WIBU to tell my staff ....

[JustSayNoNoNo]

... to just turn up when they feel like it, and to ignore conventional start and finish times, their annual leave allowance, the multiple policies covering special leave, compassionate leave, family emergencies etc, and to just tell the salaries people how many hours they worked each month?

I'm tired of reiterating the rules, guidelines and policies, like some jobsworth. The policies are generous as it is, and I am flexible with staff on a case by case basis, but people are pushing at the boundaries. Meantime, we have services to provide and I believe it's only respectful to your colleagues to turn up each day, and do a day's work.

(Yes there's a back story. No I'm not sharing; it would out me.)

You need to learn some new strategies OP.

An excruciating return to work interview after every incident.

Getting closer to their timesheets and questioning every incident of misinformation (gross misconduct to lie on timesheets)

Geeting closer to their targets, goals, standards etc.

And be prepared to take it further if found out. Every time.

You go and manage the shit out those staff.

Our
US offices have unlimited annual leave. People have an annual chargeable hours target and are expected to meet deadlines but otherwise they come and go as they please. It seems to work very well. No one takes the piss really.

They're taking the piss but presumably you've let them. Not easy to run a business alongside the HR side of the business but they don't sound a supportive, loyal bunch.

Do you have an Office Procedures Manual? If so, make sure it deals with consequences of sickness/absence/timekeeping then email it to them and ask them to sign to confirm all understood. They need to know you're not a walk over and its game over for the lazy arses.

actually the most successful place I've worked, which made an awful lot of money for the owners, operated exactly the kind of policy you are suggesting. My employment contract was a whole 1.5 pages, set out my salary and annual leave and that was about it. There were core office hours but most people started earlier and left later. Why? Because they were better paid than they would be anywhere else for the same job - and most people were very motivated and driven. Time was recorded but there were no official targets. The management treated the staff like adults, and they worked like adults.

Oh, and pay reviews were linked to people who worked hard and got results.

We have a timeclock that takes everyone's photos. Everyone, waged, salaried and contractor, clocks in and out and other than the salaried person is paid for the hours they work.

Annual leave is a fairly normal 4-5 weeks depending on length of service, sick and study leave is generous (double legal requirements) as is bereavement leave.

When I started as manager most people were taking all their sick and study leave and multiple instances of bereavement leave each year but saving their annual leave up (and requesting it be paid out when they left - In NZ you get paid out holidays but not sick/study or bereavement).

We instituted a policy of needing a sick note for any sick leave, regardless of length, and requesting some form of proof of death if they wanted bereavement leave. Suddenly leave HALVED! Those who are genuinely sick or bereaved are treated with kindness and compassion, and generosity too.

It felt a bit draconian at first but now that everyone is used to it we have settled nicely and actually everyone is happier because staff are not put under unreasonable pressure when everyone else is not there. It's an industry where we have to be present to deal with the customers.

Amazing how many grandparents some people had had previously though... one girl had had 9 grandparents die!

Please clamp down on it asap. New person started at work about 18 months ago and seems to work random hours and has had about 8 periods of sickness for herself + loads extra for kids. Although sympathetic initially as we all have kids and are occaisionallyill, we all feel like she is taking the mick. A few of us have spoken to our boss about it but he hasnt done anything. Hence we seem to spend most of the time moaning about her, taking longer lunch hours and not worrying if we are 10 mins late. It'll only get worse if you don't clamp down now! Unfortunately the only way it'll end for us is that we'll all end losing our flexible working.