensitive info
Termination (skip-to)
- Attendance Two consecutive no-call/no-shows
- Time records Caught clocking in for someone else, or altering an entry to add meaningful unworked time
- Procedures Gross safety violation creating real risk to people or product
- Conduct Substantiated harassment, threats, physical altercation, or discrimination
- Confidentiality Knowing breach — sending recipes to a competitor, harassment of a coworker via social media
- Other Working impaired; possessing drugs or alcohol on premises; refusal of a lawful instruction after clear warning in the moment
Common failure modes
- Skipping Verbal coaching. The conversation never happened, or it happened but no record was logged in the Hub. Now the Written warning is the first formal step the employee saw, and it looks like an ambush.
- Writing characterizations. “Bad attitude” lands in a UC hearing as “the manager didn’t like them.” Behaviors land as fact.
- Old warnings. A six-month-old Written warning where nothing’s been documented since reads as “we stopped caring, then suddenly cared.” If a behavior has resolved, mark the record resolved. If it hasn’t, escalate.
- The “thick file” trap. A pile of unrelated minor records (one tardy, one dress code, one missed checklist) doesn’t add up to willful misconduct of any one thing. Layers stack within a behavior, not across unrelated behaviors.
- Different rules for different people. If two employees do the same thing and only one gets written up, the one written up has a discrimination case. Apply the same standard consistently across people and situations.
- Surprise terminations. The employee should already know termination is on the table by the time it happens. If your last interaction with them was upbeat and a week later they’re fired, you have a credibility problem.
- Documenting after the fact. Log within 24 hours of the conversation, ideally same day. The Hub timestamps creation — a 4/15 record describing a 3/3 incident reads as reconstruction.
- Letting a warning lapse. If you wrote someone up on a 30-day review and 30 days have passed with no follow-up, the warning effectively expired. Either Mark resolved with a note (“Issue resolved as of [date]; no further action required.”) or escalate to the next layer.
When to escalate to an Owner
Loop in Nate or Eric (and note in the record’s Description that you did) before:
- Any Termination
- Any Final written warning
- Any record involving a complaint of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation
- Any record against an employee who has recently raised a concern, requested an accommodation, taken protected leave, or filed a workers’ comp claim — the timing alone creates a retaliation appearance and we want a second set of eyes
- Any record where you’re not sure it fits the standard
Termination automatically requires Owner acknowledgment in the Hub workflow. The other escalations are judgment calls — the Hub won’t enforce them, but the policy does.
Closing the loop
After the timeline on a Written or Final written warning has passed, do one of two things:
- If the issue resolved: Open the record → Mark resolved → enter resolution notes (“Issue resolved as of [date]; no further action required.”). Have a quick conversation with the employee to confirm the matter is closed.
- If the issue continued: Log a new record at the next layer (Final written warning, or Termination — with Nate or Eric involved).
Don’t leave warnings open-ended. An indefinite warning is one nobody acted on.
If a record was logged in error or with significant inaccuracies, use Void with a clear reason. Voids are permanent and visible in the Hub history — they don’t delete the record, they mark it withdrawn.
Confidentiality
A coaching matter is confidential between the employee, their manager, and anyone in the decision (Admin, Owner). Don’t discuss it with peers or other team members. If a coworker asks why someone was written up or let go, the answer is “I can’t discuss other employees’ personnel matters.”
Loose talk about coaching is one of the fastest ways to turn a clean case into a wrongful-termination claim.
One-page summary
Print this. Keep it near your desk.
Pick the right Type
- Quick note — first-time minor, observation only, employee not told yet
- Verbal coaching (documented) — the conversation happened, employee on notice
- Written warning — pattern after coaching, or first serious-but-not-fireable issue
- Final written warning — repeat at Written within 6–12 months, or single very serious issue
- Termination — after Final, or skip-to-termination conduct (see list below)
Skip-to-termination is allowed for
- Theft, fraud, dishonesty in records
- Violence, threats, weapons
- Substantiated harassment / discrimination
- Working impaired; drugs/alcohol on premises
- Gross safety violations
- Knowing breach of confidentiality
- Two consecutive no-call / no-shows
- Refusal of a lawful instruction after a clear in-the-moment warning
Before any termination, confirm
- Recent (60–90 day) signed Written or Final warning tied to the same behavior — for performance/conduct cases
- Reason documented in the record’s Description, same day
- Nate or Eric looped in (Termination automatically requires Owner ack in the Hub)
Write behaviors, not characterizations
Names, dates, numbers, direct quotes. A stranger should be able to picture the incident from your record alone.