How to write an explanatory note? Sample of writing an explanatory note

If you ever need to write an explanatory note, and as practice shows, such cases happen quite often, then do it competently and correctly. Do not underestimate this document. A serious approach will help to avoid further misunderstandings and disciplinary actions. This article will help you with this. We will learn how to write an explanatory note, what are the types and requirements for it. In addition, this information will be useful to managers and persons whose competence includes this issue.

What is an explanatory note?

In the general sense of the word, an explanatory note should be understood as a special business paper, which is drawn up to provide explanations on certain provisions of the main document (plan, report, project) or gives a comment on the causes of any fact, event or act.

A large number of variations and varieties of this document can be conditionally divided into two groups.

Types of explanatory notes

1. Accompanying the main document or giving explanations on its individual provisions.
2. Explanatory notes about any incident, actions, situations and behavior of individual employees of the organization. This is the most common type of document compiled by employees of an organization at the request of a direct or higher manager. They concern the relations that arise in the process of labor and production activities. As a rule, an explanatory note to the director is written in connection with the occurrence of an emergency situation, violation of labor and (or) industrial discipline, disciplinary offenses and violations, etc. In these cases, the employer is obliged to request it from the employee (according to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, Article 193) , since it is considered by the legislator as a form of his self-defense. Thus, an explanatory note (sample below) is an integral part of the process of bringing an employee to disciplinary responsibility.

Making an explanatory note

For the first type of documentation, hard copy is a mandatory requirement; for the second, handwritten text on a standard sheet of A4 paper is acceptable. Everyone should know how to write an explanatory note and what to indicate in it, because in practice this is very common. No matter how exemplary an employee you are, situations are different, and no one is immune from them. The structure of the explanatory note includes the following mandatory elements:

• details of the addressee;
• name of the document, indication of the type;
• title of the text (begins with the preposition "O (About)...");
• main text;
• date of writing the document;
• personal signature.

An explanatory note (a sample is given below) in the content should reflect objective data about events and specific facts, give clear explanations. The main text reflects the personal position of the employee in the current situation, his attitude to the misconduct and the consequences. If an employee admits his guilt in committing a misconduct, then he can reflect this in the content, indicating his remorse for what he did, and give a promise not to repeat this in the future. If he considers himself innocent, then there is an opportunity to express his point of view and provide his arguments and the necessary evidence.

Summing up, we can say that an explanatory note is an example of how an employee can protect himself in the presence of a controversial situation. His explanations essentially contribute to an objective assessment by the employer of a certain fact and make it possible to identify all the circumstances of the committed misconduct, and, if necessary, to choose a fair measure of disciplinary action.

Notification of the employee to give an explanation

As already mentioned, the employer is obliged to request a written explanation from his employee before applying a disciplinary sanction (Article 193 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). In addition, the deadlines within which an explanation must be given are set - two working days. Based on the fact that a certain time is allotted by the legislator, the employer must document the date when he asked his employee to provide a note. There is no mandatory requirement for this, however, from a practical point of view, such a document would be useful. Firstly, this is the starting date, and secondly, documentary evidence that the rights of the employee were not violated. We give an example below to make it clear what should be indicated in it and how to write it. An explanatory note is requested on the form of a letter signed by a representative from the employer, whose competence is to issue disciplinary sanctions. As a rule, this is the leader or the person to whom these powers are delegated.

Notification Example

Deputy Chief Physician

Kukushkina R.R.

About providing a written explanation

In connection with the improper performance of your labor duties, which resulted in absence from the workplace from 12/21/14 to 12/23/14, I ask you to provide a written explanation on this fact to the personnel department by 18:00 on 01/26/2014.

Chief Physician (signature) Sorokin P.P.

Notification received on 01/24/2014

Deputy Chief Physician (signature) Kukushkin R.R.

A situation may well arise when an employee refuses to receive and sign such a document, and an explanatory note for work is written late, when it is no longer possible to apply a disciplinary measure and all deadlines have expired. In this case, the next way out may be to serve the notification by the commission, that is, in the presence of the immediate supervisor, a representative from the trade union, the legal adviser of the organization and other interested parties. If there was a refusal, then it is worth drawing up an act with the signatures of all those who were present. In this way, you confirm compliance with the provisions of Art. 193 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

Explanatory note (sample) for work: example No. 1

The most common situations associated with absenteeism or being late for work.

