On the other hand, letters of clarification specifically state that the document isn’t a disciplinary warning. As such, employees don’t walk away from your meeting feeling beaten up for having been written up. Instead, they sense that they’ve had a private meeting with management to discuss management’s perceptions about how they can improve their performance. That sense of respect and dignity helps employees assume responsibility for the situation.

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Your opening should express your concerns about the individual’s
performance, conduct, or excessive absenteeism. It also clarifies that
the letter is not a disciplinary document, merely a formal acknowledgment that the individual’s performance has suffered. A sample
clarification letter can be found in Appendix R.

A final caveat: Letters of clarification work best for long-term employees who should be accorded ample workplace due process because of their tenure in your organization. The clarification letter could later be portrayed as management’s attempt to solve the performance problem without having to resort to formal discipline. Onthe other hand, you shouldn’t always hand out clarification letters as precursors to formal discipline. Union representatives may argue that you’ll have created a precedent and past practice if you use such documents for certain employees but not for all. Therefore, use these tools carefully, and reserve them primarily for your longerterm employees.

Taken From : The Hiring and Firing Quention and Answer Book