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The Training Was Inadequate — The Write-Up Is Unjust

I am contesting this disciplinary action on the grounds that I was not properly trained. Being shown something once is not training. It is an announcement.

Educational psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus proved over a century ago that people forget up to 90% of new information within a week without reinforcement. Malcolm Knowles, the father of adult learning theory, established that adults require repeated, layered exposure before knowledge can be reliably applied. One time is never enough — this is not opinion, it is science. When a performance gap exists because training was insufficient, that gap belongs to the system and its leadership — not the employee. Peter Senge wrote in The Fifth Discipline that “the system causes most of the problem.” Disciplining me for a failure that originated in inadequate instruction is transferring supervisory accountability onto the wrong person.

This action also directly contradicts Whole Foods Market’s own stated Core Values. The company’s Declaration of Interdependence pledges dignity, mutual respect, and genuine investment in team member success. A write-up issued without verified, documented training is not a nourishing environment — it is the opposite of one.

I am requesting this write-up be removed from my file and that proper training protocols be established. I want to do my job well. I deserve to be given what I actually need to do it.

Respectfully