Colleague buggering off home early. As their manager, would this bother you?

[Marie2022]

I have been in post for a few weeks and have had some problems with one of my direct reports. Nothing serious, mainly of the “Not my job” type of response from her, regarding things that very clearly are her job.

I sent her an email a few days ago at a time when she should have seen it. She didn’t reply. At which point someone said that she wasn’t actually there. The following day I asked her to confirm her hours, which she did.

I have just checked the CCTV for the past 2 weeks and she has been leaving 10-20 minutes early every single day.

Is this a big deal? As a manager, would this bother you? I just want to get some opinions before I do anything.

Many thanks.

Yep. Both issues would bother me, and both would be addressed. Emphatically.

Reading the OPs information, presenteeism is not relevant to this thread.

the employee is the receptionist, so their presence is very much a requirement of their role duties. Leaving early means the reception area is left unstaffed. The fact they're employed as a receptionist (ie that's their job title according to the OP) suggests that coverage during office hours is expected because customers can walk in when the door is open, therefore they are breaching their contract Ts and Cs by walking off early every day that week.

does anyone else wonder what the employee was asked to do, that led to their objection " not my job". If they're being asked "can you type up these quotations" or "can you enter this data into the system" when they haven't received training, I think they have a point. If they're only earning a pittance of a wage, why should they do things that aren't in their job description. If they're asked to make the teas for male managers, I call sexism - but that's pure conjecture, there isn't enough info and we'll probably never find out now as the OP has sadly been flamed off their own thread.

so my verdict is the OP needs to have a candid conversation with their employee and find out why they took it upon themselves to leave early with no clearance to do so. Using CCTV footage to spy on employees is using data for a purpose the CCTV was not intended, this isn't a security matter. Poor management practice when a conversation is more likely to secure employee cooperation.

therefore they are breaching their contract Ts and Cs by walking off early every day that week if the requirement for reception coverage is stipulated in their job description/contract.

@12Sims unless the cctv policy says it will be used to check time and attendance then viewing it for that purpose goes beyond the original purpose (for example to secure the safety and security of the premises) then it is a breach of GDPR.

I've asked a few times what the policy and processing notices say but the op hasn't answered.

It is therefore impossible to say whether or not she legitimately viewed the cctv.

Having worked as a receptionist there is no way she should be leaving early and if she did need to leave for some reason the phone or switchboard would need to be transferred to an extension where there is someone there to answer it.

What, like if the receptionist has gone missing?

Perfectly reasonable to look in the car park. Or indeed to look at the car park through the CCTV. That's the point of having it. If you slope off from your reception job early them expect the bosses to check if you have left the premises or not.

Safety and security of the premises does not include checking time and attendance.

Well, it could do. If you need someone for work purposes and you can't find them, then isn't it reasonable to see if their car is still there? If it is, then it's worth your while looking further for them. If not, then one can reasonably assume they've left.

There are some very mature and interesting responses on this thread that any manager, new or not so new, should pay heed to.
A great deal seems to turn on the nature of the work, and whether it hinges on being present, or more on the quality of the outcome.

If your reception has no staff on it then yes of course it is related to the security of the place.

Who else is there to manage incoming visitors?

HR senior management here.

we had a new manager obtain cctv footage of a member of her team. She had told facilities that she obtained permission both her her of dept and legal department. She had not (the facilities member of staff received a disciplinary for not asking for the required form with signatures). The op would have also had to have done this in order for facilities to provide her with the footage.

she wanted to see if the employee was going through her desk.

to cut a long story short - she was immediately dismissed. She had acted unlawfully. And displayed a gross level of incompetence and poor management.

I'd be concerned if the receptionists job description didn't detail that reception work was part of the role.

I'm a senior manager. If one of my reports obtained cctv of one of our employees without extremely good cause and sign off from all the correct parties, I'd be working with HR to get them out. It shows such huge poor judgement that I couldn't trust them with much of anything going forward. I certainly couldn't trust them with line management.

Don't be ridiculous. If one of your staff disappeared and you had CCTV, that's the first place you would look.

She didn't disappear. She sloped off early. Don't be annoying.

@AlisonDonut you keep saying she disappeared but the OP knew where she was because she'd been told.

You don't check the CCTV. You phone the person.

I know right. Someone isn't here! I'll check the cctv! Said no one ever. However you try and sell it, this is not a reasonable course of action.

Is she coming in early or having a shorter lunch break to make sure she fits in her hours? I'm guessing you don't have a flexible work policy which is a shame but understand its not possible in all work places.

Ah...just read she is at reception which makes it a bit different!

The OP has probably been stupid enough to use the cctv footage as ‘proof’ of her sleuthing, and has received a disciplinary herself🤔

Which she knows because...she checked the cctv.

She knew because someone else told her. There was no need to check CCTV.

Anyone can say anything at work. It is the job of the manager to CHECK that what they have been told is true or not.

Which she did by CHECKING the cctv.

Believe me, the things we take for granted as being logical and expected in these workplace scenarios are not always so, and companies aren't great about wording their contracts if they can even be bothered to create one.

for all we know the OP calling the employee "receptionist" could be shorthand for "administrator who does some reception duties". I don't normally comment on threads like this because there is so much conjecture and filling in the gaps needed and with no OP to seek clarification it's a pointless exercise of guesswork which I can't be arsed to do as it's a waste of time

Still at it, being mean, @Panatone?
How is that type of remark meant to help anyone?