Employee slightly late every morning.

[ElphabaTheGreen]

NHS inpatient therapy team. I’m a team lead. Working hours are 8am-4pm.

One of our assistants drifts in slightly after 8am every morning - only a few minutes, never later than 8:05. Her work is otherwise absolutely fine - she’s lovely to have in the team. She leaves on the dot at 4pm.

I really can’t get sweaty about the very slight lateness as it has zero impact on her work, and neither can my co-team lead. However one of the other senior therapists (subordinate to us) gets really irked by it, thinks it’s lazy and insists she doesn’t work her core hours as a result. This same therapist works way over her working hours to the point that it covers up service gaps - I tried pointing out that her excess of hours does more damage to the service than the assistant missing a few minutes each week but she wasn’t buying it and thinks we need to address it.

At the end of the day, it’s down to me and the other team lead who are on the same page - we don’t see the point in breeding ill will over a few minutes when it doesn’t affect her work or the service, but am I missing something?

never later than 8:05

That really is barely late, isn't it? Would it stop the ill will if she stayed until 4.05 every day?

I'd pull her in on it. I used to have this issue but nipped it in the bud with a quiet conversation. If someone wants to leave on the dot each day, that's fine. However they them have to ensure they arrive and start work on the dot too.

I would just say to her it has been noticed and commented upon that you are coming in late everyday and although your work is generally excellent this is causing low morale in the team.
Please could you make the effort to be here on time in the morning and is there anything we can help you with to achieve that.
There is no offence in that statement really. One of my colleagues at work in the NHS had a problem getting to work on time to to child drop off so arranged to come in half an hour later and take 30 minutes for lunch instead of an hour and that worked very well.

Agree. It's causing bad feeling, so just explain she needs to stay five minutes late and make the time up. (Otherwise, really it's none of the other person's business, is it?)

I think it's very rude. I hate it when my staff are persistently late, and it's pointlessly late as well. 5 mins is nothing, so why not leave 5 mins early and show a bit of commitment?
It's either flexi time for everyone or everyone has to be in on time. I don't see how you can't address it, especially if someone else is raising it?

Coming in late and working excess hours are obviously causing ill feeling. As team leader I would address the issue and say staff are expected to be on duty at 8am and working excess hours must be authorised by management. Why is someone working excess hours, is it authorised overtime and does everyone else get that opportunity ity if they want it. Coming in 5 mins late probably doesnt affect the workload but maybe it's the attitude that upsets colleagues, it's a bit couldn't care less really unless there are genuine transport of caring issues.

I think I'd have to say something I'm afraid. In any job you need to be there and ready to work at the start time, even if every day was just 3 minutes late, that's 15 mins a week and over the year equates to 11.75 hours (taking into account 5 week's annual leave).

You're right in that the other therapist is also making it worse by working too much though, that's not allowing for things to be fixed when budget making people don't see a problem as it's being covered!

You're the manager, you don't need to be horrible or anything, just say it's been noticed and it's causing friction between others and can she be there for 8am and not
Just afterwards

I think you have to address it. What if everyone were late?

I agree, just raise it and then address the bigger issues due of the other employee working to fill gaps.

I have a lovely, dedicated colleague who works almost two people's jobs and it causes lots of issues in the team. She's stressed to the point of getting irritated by others and the team are constantly being held up to lovely colleague as they are not doing enough. 'Some people can cope with the work load so it's possible'.

Much more damaging to staff morale!

OK, thanks.

She’s physically in the building before 8 as we have to get changed into uniform onsite. The therapist with the issue is a union rep and is adamant this doesn’t matter - she has to be dressed and in the office for 8. I don’t think our workplace policy is specifically clear about this - does anyone know if it makes a difference? She’s childless and living with her fit and well parents so there isn’t anything which should hold her up in the morning as far as I’m aware.

We don’t get overtime for working late but can acquire time in lieu, but this does have to be agreed with us as the team leads. The late working therapist just works extra and doesn’t claim the time in lieu. I honestly think her working hours are the bigger issue.

But I do appreciate the morale perspective for the (slightly) late one.

Does she work into her lunch break? If not she should either work the extra minutes at the end of the day or get in earlier - I do have sympathy though if she's using public transport, the earlier one may be 30 mins earlier!

That would drive me nuts. I agree with a PP that you should talk to her and say it's creating a problem within the team.

I would say she should be changed and ready to start her shift on time not use the start time to get changed.

I have a colleague who is always late. Annoys me immensely.

I wouldn’t care at all about someone being 5 minutes late each day who sounds otherwise brilliant. Ridiculous to be bothered about this unless it is having a negative effect on patient care (which it sounds as if it isn’t).

I would be absolutely furious about the person covering the service by working massively over her hours. This is, as you say, what allows service gaps to go unplugged and makes working for the NHS so shit at times, in addition to making patient care worse overall by hiding the gaps.

Just seen that the therapist overworking and complaining about another member of staff is a union rep . Jesus. She sounds supportive .

Where i work they allow you 5 mins if any later your called into the office, most of us are ready to start work at 9am, the boss allows for traffic etc, if your later than 5 mins you have to stay later.

If you can't wear your uniform outside work and you have to wear uniform at work, I can see how she thinks changing is 'work'.

If she works 5 days a week that’s 25 minutes less than everyone else every week
So an hour each month roughly and 1.5 ish day a year? (Excuse dodgy maths)
Not acceptable

We always had to be ready to start work at 9am, not come in at 9 and then take 5 minutes to get ready. Getting changed is not work. Either that or she makes up the 5 minutes at her break or the end of the day

I don’t know that she necessarily does MrsTP - I was just preparing in case she sees that as a reason.

Just quietly, I certainly do. I find it a bind having to get out of the house with two DCs only to have to change again at work in order to get into the office for 8, then do it again at the end of the day, eating into DC pick up time.

I suppose that should give me an ‘if I can do it, so can she’ mentality, but I’m still inclined to agree with you and Disorganised. But the general consensus seems to be that it needs sorting if it annoys other people.

Don't say 'it has been noticed' - say 'I have noticed'. So much more straight forward than them wondering who is moaning behind their back and starting off another issue!

Have a meeting. You and them. Tell them what is good about their work, tell them you have noticed a minor time keeping issue. Obviously the same rules have to apply to everyone so you do need them to be in and ready to start at 8 along with the rest of the team. Is there anything preventing that and how can you help with it?

It shouldn't matter whether or not she is in the building at 8am. At 8am she should be ready to start her shift. The other colleagues all make an effort to be ready to start their shifts at 8am, it's no wonder resentment is starting to build.

I used to work in a call centre. When your shift started you were expected to be sat at your desk, logged on the computer and ready to take calls. Not floating around the building somewhere.

We have to be ready at 8 if we start at 8. If you are late twice, you lose your commission. Unless of course it's something completely unavoidable like you've crashed your car/fallen down the stairs etc (my management aren't monsters!) but if you are late for no other reason then bye commission... focuses the mind a lot!
I'm in 15 mins before my shift as I need to boot up my computer and log in to various systems

I do appreciate this isn’t always possible in real life but I’d be looking for another job if my colleagues were so petty as to whinge about someone starting a few minutes late. I would hate to work in a team like that, much less manage it. There are far bigger things to worry about in the NHS!