10 Types Of Incident Reports That You Have To Be Familiar With

Most companies have a set of rules to be followed, and your boss expects you to follow those rules. If you don’t, there will be consequences. These consequences could range from a formal warning to being fired from your job. In some cases, depending on the severity of the violation, you may even face legal charges as well as lose your job.
However, certain things that you do at work that seem small or involved in everyday business can land you in hot water – especially if they violate company policy and leave others disgruntled with the result.
As an IT professional, it is very easy for such trivial matters to become significant issues and assume enormous proportions – but only if handled poorly by management personnel. That’s why you need to understand the different types of incident reports that could land you in trouble.
Here are the top 10 types of incident reports that you have to be familiar with before taking up a position in IT:
1. Noisy Coworker Report.
It’s unfortunate, but every company will have at least one coworker who likes to make a lot of noise when they’re getting things done because they “need” it to stay focused. However, this can get on everyone else’s nerves quickly and lead them to start looking for a place to work in peace. This is why companies require their employees to submit noisy coworker reports to reallocate certain workers’ desks if needed.
2. Tardy Clock-In/Out Report.
Most companies have strict rules regarding the deadline by which employees must clock in and out at work, especially if they need time to commute. This is so companies can ensure that no one takes advantage of the company’s free benefits or is putting in less than eight hours of work per day. Suppose someone isn’t being punctual with their reporting times. In that case, bosses usually send them a tardy clock-in/out report for incident reporting.
3. Slow Computer Report.
The most common incident report template is for work computers’ functionality and efficiency. It is your job as an IT professional to keep your company’s hardware running smoothly at all times for everyone in the office. However, there could come a time when you’ll be faced with either managing an unreasonable amount of complaints about sluggish computer systems or facing the risk of losing your job.
4. Low Quality Work Report.
Every employee in an office wants to do an excellent job because it’s required to keep their job. However, suppose they find themselves constantly struggling with poor quality work. In that case, it’s best for management personnel to inform them about this by issuing low-quality work reports. They may even transfer them elsewhere within the company to avoid any further complications down the road.
5. Tailgating Report.
There are two types of tailgaters: (1) those who follow closely behind others without getting permission first, and (2) those who make a habit of trailing behind coworkers as they move from location to location throughout the office.
While the former may be considered situational, the latter is very problematic for people who work in office environments where they are required to move quickly between designated spots during emergencies or other situations. This kind of behavior is considered by companies as potentially dangerous and is a common source of accident reports. Therefore, it is best handled with tailgating reports.
6. Personal Project Report.
Though some employees may find themselves doing personal tasks on their company computers (such as paying bills or shopping online), this can lead to problems further down the line if they get caught using company resources for personal use.
It’s also important to note that some companies forbid their employees from engaging in any form of productivity outside of work hours, so these activities aren’t allowed. Such violations are often referred to as personal project reports, and imperative to know how to write reports such as this carefully.
7. Questionable Email Report.
Business email should always be professional regardless of the personal opinions expressed by employees to one another. However, it’s not unusual for some people to come across potentially troublesome or even dangerous emails because they either violate company policy or could lead to legal issues if sent externally. This is why companies have their own email guidelines, including what can and cannot be done via business emails.
Hence, employees know exactly what could land them in hot water when sending questionable messages using their work accounts. Therefore, when a questionable email report needs to be drafted, it’s crucial for the reporting individual to explicitly define incident and its details.
8. Illegal Internet Usage Report.
Certain websites out there may violate a company’s policies if accessed while on the clock at work – particularly pornography sites, dating apps, and other forms of social media. However, not all companies automatically assume that their employees engage in prohibited activities whenever they encounter such sites on their company PCs. They’re only concerned if the same people go to those websites repeatedly or access them during work hours.
9. Excessive Personal Web Surfing Report.
Some employers simply want their employees to focus on doing their jobs while at work instead of surfing the web for fun – no matter how harmless it may seem to be. So, when an employee comes across a potentially distracting website (such as Facebook), managers usually send them warning emails telling them about this potential problem. This is why the phrase “excessive personal web surfing” exists in IT terms.
10. Password Violation Report.
Everything is tied to a password – from your personal devices at home to all of your online accounts in this day and age. However, it’s not uncommon for employees to either lose or forget the passwords they use on their company-issued devices or PCs.
Hence, they ask someone else for help – whether a coworker has access to those same resources or a direct manager. When that happens, companies will usually issue a password violation report informing them that what was done was against policy and could jeopardize security measures.
Whether it’s to report accidents or general incidents in the workplace, it’s vital to be familiar with incident reports. While these reports vary, crafting one is made easier with ready-to-use templates. Check out Venngage’s incident reports templates for inspiration or for instant use.
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