DIY Corrective Action: How Owning Your Mistakes Can Actually Help Your Career

According to UC Davis' definition, corrective action is a process of communicating with an employee to improve behavior or performance after other methods such as coaching and performance appraisal have not been successful.

Corrective actions, in short, are not ideal. Since, by definition, they should come after some other means of intervention, corrective action is closer to a final effort to improve an employee’s performance, attitude, or aptitude.

When You’re An Employer Considering Corrective Action

As an employer, you will need just cause to put corrective action into motion. Before corrective action, the first thing you need to do is make sure that this is strictly a performance or attendance issue and not a personal issue. 

Make sure that you have communicated with the employee. Ensure that the duties and responsibilities of the job have been clearly documented. Make sure the employee is aware of all attendance rules and regulations. 

Once you have taken the steps to clearly communicate the rules, regulations, and requirements to the employee, give them the time to correct their course. If that doesn’t happen, corrective action may be your next recourse. Corrective action is not discipline. Rather, it is an action that is focused on improving an employee’s performance, attendance, or personal conduct in the workplace. Corrective actions can be:

When taking corrective action with an employee, follow these three steps:

Corrective action should not be a threat nor discipline.

The intended outcome for corrective action should not be the termination of the employee. Rather, corrective action should be taken when the employer or manager truly wants to encourage and foster improvement in the employee. Typically, employees will be responsive to thoughtful corrective action and take the necessary steps to improve. 

When You’re an Employee Facing Corrective Action 

Corrective action, from an employee standpoint, can feel embarrassing, belittling, or (in some cases) wholly undeserved. When faced with corrective action, you might feel yourself immediately launch into self-defense mode. Maybe you made one mistake and you feel corrective action is a little extreme. If it’s attendance-based, maybe you have been dealing with a chronic illness. If it’s behavior-based, maybe it’s been an incredibly tough few months for you, personally. 

When facing corrective action, whether in the form of a meeting or a letter, our first piece of advice is this: breathe. Before responding, take the corrective action in and evaluate what you’re hearing (or reading) with a logical head. 

When faced with corrective action, your next moves are going to be crucial. If you believe corrective action is entirely unwarranted, speak with your manager and/or human resources. When you can, try to come prepared with solutions rather than excuses. For example, if your attendance has suffered because there is an illness in your family, communicate this to management. Create a gameplan for communication, flexible work hours, or a reduced schedule. 

If corrective action is being taken due to your performance, there are a few routes you can take. For example, if you work in sales and are unable to meet your quota, talk to another salesperson. Determine whether there are certain actions you can take to improve your performance through peer guidance, online learning, or retraining. Bring these solutions to your manager with a deadline. 

How to Safeguard Your Job Against Corrective Action 

So, we've pretty much established that corrective action is a terrifying prospect and that none of us ever want to receive an email with the subject line reading "Corrective Action."

Let's make sure that it never happens to you. Moreover, let's make sure no disciplinary action is ever needed. These next three steps, when done correctly, will keep you accountable to your job responsibilities, communicate your scope of work, and encourage an ongoing feedback loop with management. 

Understand Your Job

This is something you should be working on from day one. Actually, it's something you should work on the moment you receive a job offer. Clarity is key. Make sure you have clarity on all things your job. That means knowing (among other things) your responsibilities, resources, and processes. 

The first thing we want you to do happens before day one of your job. Print out your job description. Refer to it often. Make sure you're meeting (and exceeding) expectations when you can. Additionally, keeping your job description handy allows you to keep your employers accountable for the opportunities the job promises. For example, if your job description promises that you will learn and grow in a digital marketing role, make sure you have access to the tools and courses to help you to learn and grow. 

Secondly, keep up to speed with the changes in your industry as it pertains to your role. Modern jobs are always evolving with new technology and different approaches. Follow the influencers and thought leaders in your industry and be a changemaker in your role. Remember that job description you printed out before day one? Make sure you're adding new skills to it. 

Communicate Your Progress 

Always communicate your progress, your tiny victories, and your team's windfalls to management. Too often, we let our wins get lost in the constant rush of the workweek, the season, and the year. Before we know it, we can't remember a single victory we had in the last few years of our career. 

Keep a journal—even if it's just in the Notes app on your phone—and document all of your victories. This simple act will help you grow your career, communicate progress, and build on your own growth. It also allows for real visibility when relaying accomplishments to management in performance reviews, quarterly meetings, or in an all-company Slack channel. Make sure you document your progress for yourself and for the future of your career. 

Create A Feedback Loop 

Establish a feedback loop that works for you and management without being burdensome or redundant. According to a study by LinkedIn, 80 percent of employees prefer regular feedback over quarterly or annual reviews. 

Instead of asking your boss for regular feedback, do some of the work upfront. Here's a template to help you launch an infinite feedback loop from your management 

Greetings [NAME],

I am so thrilled to be in [ROLE] and I have extensive plans to [PRIORITY ONE], [PRIORITY TWO], and [PRIORITY THREE] over the next [TIMELINE].

In order to keep myself working to the best of my ability (and beyond), I'd love to borrow your expertise for a monthly review of my work.

Could I send you monthly progress, specific actions I've been taking, and any measurable outcomes for your review?

If you could lend five minutes to review these and suggest any tweaks, I'd be grateful. I believe this method will foster a great feedback loop between you and me.

I am looking forward to working with you in [DEPARTMENT] / on [PROJECT].

Best,
[NAME] 

So, there you have it. It's our gameplan for keeping corrective action out of your sphere so you can continue to focus on growing the heck out of your career.