Aibu to tell her that she needs to do a full shift.

[DawnFawn]

Hi,

Posting here for traffic to see I'd any managers/HR gurus knocking about.

I am a fairly new manager, I have been managing a department for about 2 months and all is running pretty well, however, I have an issue with a member off staff that I cant get my head around.

Let's call her Linda, she started under a previous manager who was a friend of hers. She doesn't drive and lives about 15 miles away with not great/not horrendous public transport links.

For about 18 months she got a lift to and from work with manager friend. But since manager friend left she was able to finish work earlier than the rest of the team, to get a lift home with another member of staff who finishes earlier. The stand in manager allowed this for an easy ride.

So......(thankyou if you are still reading)
In I come as a department manager, there is a festering resentment with team members that colleague is going home early, and it shouldn't be allowed. I totally agree but how do I stop this? She doesn't have any children, and doesn't require flexible working as such.

Would I be a bitch to say that she needs to be making her own way home? I'll allow a degree of flexibilty in the mornings, she can start 15 minutes later as this is when her lift arrives at the office, but she needs to finish with the rest of the team? Does she have any rights to say that she has been doing this for a while and should be allowed to continue?

unless you change what she works, change in her contract,
or starts earlier?

Just tell her thst she's paid to do X amount of hours, and currently she's only working Y. She can either arrange her travel to allow her to fulfil her contractual hours or can decide to work reduced hours for reduced pay (HR person here).

Personally, I wouldn't allow it. I have worked in an environment where colleagues resented each other and it was unbearable!
At the end of the day, she is responsible for herself so she needs to make her own way home, if not, she can find a job closer to her.
If I were in your shoes, I'd have a quiet word with her saying she needs to work her full shift from now on.

Good luck

Shes taking the piss

What Pinot said. She’s working less hours for the same money and the others are justified in complaining about that. She either needs to work the full hours or take a pay cut to reflect the hours she’s missing.

She should work the hours that she is paid for. If you can come to a flexible agreement that works for her then that's fair enough. Be clear that if she has to work fewer hours then her pay will have to be reduced accordingly. Good luck, it might not be easy but it's definitely right. Also easier then dealing with the festering resentment of the rest of the team. I'd get the support of your manager before you tackle her, Just in case she escalates the matter.

Why is the other member of staff who gives the lift allowed to go home earlier but Linda can't?

Exactly what pinotnoirismyjam said, end of.

Make her stay for the full shift.

Lift-giver will probably be delighted to be off the hook.

Is she receiving reduced pay or is she being paid for a full shift even if she arrives late and leaves early? She should work for the hours she’s paid so if she’s being paid for a full shift she needs to do a full shift - if she arrives late she should work late or It is going to build up huge resentment in the team.

Does she work over her lunch break to make up for it? It's shocking that anyone could be so cheeky as to leave early every single day and think this was ok!

Can she take a shorter lunch to make up the missed time? That would be a good compromise.

YANBU to ask her to stick to her contractual hours, and she sounds like a CF to be honest

Of course she needs to work the hours you pay her for. Her transport issues are her own and not your problem. If she doesn’t want to take public transport she needs to find a job that’s closer to her home.

Lift-giver will probably be delighted to be off the hook.

Also this ^

If she is not working her contracted hours give her the choice of either reducing her hours contractually so her pay reflects hours worked or vommits to doing the full hours asshe should be

As people have said would a shorter lunch break work as a compromise. It would obviously be better for the environment and local traffic if more people could car share so I'd argue there should be some compromise but not if she is taking the mickey.

Talk to HR. This is one of those situations where you want to be whiter than white, as it were. She could argue that it was personal (even if it clearly isn’t).

How much earlier is she finishing than she should. Are we talking minutes or hours? If hours could she have a shorter lunch instead? But if it’s longer than that take it off her pay.

Does lift giver work less hours?

Don't forget that flexible working isn't just for parents. She would be allowed to ask for flexible working - but as others have said that would mean fewer hours and pro rata pay if she wanted to maintain her current arrangement.

How long has the early finish arrangement been in place? I’m wondering if there would be a ‘precendent’ argument.

She absolutely should work a full shift or be paid on a part time basis though.

Can she be paid less or take a shorter break?

Is she paid less?

She either reduces her hours and therefore pay to take advantage of the free transport or she works the hours she’s paid for.

Is the issue that he isn't working her contracted hours for leaving early, or she makes up the time at lunck break but the others are still annoyed she gets to go early.

If she isn't working her contractual hours, this definitely needs to be raised, if she is, how early are we talking about? 10mns, 20ms, 1/2hour? The first is fair enough, the latter maybe not.