Let’s be honest: documenting often feels like just another responsibility on our to-do list.
As frontline leaders, we have a million things to do and taking the time to write down details about conversations, decisions, or incidents just seems burdensome.
Besides, you’ll remember those details anyway… right?
At least until you don’t.
Until an employee swears a conversation never happened.
Until someone accuses you of being inconsistent.
Until legal or HR issues arise, and you’re left scrambling for proof.
That’s when documentation goes from “just extra work” to your best friend.
If you are leading a team, you must make documentation a habit even if it seems small or insignificant, document. The small extra effort now may pay huge dividends to you in the future.
Here’s why it matters, what you should be tracking, and how to make it second nature.
Why Documenting Matters
Documenting may seem unnecessary, but here are 3 reasons why it matter:
1. It Protects Yourself and Your Team
First and foremost, documenting is a form of protection for you and your team.
I once had an employee who, for the sake of anonymity, let’s say was late quite often.
This employee and I had a few coaching sessions on the importance of being on time and how it impacted the rest of their team. After these coaching sessions, the behavior had still not been corrected, so I had to escalate it to a documented discussion, one step removed from termination.
This employee took this as me singling them out since there was another employee who occasionally had bouts of tardiness. As a result, they turned me into our HR for harassment.
Luckily for me, I had documentation to show that I was taking these same steps with the other employee. This allowed our HR department to conclude that there was no unfair treatment being performed.
The tiny habit of documenting prevents misunderstandings, reinforces expectations, and protects you from unnecessary disputes.
Stamer (2016) even highlighted that regulators and lawyers are increasingly focused on the process that leads to decisions, not just the decision itself. This documentation will enable you to clearly outline your process.
You never know when it might just be what keeps you out of hot water.
2. It Enables Clarity and Consistency
Consistency is everything in leadership.
Without documentation, it is difficult to ensure that you’re making consistent decisions, year after year.
Maybe you verbally warn one employee for certain performance issues. Six months later, you have another employee who starts having those same performance issues. Your documentation gives you something to look back onto to determine how you handled it, and how your discussion went with the first employee.
Keeping detailed documentation on your conversations, performance discussions and incidents allows you to maintain consistency in your leadership with all your employees over spans of time. 
3. Your Memory isn’t as Good as You Think
Before becoming a leader, you most likely figured you had a very good memory. After taking that step up, you realize just how much more you have to keep up with, and your memory is not as good as you thought it was.
Besides, do you believe that you would remember details of a conversation six months from now or maybe even a year from now?
As frontline leaders, we are responsible for managing our employees, project deadlines, and multiple other challenges on a daily basis.
Documenting gives you an objective record to refer back to so that you’re not hazy about the details when it matters most.
What to Document
You don’t need to document everything, but certain things should always be written down.
Performance Conversations (Good & Bad)
As a new leader, you are probably only documenting the negative performance conversations.
This is a mistake of new managers.
We also need to be documenting the wins, growth, and improvements of our team.
Why?
Because when yearly performance reviews roll around, you will want to have clear records of an employee’s progress rather than relying solely on your memory.
And when performance issues do arise?
A documented timeline makes feedback, coaching, and, if necessary, disciplinary actions much more straightforward to justify.
Policy & Procedure Violations
This one should be straightforward.
If one of your employees violates a policy, such as tardiness, misses deadlines, or exhibits inappropriate behavior, it must be documented.
Documenting policy and procedure violations is non-negotiable.
Agreements and Commitments
Here is one that I really wish I would have learned sooner.
Have you ever had an employee say, “But you told me…” and it’s not what you said?
These situations can be frustrating and cause confusion within your team. Documenting these agreements eliminates this confusion. Sending a quick recap email of the agreement will work wonders.
“Hey [Employee], just following up on our conversation to ensure we both came away with the same understanding. You agreed to [action] by [deadline]. Let me know if you have any questions.”
Documenting your agreements in this way leaves no room for misinterpretations in the future.
Safety Incidents and Near-misses
Documenting safety incidents and near misses is another one of the non-negotiable documentation requirements.
Even if no one got hurt, safety issues must be recorded. A minor incident today could escalate into a significant one tomorrow.
Most likely, if you work in a manufacturing environment, these types of events have programs in place that require documentation. Allowing for incident investigations to take place and to allow for action items to be assigned to ensure these incidents and near-misses do not occur in the future.
Employee Request
Anytime an employee requests accommodations from the norm, it needs to be documented. This can be scheduling adjustments, special considerations, or other accommodations. Staff (2022) highlights that one of the essential requests to document is when an employee requests an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation.
Write it down.
If conflict arises later, you have proof of what was discussed and agreed upon.
When Documentation Pays Off
Documenting will pay off in three primary ways performance reviews, conflict resolutions, and legal protections.
Performance Reviews
I have yet to meet an employee who did not think they deserved a raise even if their performance says otherwise.
Documentation lets you say, “Here’s why”, on an objective basis.
You don’t have to explain why from your memory awkwardly. You would be relying on vague explanations to help them understand why if relying on memory alone. Using your documentation, you can provide a clear and objective account of their performance for the year.
Conflict Resolution
When tensions rise, documentation provides neutral facts to fall back on. Documentation will allow you to turn “I think this happened” into “Here’s exactly what was said and agreed upon”.
Sticking to the facts and removing the interpretations from the picture will often help resolve conflicts sooner.
Legal Protection
The worst-case scenario?
An employee files a lawsuit.
Whether it be:
- Hostile work environment
- Wrongful termination
- Discrimination
- Harassment
If you don’t have clear documentation supporting your decision, you’ve left yourself vulnerable. Substantial documentation can protect your job.
How to Make Documenting a Habit
Now that we understand the importance of documentation, how can we make it a habit?
Keep It Simple
You don’t need paragraphs, like you’re writing a novel, just the key facts:
• Who was involved?
• What happened?
• When did it take place?
• What’s next?
That’s all you need.
Use Technology
Don’t rely on sticky notes and memory.
Use:
Word Document – Certainly the simplest, but crudest method of tracking.
OneNote – Great tracking tool, and tabs can be created for each employee to track each type of record separately, i.e goals tab, performance tab, & safety issues tab.
Emails – Send a recap after important conversations. Plus this method offers a time stamp that cannot be altered.
HR Systems – If your company has one, use it.
I am a OneNote person, and after trying several methods, this is the one that I found worked best for me. However, for important conversations, I still send an email and note that it was sent in my OneNote file.
Be Objective
Stick to the facts, not your feelings.
Instead of documenting:
“Mark had a bad attitude.”
Write:
“Mark interrupted the meeting twice and dismissed feedback when asked for input.”
See the difference?
Facts are defensible. Feelings are debatable.
Wrapping Up
Documenting may feel like a tedious chore, but it’s one of the most powerful habits a frontline leader can develop.
It ensures clarity, protects against miscommunication, and provides a safeguard in case of disputes.
The next time you’re tempted to skip documenting something because it feels futile, remember when you need documentation, you really need it.
Call to Action
Start today.
Choose one thing to document that you usually wouldn’t and see how it benefits you down the road.
Reference
Starner, T. (2016). Why documentation is more important than ever for compliance. HR Dive. https://www.hrdive.com/news/why-documentation-is-more-important-than-ever-for-compliance/423870/
Staff, I. (2022, October 18). HR documentation: A step-by-step guide. https://www.insperity.com/blog/hr-documentation/
