Hi there,
It has come to my attention that I have a written warning in my file at work from when I was a relatively new employee.
I went out with a colleague of mine to attend to work related business, but caught crap because I didn't gather the correct permission to do so. I was new, and I didn't know better.

I have learned this is still in my file. I've been told that written warnings are to be removed from an employees file after 6 months. Is this true, or am I being mislead??

Please keep in mind I'm in Ontario, Canada, so I don't know if the laws differ here...

Thanks in advance,
Adam

I'd think that that would be a company specific policy. But I'm not at all involved with any HR department so someone else may have better knowledge.

there'* no laws concerning this... only company policy. Do you have a rule handbook?

OOh, Yes I do have a handbook.
I will check it out tomorrow and see if it is spelled out.

I do know that written warnings must be signed by the employee, and I never signed it. I was told about it, but never given a chance to read it.

I've also learned that I have a right to view my employee file, so I will be requesting that tomorrow as well.

I've read that letters can stay in your file for 4mos to 6mos, and I've read for up to 2 years, so nothing is clear, but it'* a good idea that company policy might spell it out.

I've been under some heat at work as of late. It seems my new supervisor, who was a colleague and what I considered a friend can be a real dink when your back is turned. Seems like his first order of business as supervisor is, "Look at me, I'm showing who is boss."

I'm too old for this crap...

Thanks for your quick replies, and if anyone has any advice, I'd love to hear it.

Adam

Are you in a union? Often collective bargaining agreements address this issue. If not, and if you have an HR department you could ask them. Generally I am not aware of any statutes or laws that would address how long something like that could remain in your file. In many instances they stay there as documentation for a yearly evaluation, and after the evaluation, they are removed. I would not loose an awful lot of sleep over this. Documentation (for both good and bad deeds) is good supervisory practice. What you did is not what anyone would consider serious, and if the only discipline is the letter, don't go crazy worrying about it.