You would say that workplace communication is important and necessary for the good performance of employees and their job. But did you know that communication does not only involve talking and listening but also through writing? That’s right – communication through writing can lead to success or failure in work. For instance, if a worker does not write an incident report and he/she was victimized by the actions of his co-workers or supervisor, it can lead to a serious problem. It will be difficult for him to give proof of the incident if there is no written evidence.

Office work is based on writing reports on various incidents such as accidents involving materials and equipment, injuries and illnesses, theft of company property, among others. Management will never know if they don’t have a written report from the workers themselves. Now that you already know writing is important in office work, this article provides tips on how to write an incident report in your workplace.

When writing an incident report you need to be very clear on what exactly happened before writing one.

Start With Filling Up An Employee Incident Form

When you experience behavior that violates the company’s policy or procedure, then consider reporting it immediately. It is better if you start with filling up an incident form before submitting a complaint with HR but keep in mind not to write an incident report if the issue is trivial.

Every individual who holds a position in the workplace is expected to follow rules and regulations. This ensures that the workplace remains free of chaos. It also makes sure that employees are not exposed to unnecessary risks. The most important thing for every worker is respecting their co-workers. To show respect, you can use an incident report template during work hours.

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Examine the circumstances and issues related to your incident report

You can do this before writing one. For example, you may be having a conflict with a co-worker and you want it addressed by writing an incident report on that person.

Find out what happened. If there is a serious instance like a fire, you can have a fire incident report. This will give you history over the events that transpired before coming up with a conclusion as to why you decided to write an incident report.

Gather as much information as possible

After finding out what happened, you need this for proper documentation of facts like dates and times of incidents, your relationship with the other person involved, and your actions. Examine the events happened that led to the current situation. You have to be wise here because you are trying to discover if there is any mistake on your part. Knowing this will make it easier for you to avoid future conflicts with others about an incident report already written by you.

Write Down What You Know On An Incident Report Template

This should include facts, people involved, the time and place of the incidents, the relationship between parties involved, and both verbal and physical conduct. Explaining why things happened will help in understanding the truth better.

Be professional when writing an incident report. You can do this by avoiding accusing other people without sufficient basis against them. Use only facts to support your incident report.

Be supportive by presenting yourself as a peacemaker. You can do this by monitoring the emotions of people involved in an incident while writing one. Avoid being judgmental by showing only the truth without adding opinions on what you think happened. You must be careful to avoid hurting other people’s feelings while at it.

Venngage provides a good example of an outstanding Incident Report Template which every employee should use in writing their reports. Check it out for more ideas!

Describe Actions Taken After The Incidents Occurred

This should show how fair you are to all parties involved, especially when decisions are made whether or not somebody gets punished for his/her actions during an incident.

Do not include unnecessary details about events that transpired before writing an incident report. You can do this by avoiding lengthy explanations and by sticking to the bare essentials.

By following these steps, you can come up with an incident report that is clear and concise. It will also be free from judgmental emotions that may cause misunderstandings among co-workers who read it. Once your incident report is done, then send or deliver it to the right party for action, depending on what type of conduct was observed by you during work hours. A police incident report is something that is more serious. Just make sure you are not too hasty to file one especially if you are not sure about something. Make use of an incident report template for this purpose so that your incident report will follow standard guidelines properly.

There are times when there is no need for you to write the incident report because the management already knows about it, or they have their way of handling it. It all depends on your company’s policy. If not, better follow what has been stated above to get your message across without sounding accusing or judgmental.

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Conclusion

No matter what type of industry you work in, it is possible that one day at some point you will need to write an incident report. It can be a confusing process for someone who has never done this before and doesn’t know the basics of how to go about doing so. Whether they are formal or informal, these documents serve as records of events that may have occurred during working hours.