Documentation, Documentation, Documentation

You've probably heard the saying "if it isn't documented, it doesn't exist." But in my opinion, there should be a mandatory extra sentence telling managers "but hiding that documentation away without ever acting on it won't help you either."

File notes are the worst example of this. The manager keeps an inordinate amount of detail about the employee's work habits -- for example, "Jane Doe arrived 15 minutes late on Wednesday." But without talking to Jane, asking her why she was late, why she failed to call in advance and warning her that continued tardiness could lead to disciplinary action, that documentation means nothing. And in fact -- it's those very actions that are most critical to document.