IT Employment·20,084 discussions

Late Employee

Locked

I have a tech who really knows PCs inside and out, but recently is three to four hours late at least once per week. He is going into his second month working here, and has been late four times. We have flex time in the summer, so right now it isnt really bad, but its usually a Monday AM when lots of people are here. Does anyone have any ideas about what I should do? I can sort of let it slide in the summer, but not at all in the fall.

Topic

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

It sounds like time for a frank discussion with him – three to four hours is not a trivial amount of tardiness and the time to get it straightened out is now because letting it slide now will just push the problem into the fall and it won’t be any easier then.

It’s very tempting to get into the reasons for his tardiness but you need to just define the expectation and establish consequences for not meeting it. His talent doesn’t do much good if he’s not there to use it.

paul

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

Thank You!

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

It sounds like you would like to work it out
with him, and don’t necessarily want to
give him an ultimatim, although obviously
you need to establish the line he
shouldn’t cross. Decide what time is the
absolute latest he should be in, and dock
him or take some other action, take away
perks or something, per each tardiness
beyond the accepted time. Maybe only
Mondays are important in the summer,
and you can be more open in the
summer. Just make it clear to him where
your boundaries are. You also should put
it in writing that the parameters of the job
are typical business hours, but leniency
is allowed to a certain degree, and the
price for the leniency you’re offering are
the following demerits if he crosses the
line. Have him sign it. If he wants to stay,
but needs a firm hand, it will work out. If
he leaves, he probably would have taken
advantage of you more and more as time
goes on. I’m a night person, and although
we have flex hours, I’m normally 1/2 hr
b

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

Thanks! Good ideas!

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

If he is really good and you want to keep him. Be a friend and let him know where you stand with hin and where he stands with you. Try to get to the bottom of why he is late. Maybe he needs help solving some type of personal problem, steer him inthe right direction for help, but do not provide him with the entire solution let him find his own solution.

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

Thank You!

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

It’s important to set the limits now and not let it slide just because right now it doesn’t make as much difference. No matter how good he is, if he (1) isn’t there when you need him; and (2) can’t be a good team player and abide by the rules, you don’t need him. I’d be ready to fire an employee who was 3 or 4 hours late even just once without a REALLY good explanation. I’m not saying to come down with both feet on this guy, but you have to be clear with him that this is not acceptable behavior. Let him know you want to work things out, be as accommodating as you can reasonably be within the limits of your authority. But you have to keep in mind, too, that if he gets away with this behavior, other employees may begin to push the limits, too, and that can get really bad! Good luck!

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

Thank You!

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

The reasons don’t matter so don’t get sidetracked on that. You have to have a sit-down with the person and outline 1) that you value his contributions; 2) his occasional tardiness is causing a problem; 3) it reflects on you as a manager and on the team as a whole; 4) you rely his being there; and 5) ask him if there is a situation you should know more about that is causing this. Let him offer the solution and try to allow him to avoid defensive behaviour. You’re there to help.

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

Thank You!

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

Matt,The first question I need to ask is does it make a difference if he is late or not? Is he pulling his load and does he contributes to the team? Second, is his behavior having any negative impact on other employees? Is he salary or hourly employee? If he is salary is he putting in 40+ the rest of the week? Hourly, is he willing to put in the extra time? In the current market I find it hard to find a great tech that is really making a difference. If all I need to do is give him 4 hours on a Monday morning that sounds like a great deal to me.

If you can’t live with 4 hours on Monday, then try to bring him up to standards. You need to find out what makes him tick if you really want to be effective. You cannot manage every person the same way. Some people will respond to discipline, other to added responsibility. Some need to be told, other need to see it in writing, and still others need to see pictures (graphs, charts, etc.). Treat him (and all your employees) as an individual.

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

In any business it _does_ matter if an employee is late. Thanks.

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

Remember, you are in the support business. You cannot support people if your staff is not there. Work out a coverage strategy to ensure you can support your users. You can take input from your staff, but in the end it is your responsibility to make sure you have enough people at the right time.

Once you have a plan in place, talk to your staff and make sure they understand it and will accept it. At that point, it is the responsibility of each individual to either accept the terms of the job, possibly negotiate slightly different terms, or find a new job.

It doesn’t matter how ‘talented’ someone is; if they are not available when needed you need to find someone else. As a manager, it is your responsibility to ensure you are meeting the needs of the company and you need to set guidelines and restrictions to ensure your staff does this.

Late Employee

In reply to Late Employee

He IS my support staff. Thanks.

[Author]

Replies