Show Cause Notice
Formally ask an employee to explain a specific, dated incident in writing before any decision is made, in neutral administrative language.
Guide
Show Cause Notice, explained
About the Show Cause Notice
A show cause notice formally puts a specific, dated incident to an employee and asks them to explain it in writing by a deadline, before any decision is made — it's a request for an explanation, not a verdict.
Use it when a concern needs to be raised formally and you want the employee's side of the story on record before deciding whether, and what, further action is warranted.
Fields this generator asks for
Every field below feeds directly into the letter — nothing is invented on your behalf.
- Date of incident (required)
- Description of the incident (required)
- Deadline to respond (required)
- Policy or clause referenced (optional) (optional)
Sample content
This notice concerns an incident on 10 March 2026, described as follows: unauthorised access to a colleague's shared drive on 10 March 2026, outside the scope of your assigned project, as flagged by the platform's access log
This is in relation to Section 4.2 of the Employee Code of Conduct (Data and System Access).
You are required to submit a written explanation regarding this matter on or before 17 March 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between this and a warning letter?
A show cause notice comes BEFORE a decision — it asks the employee to explain themselves and gives them a real chance to respond before anything is decided. A warning letter documents an outcome that's already been decided. Issuing a show cause notice first, and only escalating to a warning (or further action) after considering the response, is the more defensible order for anything serious.
What should the incident description contain?
Specific, dated, factual observations only — what happened, when, and how you know. Avoid characterising the person's intent or character; that's for the response and any subsequent process to establish, not for the notice itself.
Does issuing this notice through this generator make our process legally compliant?
No. This produces neutral, factual wording, but it does not check your applicable labour law, your organisation's disciplinary policy, or whether this is the right procedural step for your situation. Have your HR and legal team review the process before this notice is issued, not just the letter.
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This document can affect someone's employment status. It is a neutral drafting aid, not legal advice, and using this generator does not by itself guarantee compliance with the labour law or contract terms that apply to your organization. Have the final wording reviewed by your HR, legal advisor, or compliance team before it is issued.