An attendance write up sample is useful only if it is read line by line, because the lines that matter are the ones most samples leave out: the events by date, the weight each scored, the total in the window, the paragraph of the policy being applied and the earlier warning this write-up follows. This page is one finished write-up for one employee on a small crew, at 4.5 points under the worked policy on this site, with each line explained. It is a sample of the document and of the reasoning behind it. The attendance points calculator on this site produces the arithmetic the sample cites; the policy template prints the paragraph it names.
The heading lines: who, when, and which step this is
The sample opens with the employee's name and role, the date of the meeting, the name of the person issuing the write-up, and the words written warning, because the document has to say which step of the corrective sequence it is. Under the worked policy the steps are a verbal warning at 2 points, a written warning at 4, a final warning at 6 and separation at 8, so a write-up at 4.5 is the second step and says so. The heading also names the policy and its version date, so a reader in a year's time knows which weights were in force. A sample that opens with a paragraph about the importance of punctuality has spent its first hundred words saying nothing the file needs.
The event lines: dates, weights and the total
The body of the sample is a short table, one line per event inside the window: the date, the scheduled shift, what happened, whether it was excused, and the points it scored. In this sample there are two tardies in January at 0.5 each, a tardy in March at 0.5, an unexcused absence in April at 1 and a no-call no-show in May at 2, for a total of 4.5 of a threshold of 8. An excused absence in June appears on the table at zero with its reason, because leaving it off would make the record look edited. Below the table one sentence states the total, the threshold, and how many points remain, which is the sentence the employee will remember.
The citation lines: the paragraph, and the warning before this one
The sample then quotes the paragraph of the attendance policy that sets the weights and the steps, by its number, and states that a verbal warning was given on the April date at 2.5 points, by whom, and that this written warning follows it. Those two lines are what make the write-up defensible: they show the policy was applied as written and that the employee was told earlier. A write-up that cites nothing invites the question of what rule was broken; a write-up that cites the paragraph answers it. 29 CFR 825.220 and the EEOC's retaliation guidance, linked below, are why the table also has to show that no protected leave was scored.
The closing lines: what happens next, and the signatures
The sample closes with the next step in plain words: at 6 points a final warning, at 8 separation, and the date on which the oldest events will age out of the window and the total will fall. It offers the employee space to write a response, which the employer keeps with the write-up whether or not it agrees. Then two signatures, the employee's acknowledging receipt and not agreement, and the issuer's. A refusal to sign is noted and the write-up stands. The most common mistake in samples found online is a closing paragraph that threatens; the sample here states the arithmetic and lets the numbers carry the weight.
Questions people ask about attendance write up sample
What should an attendance write up sample contain?
The employee, the date, which step of the sequence it is, the policy and its version, one line per event in the window with the points each scored, the total against the threshold, the paragraph being applied, the earlier warning it follows, the next step, space for a response and two signatures.
Should the excused absence appear on the write-up?
Yes, at zero points with its reason. Leaving it off makes the record look edited and hides the fact that the policy's exception was applied. Showing it is part of what makes the write-up defensible.
What if the employee refuses to sign?
The issuer notes the refusal, the date and a witness if one was present, and the write-up stands. The signature acknowledges receipt, not agreement, and the employee's written response is kept with it either way.