Dear Diane,
I have an employee who is constantly late to work. On average, he arrives tardy to the office about 2 to 3 times per week. It’s hard for me to discipline him since he is one of my top performers, and he also opts to work later hours when he arrives past our start time – without being asked! However, we do have a strict attendance policy, and I’ve noticed my staff is gradually becoming sour at the fact that he can get away with this type of behavior. How can I address his actions in a fair way without upsetting the rest of the team?
Mike L.
Dear Mike,
You are wise to be observant of staff morale. It seems you understand that this behavior should be addressed, but, also know you truly value his contributions. I would suggest documenting the tardiness and scheduling a meeting to discuss this issue. Ask your employee if there is a reason he is always 20 minutes late to work on specific days during the week. Perhaps he has to drop his children off at daycare. Maybe he shares a car with his wife and takes her to work first before coming into the office. Figure out what is causing the problem and talk through the hurdle together. Brainstorm a few possible solutions.
If there is room in your attendance policy, it might do well to offer him a flexible schedule, allowing him to come into work an hour early and leave an hour later. For numerous reasons, the attendance policy does need to be enforced. Whether he is a top performer or not, it’s annoying for other employees to have to pick up the slack of those who are often running late. It’s not fair for them to have to meet with another coworker’s clients in the morning or answer ringing phones because he isn’t there. Ultimately, it’s in his job description to be at the office on time.
Best of luck,
Diane
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