Employee consistently late

[lou7575]

Male employee consistently late by 5-10 minutes nearly everyday. The excuse is about getting the children ready for school etc...he has 4 children between 1 and 9 years so I understand this is probably very hectic however his wife doesn't work, never has, and is a stay at home mum and does the school run etc normally. Other employees have commented as everyone else manages to get here on time. Myself and other manager have mentioned this to the employee however he really doesn't seem to care. Not sure if we are being unreasonable by giving written warning etc but we have tried to be understanding of the situation. Any advice or past experience in similar situations?

Does he leave bang on time at leaving time, or does he stay an extra 5 - 10 mins? Does he take his full lunch break?

Do you have flexible working? Is goodwill expected between employer/ee?

Usually absolutely bang on 5pm

Does it matter if he's five or ten minutes late to the work that needs to get done? That's a long toilet break for some people so does it even out across the day? Does he get the work done? For the team I manage and the work we do, I wouldn't care less. Years ago I was consistently 30mins late or so but I got so much work done and ran my team so well, no one ever said a word about it. I would have been pissed off if they had.

@MichelleScarn we don't have flexible working. Due to the nature of the workplace it needs to be set working hours. We try and be flexible when people have family/personal issues etc and time off for appointments etc.

Whatever help he does or does not give for the school run , he needs to arrive on time. It is probably a few minutes juggling here, traffic a bit heavier the later he gets, picking up breakfast/coffee etc . But none of that is the employer's problem and you need to mention it.

Formal warning. That can be verbal but if you’re skirting around it rather than properly addressing it then he won’t change.

@Franca123 when customers may be waiting to speak to him etc or colleagues are working on jobs together then yes it does. His wife will often FaceTime/ring him several times during the day too, not just at lunch break etc.

His wife will often FaceTime/ring him several times during the day too, not just at lunch break etc.

Stomp this out too.

No, not unreasonable at all to give a written warning. Being late every day is rude, creates ill feeling among other staff and costs the company money.

@Franca123 I think you were very lucky. I would have sacked you.

If it's only 5 or 10 minutes and he gets his work done, I don't think it warrants a written warning yet. Worth taking him aside and explaining that if he's having trouble being on time, is there anything you can do to support? Getting 4 children under 10 ready for school sounds like an absolute nightmare, even with 2 adults helping. Is he a good worker? Are there any other issues?

Have a discussion asking him to properly explain why he can't leave home 5 to 10 minutes earlier. Get him to think through solutions to this. That way he gets to realise he is being unreasonable and also, hopefully, works out how to solve the issue.

As a manager, that's my approach. Puts the onus on him rather than you and makes it clear it is a non negotiable for you.

I know you don't actually have flexible working, but could you offer to change his hours to 9:10 to 5:10, and see how he reacts? Or that he starts at 9:10 and takes 10 minutes less break. That sends a message about expectations. Otherwise he's working nearly 1 hour less per week.

I wouldn’t care if the time was made up. I’d offer this before giving a warning.

She sounds as if she needs support but he needs reminding to manage his time and calls around the business needs.

No, not unreasonable at all to give a written warning. Being late every day is rude, creates ill feeling among other staff and costs the company money.

^This. You need to address this issue particularly as your staff have noticed

Personally this wouldn't bother me all that much, as long as the work's getting done.

Turn this on its head -- maybe this is an argument for your workplace reconsidering offering flexible working arrangements?

@Imaysnapandfart

If it's only 5 or 10 minutes and he gets his work done, I don't think it warrants a written warning yet. Worth taking him aside and explaining that if he's having trouble being on time, is there anything you can do to support? Getting 4 children under 10 ready for school sounds like an absolute nightmare, even with 2 adults helping. Is he a good worker? Are there any other issues?

Tbh as a SAHM who’s husband started work at 6am or worked away I found a way to get 4 under 10 dressed fed and at school on time every day. Actually they were always early.

It’s routine and it’s not unusual to have to do it.

If he needs to help for whatever reason then he needs to invest in breakfast club or a childminder for an hour rather than jeopardise his job.

Maybe his wife posted on MN and was told by everyone that absolutely he should be doing school run? Am sure saw one like this recently where the responses were if she was struggling and had younger children at home, absolutely he should do school run on way to work!

So what happens if every employee decides to follow suit and turns up 10 minutes late, then it drags to 15 minutes. If youre in a service industry where customers expect to be able to contact the company at say 9am then staff have to be there. My former employeer would document 3 lateness, trying to find solutions on the 4th lateness it went to a formal warning.

If it’s affecting the team around then it’s not on.

I’ve always managed very flexibly, and couldn’t care less if the team I had were late - the ones that would shoot off early or take a 2 hour lunch break on a sunny Friday were also the ones that would be answering emails at weekends to keep the week running smoothly. But I also know not every job can be like that.

I’d also suggest offering an altered working hours day though - with time made up over lunchtime. Should get the message through. If they say they want to keep the 9am start then explain they have to be there on time and they will get an official warning if not, then do it when it happens again.

If he genuinely cannot arrive by 9am, then his start time needs to be 9.15 and he needs to stay later doing X extra task till 5.15 or be paid less by 15 mins.

If in fact he could leave 15 minutes earlier every day then he needs to prioritise that and he and his DP need to figure it out.

Thanks all, these are all really helpful. I think I am more understanding than my other manager however like it's been said if everyone decided to be late the business wouldn't work. I do not want other staff to be frustrated it is one rule for one, or so it seems. I completely understand getting the four children ready must be a nightmare at times but they are very fortunate she is able to be a SAHM, but to have her on FaceTime etc numerous times throughout the day for non-urgent calls also seems to annoy other employees.

Yeah the constant Facetiming is not on - as standard most places don't allow personal calls unless it's an emergency

Can it be suggested that he changes his hours? Like 9.15 to 5.15 or 9.30-5.30pm, in my head then you've tried to make adjustments and then if you continue to have issues, a warning is completely warranted.