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Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

-1 Thessalonians 5:12-18

Corrective Action Grid

This grid is meant to provide guidance on how to handle performance and conduct issues with employees. Because situations and circumstances vary, please reach out to your Program Team Lead if you have any questions. If your church or ministry has established standards and practices for corrective action that vary from the process outlined below, you may use those as long as they are applied consistently for all ministry staff and do not violate any Reliant policies.

Level	What	Who	Corrective Action	Documentation
1	The employee has a performance issue or has committed a minor violation of the Code of Conduct; the behavior does not yet require an Action Plan or Standards of Performance	Supervisor	*Provide coaching and counsel to employee* Make notes that include an objective description of the behavior or incident, conversations or coaching provided to employee, employee’s input, and planned steps to address the issue	Notes are maintained by Supervisor* in informal staff working file - should not go in Reliant Employee File All notes must include only objective and observable behavior; the notes should not have any personal opinions or commentary by the supervisor (see Documentation Best Practices)
2	Performance issue has not resolved, or the employee has continued to violate the Code of Conduct after Level 1 action -OR- The violation of the Code of Conduct is more severe -OR- The employee violated one of the policies contained in the Standards of Conduct	Supervisor & Program Lead	Provide coaching and counsel to employee Continue to make notes in the staff working file Complete an Action Plan with the employee Follow up on plan as needed	Action Plan is maintained by Supervisor in informal staff working file until complete; once the plan is completed, send to Program Lead to place in Reliant Employee File
3	Action Plan is not completed satisfactorily -OR- The violation of the Code of Conduct or a policy within the Standards of Conduct is very severe but does not warrant immediate termination	Supervisor & Program Lead	Provide coaching and counsel to employee Continue to make notes in the staff working file Work with Program Lead (consult with Reliant HR Director if needed) on Standard of Performance (SOP) Follow up as needed	Standard of Performance is maintained by Supervisor with support from Program Leader; placed in Reliant Employee File
4	Employee exhausts all notices in the Standards of Performance -OR- Employee commits a dischargeable offense	Supervisor, Program Lead & HR Director	Continue to make notes in staff working file - turn over to HR Director Work with Program Lead and Reliant HR Director to exit employee	Any Action Plans or SOPs with appropriate documentation or a summary of dischargeable offense is placed in Employee File; all documentation of discussions, counseling, or other actions will be added to Employee File

*In some situations, the Program Lead may act as the Supervisor.

Action Levels

The below chart is meant to be used only for guidance to determine what steps to take in the Corrective Action process. Please consult with your Program Lead or the HR Director for further assistance.

Level	Examples
1	Not completing assigned tasks on time Job performance/quality of work not meeting expectations Gossiping about a fellow staff member
2	Refusing to complete assigned tasks Several occasions of drunkenness Dishonesty
3	Careless driving that led to an accident Misrepresentation of hours worked Marital infidelity
4	Sexual misconduct or assault Stealing from church funds Retaliation against an employee who made a good faith report of harassment

Confidentiality

All documentation, including notes, Action Plans, and Standards of Performance, should be kept confidential. Copies can be kept digitally or in hard copy but must be saved securely. (See Employee Files & Confidentiality.)
In most situations, to respect the privacy of all parties involved, details of Corrective Actions should only be shared with the staff member's supervisor/leaders, local HR team member (if applicable), the Program Team Leader, and HR Director. On the occasion that a larger group either needs to be involved in the action steps or needs to be informed of them, the information should still be shared on a need-to-know basis, and the staff member should be told with whom the details will be shared. It's recommended that you consult with the HR Director if you want to share the information beyond a leadership group.

Things to keep in mind

Seek to find a loving balance between accountability and grace when addressing employee issues.
When counseling the employee, discuss what the root issue may be that is leading to the poor performance or violation of the Code of Conduct; however, avoid assumptions and do not document any details beyond what is observable and objective in the staff working file.
To determine the level, consider if the cause was a lack of skill/knowledge or a behavior issue.
When coaching, always make sure that the employee is aware of the consequences of continued low performance or additional violations.

Additional Resources

Managing Poor Performance from the Work Biblically Blog