Written Warning (Abmahnung)

WRITTEN WARNING (ABMAHNUNG)

✓Employer name

To: ✓Employee name, "✓Position" Date: Issue date

1. FACTUAL DESCRIPTION (HINWEIS) 1.1. On Date of the incident/breach, the following occurred: Factual description of the incident (Hinweis)

2. REPROACH — DUTY VIOLATED (RÜGE) 2.1. This conduct violated the following contractual/statutory duty: Contractual/statutory duty violated (Rüge)

3. PRIOR WARNINGS 3.1. Prior warnings on file, if any

4. WARNING OF CONSEQUENCES (WARNUNG) 4.1. Warning of consequences (Warnung) 4.2. ⚠️ German labour courts require an Abmahnung to contain all THREE elements above — a plain factual account (Hinweis), a clear identification of the violated duty (Rüge), AND an explicit warning that repetition may result in dismissal (Warnung). A letter missing any of the three, or phrased only as general criticism, does not count as a valid Abmahnung. 4.3. ⚠️ Before a behaviour-based dismissal (verhaltensbedingte Kündigung) for a repeat or similar breach, a valid, prior Abmahnung for materially the same conduct is a de-facto legal prerequisite — without one, the dismissal is very likely to fail if challenged in a labour court (Arbeitsgericht).

5. DELIVERY 5.1. Delivery method

Signed: ______________ / ✓Signed by /

Acknowledged (signature confirms receipt only, not agreement with the content): ______________ / ✓Employee name / Date: ______________

— — — ⚠️ This is a boilerplate template, not legal advice. German employment, consumer-protection, data-protection and workplace-safety law (BGB, Nachweisgesetz "NachwG", ArbSchG, MiLoG, SGB IV, DSGVO/BDSG, DDG, EGBGB Art. 246a) changes frequently and includes sector-specific exceptions — notably § 2a Gesetz gegen Schwarzarbeit "SchwarzArbG", which keeps the Gaststätten- und Beherbergungsgewerbe (restaurants and hotels) on paper-only Schriftform even after the BEG IV digitalisation reform. Statutory figures (Mindestlohn, Minijob-Grenze) are re-indexed periodically — have this document reviewed and adapted by a German employment/legal advisor (Rechtsanwalt/Steuerberater) and verified against the current rates before use. Where a German-language version of this document is also used, that version prevails in case of conflict.