Workflow Template
Disciplinary Action Workflow
Manages employee conduct/performance disciplinary cases end-to-end: intake and acknowledgement, HR assessment, employee response, HR decision with optional further-investigation and formal-action approval loops, and final closure notification.
A conduct or performance issue gets reported, and suddenly HR is juggling emails, spreadsheets and sticky notes trying to track who said what and what happens next. This workflow turns that into a structured case: it logs the report, sends the reporter an acknowledgement with a reference number, assigns HR an assessment task, gathers the employee's written response, and routes HR's decision through further investigation or manager approval loops when needed before closing the case and notifying the employee. Day to day, this means the team always knows a case's status and history without having to chase people for updates.
Business Outcomes
- Helps standardise how disciplinary cases move from report to closure
- Reduces manual chasing by tracking case status automatically at each stage
- Supports faster HR response with built-in task due dates for assessment and decisions
- Makes it easier to keep a clear record of assessments, responses, decisions and reasons
- Streamlines approval of formal action before it's communicated to the employee
Workflow Steps
Steps
- 1Create Disciplinary Case Recordcreate record
Registers the submitted report as a disciplinary case record.
- 2Set Status to Receivedupdate record
Marks the case status as Received.
- 3Email Acknowledgement to Reportersend email
Sends the reporter an acknowledgement email with the case reference number.
- 4Set Status to Under Assessmentupdate record
Marks the case status as Under Assessment.
- 5HR: Complete Case Assessmentcreate task
HR reviews the report and records their case assessment, due in 5 days.
- 6Save Case Assessment to Recordupdate record
Persists HR's case assessment to the record.
- 7Set Status to Awaiting Responseupdate record
Marks the case status as Awaiting Response.
- 8Request Employee Responserequest external input
Emails the employee a summary of the issue and asks them to submit a written response, then waits for their reply.
- 9Save Employee Response to Recordupdate record
Persists the employee's response to the record.
- 10Set Status to Under Reviewupdate record
Marks the case status as Under Review while HR makes a decision.
- 11HR: Record Decisioncreate task
HR reviews the assessment and employee response and records a decision with reasons, due in 5 days.
- 12Save Decision to Recordupdate record
Persists HR's decision and reasons to the record.
- 13Route on HR Decision
Routes the case based on HR's decision value.
hr_decision: "More information needed"→Investigator: Gather Further Informationhr_decision: "Formal action"→HR Manager: Approve Formal Actionhr_decision: "No action"→Set Status to Closedhr_decision: "Warning"→Set Status to ClosedDefault→Set Status to Closed - 14Investigator: Gather Further Informationcreate task
An investigator gathers additional information and records their findings, due in 5 days.
- 15Save Investigation Findings to Recordupdate record
Persists the investigator's findings to the record.
- 16Return to HR Decisionrestart from step
Restarts the workflow from HR's decision task now that further information has been gathered.
- 17HR Manager: Approve Formal Actionrequest approvalrequires approval
The HR manager reviews and approves or rejects the proposed formal action.
- 18Route on Manager Approval
Routes based on whether the HR manager approved or rejected the formal action.
approval_status: "approved"→Set Status to Closedapproval_status: "rejected"→Return to HR Decision after RejectionDefault→End - 19Return to HR Decision after Rejectionrestart from step
Restarts the workflow from HR's decision task after the manager rejected the formal action.
- 20Set Status to Closedupdate record
Marks the case status as Closed once a final decision has been reached.
- 21Email Employee the Decisionsend email
Sends the employee the final decision and reasons for the case.
Fields
Show all 14 fieldsShow fewer fields
FormDisciplinary Issue Report
- Reporter Name*· Text
- Reporter Email*· Email
- Employee Name*· Text
- Employee Email*· Email
- Issue Type*· Choice
- Description*· Long text
- Relevant Date(s)*· Text
- Evidence· File upload
TaskHR: Complete Case Assessment
- HR Case Assessment*· Long text
TaskHR: Record Decision
- HR Decision*· Choice
- Decision Reasons*· Long text
TaskInvestigator: Gather Further Information
- Investigation Findings*· Long text
Other fields
- Case Status*· Choice
- Employee Response*· Text
- Reporter Name*
- Reporter Email*
- Employee Name*
- Employee Email*
- Issue Type*
- Description*
Forms
Disciplinary Issue Report
8 fields
Data Views
Disciplinary Cases
employee_name, issue_type, hr_decision, case_status
Dashboard Widgets
Recommended integrations
Setup the following integrations to extend workflow capability.
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AWS SES
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FAQs
Do I need to set this up for every type of disciplinary case separately?
No, the request form captures the issue type, description, dates and evidence upfront, so one workflow handles a range of conduct and performance cases. If you find you need different handling for specific issue types, you can describe the change in plain English or edit the steps directly in the workflow editor, and earlier versions are kept.
Can my team customise the questions on the request form or employee response form?
Yes, forms and tasks in this workflow can be edited to match how your business handles cases, either by describing the change you want in plain English or by adjusting the steps in the workflow editor. Since earlier versions are kept, you can review or roll back changes if needed.
Who is actually involved in running a case through this workflow?
HR completes the case assessment and records the decision with reasons, an investigator can be brought in if more information is needed, and an HR manager approves or rejects proposed formal action. These are all assigned as tasks to team members within the workspace, and the employee and reporter take part through emailed forms without needing an account.
What happens if HR decides more information is needed?
The case routes to an investigator, who gathers additional information and records their findings on the record within a 5-day due date. Once findings are saved, the workflow returns to HR's decision task so HR can reassess with the fuller picture.
Is this suitable for cases that end up needing formal action, like a warning?
Yes, when HR's decision is formal action, the case is routed to an HR manager who approves or rejects it before anything is finalised. If the manager rejects it, the case returns to HR's decision step so a different outcome can be recorded, keeping a clear trail of what was decided and why.
How does the employee find out about the outcome?
The employee is emailed to submit a written response earlier in the process, and once a final decision is reached and the case is closed, they receive an email with the decision and reasons. They take part entirely through emailed forms and don't need to log in or set up an account.
Can we see the status of all open cases at a glance?
Yes, each case is a record with a reference number, a current status such as Received, Under Assessment or Closed, and a full timeline of what happened. Table views and dashboards show records grouped by status, so the team can see where things stand across all active cases.
Does this workflow make sure we're legally compliant with disciplinary procedures?
The workflow records statuses, the assessments, responses and decisions your team enters, and a timeline of case activity, which supports good record-keeping practice. Each business should confirm its own legal and procedural obligations around disciplinary processes, as this varies by jurisdiction and employment terms.
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