Commander of military unit 65487

Colonel Sidorov S.S.

From an employee of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, a clerk

Volkova R.L.

Explanatory letter

About being late for work on May 16, 2014

I, Volkov Roman Lvovich, on May 16, 2014, was 4 hours late for work. On the merits of the current situation, I can explain the following. This morning, on my way to work in my own car, I witnessed an accident. In this regard, he was forced to testify to the traffic police. It took quite a long time. I am enclosing a copy of the protocol as evidence and a supporting note from traffic police inspector Orlov P.P.

May 16, 2014 (signature) Volkov R.L.

Example #2

Director of the Parus store

Malinina M.M.

From warehouse manager

Smorodintseva S.S.

Explanatory letter

About being late for work December 30, 2014

I, Smorodintseva Sofia Semenovna, on December 30, 2014, was late for work by 2 hours. The fact is that the day before I bought a new watch with an alarm clock. Not fully understanding the mechanism, I incorrectly set the timer and overslept for one hour. I realize my mistake. I promise this won't happen again in the future.

December 30, 2014 (signature) Smorodintseva S.S.

Error Explanatory Note: Example

This type of document is also quite common. Errors can be of various kinds related to practical activities, paperwork, etc. In this case, the situation with the non-fulfillment of the work plan is considered.

Director of LLC "Mnogo money"

Monetkina L.D.

From the chief specialist Bumazhkina R.M.

Explanatory letter

On failure to fulfill the plan for September 2014

I, Lyudmila Denisovna Monetkina, having analyzed the current situation related to the failure to fulfill the plan for concluding loan agreements, explain the following. The problem is related to the lack of employees, since two specialists were fired in a month, and no one was hired to replace them. The two remaining employees cannot cope with the volume of work, although they work above the norm.

October 15, 2014 (signature) Monetkina L.D.

Drawing up an act on the non-submission of an explanatory note by the employee

If, after the expiration of the established period, an explanatory note (example above) was not provided by the employee, then in accordance with the specified article of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, the employer must draw up a special act. True, the legislator does not indicate which particular employee should do this, in what time frame and whether it is required to familiarize the employee with it. This is determined at the organization level, taking into account the rules of office work. The act is drawn up with the participation of a group of persons and confirms the events or facts established by them. Therefore, it is necessary to draw up it collegially, it would be advisable to involve those employees who were present when the employee was given a notice of the requirement to provide an explanatory note. It is written on a common letterhead and may look like the one below.

sample act

On the failure to provide an employee with a written explanation in connection with the commission of a disciplinary offense

By me, the head of the personnel department Koroleva E.E., in the presence of the chief accountant Ivanova N.N. and economist Pevtsov R.I. This act has been drawn up as follows:

07/06/2014 accountant Petrova I.I. It was proposed, in accordance with Article 193 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, to provide a written explanation on 07/09/2014 regarding the disciplinary offense committed by her, which manifested itself in absence from the workplace for 6 hours in a row. Petrova I.I. she did not do this within the prescribed period, saying that she had already given an oral explanation and was not going to write anything more.

This act is drawn up in two copies.

/signature/ Koroleva E.E.

/signature/ Ivanova N.N.

/signature/ Pevtsov R.I.

A copy of the act received:

/signature/ Petrova I.I.

You should not regard the refusal to write an explanatory note as a new disciplinary offense, because this is the exclusive right of the employee, and not a duty. And with this act, the employer only confirms that all the norms of the law have been observed.

The difference between an explanatory note from a memorandum and service

Do not confuse these three concepts. We have already dealt with the first one. By knowing how to write an explanatory note, you can easily handle the rest. Let's talk about them briefly. The memorandum is the opposite. The purpose of writing it is to inform the leadership about the current situation, the situation, the facts that took place, that is, to motivate them to take some action.

A memo involves the transfer of certain information along the “horizontal” branch of management, that is, from one manager to another, an employee of one department to an employee of another, etc. As a rule, they relate to logistical, organizational, economic and other issues. In fact, this is a business correspondence.

How to write an explanatory note (sample or example) can be easily found on the net. There is no single form, but there are certain requirements that we have indicated. You can easily use and modify the given examples "for yourself".