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build a paper trail
HR's Guide to Manager Documentation
Digital Course
Your manager wants to terminate someone. The documentation is only a couple of vague sentences from six months ago. Now what?
Build a Paper Trail is a complete done-for-you documentation system for HR professionals with three customizable forms; a train-the-trainer kit so your managers actually do it; the legal context to defend your decisions; and (on the Team plan) two hours of 1:1 setup help from me.
Two ways to buy: $199 for individual professionals or $1,799 for HR teams (up to 25 users, brand customization, and 2 hours of 1:1 setup support included)
You already know what good documentation looks like. Getting your managers to do it is the hard part.
Maybe you've seen this play out...
- A manager comes to you ready to fire someone, but the paper trail is thin or nonexistent.
- A former employee files for unemployment, and you realize the file has nothing in writing to support the termination decision.
- You roll out a new documentation form, but three months later, only one manager is using it.
- Performance reviews come around and managers can't remember specific examples, and employees are frustrated by not getting any helpful feedback.
The cost of not documenting shows up in legal exposure, unemployment claims, manager time, and the slow erosion of fairness across your workforce. The fix isn't "try harder." It's a system.
A complete documentation system, ready to roll out on Monday
Three Customizable Documentation Forms
The Quick Log (for managers in the field or new to documentation), the Check Log (for the most common recurring issues), and the Full Log (for formal HR files), all editable in Word.
Effective Phrases for Giving Feedback
Give managers the specific language for both correcting behavior and recognizing wins. No more "I don't know what to say."
Manger Red Flag and Green Flag Checklists
Help managers know exactly what to document, but the problems AND the wins. Print and hand out.
Employment-at-Will Deep Dive
The legal context every HR professional needs to defend decisions through documentation and address manager misconceptions.
Manager Training Kit
A complete manager training kit with customizable slide deck, trainer script, two ready-to-use agendas, and an evaluation form. Run the training yourself or hand off to a senior manager.
Five Short Video Lessons
Under two hours total of video assistance to guide you through the system. Watch for a quick start and refer back as needed.
Plus, on the Team plan:
2 hours of 1:1 Support
Support for you and your team from Marcia Dickerson. Schedule it when you need it. We'll adapt forms, work through your specific manager pushback, and customize the training for your culture. This is the part most courses don't include.
Multi-User License
Use across your entire HR team and roll out materials to managers organization wide, with up to 25 users.
Brand Customization
We add your logo, your colors, your policy language, and these materials become yours.
Pricing and Features
What HR professionals say...
"Documentation is daunting, frustrating and overwhelming, but Marcia makes it easy with practical guidance and support. Everything you need for your entire team is included in this course including customizable templates. I highly recommend this course for any leader or HR professional wanting to strengthen the accountability and consistency in documentation."
- Denise Calhoun, HR Director, Kronospan
"The training guide was my favorite part. It is written in a way that would allow someone who has never led a training lead one in a way that no one would ever know it was their first time."
- Beta tester
Build a Paper Trail is for you if:
• Your managers aren't documenting performance problems or wins consistently.
• You've faced terminating someone with no real paper trail to back the decision.
• You want to document the good stuff too — improvements, achievements — not just discipline.
• You'd rather adapt a proven system than build one from scratch.
It's not for you if:
• Your workforce is unionized and governed by a collective bargaining agreement (your documentation requirements are negotiated and likely different).
• You run a small enough business that you've never had to write up an employee.
About Marcia Dickerson, PhD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
I'm a professor of management and the founder of Marcia Dickerson Consulting. For nearly a decade I've helped HR teams and managers across industries build systems that actually get used, not just policies that sit in a binder.
I created Build a Paper Trail because I kept seeing the same scene play out: managers wanting to terminate employees with no paper trail, HR teams scrambling to defend decisions after the fact, and good employees demoralized by inconsistent treatment of poor performers.
The fix is almost always a system: clear forms, simple training, and a feedback habit. This course gives you all three. On the Team plan, you also get me — two hours of one-on-one help to make the system work for your specific organization.
FAQs
How long will it take to get through the course?
How is this different from other online resources?
How does the 2 hour 1:1 work (Team plan)?
The videos total under two hours. Most HR pros watch them over a few sittings and then refer back to specific lessons when needed. The materials you'll use forever.
The Red Flag & Green Flag Checklist and the Feedback Phrases are ready to use right away.
You can find free templates online, but they don't give you the training kit your managers need to actually use it, the legal context to defend decisions, or the feedback frameworks that prevent repeat issues. And no template comes with two hours of consulting time to customize it to your organization.
After you purchase, you'll book a time with me directly. We can do it as two 1-hour calls or one 2-hour working session, depending on what helps you most. Use it for customizing the forms to your policies, prepping for your first manager training, working through pushback you're anticipating — whatever you need most.
Can I upgrade from the Individual to Team plan later?
Yes! Email me, and your Individual license purchase will be credited towards your team purchase.
What if the course doesn't work for me?
I give you a 30-day money back guarantee, no questions asked. If you've gone through the course, and it isn't what you need, just email me within 30 days of purchase, and I'll refund you in full.
How long do I have access to the course?
You have lifetime access. You can come back to the videos and downloads any time, including when you update your documentation practices or roll out the training to a new cohort of managers.
Stop building documentation systems from scratch.
You don't need to invent the firm, write the training, or figure out the legal framing on your own. Build a Paper Trail gives you the whole system, and on the Team plan, two hours of my time to help you roll it out.
30-day money back guarantee. If it's not what you need, contact me within 30 days for a full refund.