How to Deal With Tardy Employees

It’s 8:45 a.m., and for the third time this week, one of your employees who is due in at 8:30 a.m. is late. Tardiness in the workplace is really frustrating for a manager or business owner. We all face traffic and mass transit delays and most employees seem to get to work on time, yet some employees think that they have a grace period which can last for a half hour after you expect them.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Time records
• Warning forms

1. Ask employees why they were late as soon as possible after they finally arrive at work. Don’t wait until lots of lateness pile up. They need to know you’re concerned and have noticed the problem. It also helps to tell the employees that they are letting other employees or customers down when they are not there to do the work.
2. Ask the employees what they will do to come to work on time. Agree on a plan or steps the employee will take to improve their record. If they tell you traffic or mass transit makes them tardy every day, ask them what time they have to leave to stick to the schedule.
3. Make a list of all of the tardiness that includes the date, what happened and the reason if you know it. Review this list with the employees. Tell them very clearly that you expect them to come to work when they are scheduled and what will happen if they do not.
4. Write a written warning or memo that summarizes the conversation in Step 3. Give the employees a copy of the memo and have them sign it as an acknowledgment that they received it.
5. Decide on and apply consistent discipline for continued problems. If employees are late 5 times in a month and get a written warning, you won’t give them another written warning after one more lateness. Identify a standard that will trigger discipline, such as late 4 times in a month.
6. Keep monitoring attendance. Tell the employees when they improve and when they slip remind them of the potential consequences if they continue to be tardy.
7. If the problem does not improve and you have given the employees warnings, don’t be afraid to fire them for consistent lateness. Standards won't be effective if you don't stick to them.

Tips & Warnings

• Combine lateness with absences and discipline for attendance problems. In both cases the employees are not there and someone has to cover for them or your business suffers.
• Treat all employees the same when it comes to lateness. When a really good employee suddenly starts coming in late, don’t ignore it just because they're so valuable. They may try to get away with things because they think you favor them. Other employees are watching this as an example.
• When new employees are tardy take action quickly. If a new person is late it does not get better. In fact your standard should be stricter, since a good new employee will be on his best behavior.
• Don’t discipline an employee for taking advantage of her rights under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). If you are covered under the act and she follows proper procedures, she is protected. Employees may be entitled to intermittent leave for treatment or caring of immediate family members.
• Don’t keep employees around who are always late because it’s hard to hire new ones. You are setting a standard and example for other employees. Other employees will start to come in late because they think it’s OK.