A written reprimand is a severe disciplinary measure. A written reprimand is a letter from a responsible university supervisor to a university employee describing that person's unsatisfactory or unacceptable behavior or job performance and emphasizing the need for improvement. Written reprimands are used primarily as a preliminary step toward termination but they can also be used as a final action. Written reprimands are usually delivered in the form of letters to the employee's immediate supervisor. However, they can also be delivered by email or even in person. The length of a written reprimand varies depending on the seriousness of the offense but generally falls between one page if written with a pen on paper or two pages if written by hand in an electronic document. Employees receive written reprimands for various reasons such as misconduct, incompetence, failure to perform their duties, etc. Employees can also receive written reprimands for no reason at all - this is called "counseling" the employee. Counselings often occur before an employee is evaluated by their supervisor to determine their future employment status. For example, if an employee has been counseled several times for poor work performance but still continues to fail to meet employer expectations, then their may be no hope of promotion or other favorable action. Employees have the right to request a meeting with their supervisor to discuss any written reprimand received in order to explain their side of the story.