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.

@Marie2022 - think both issues are a big deal.

However as a good manager, you need to nip it in the butt without alienating her at this point.
Gather evidence & keep a record! I'd monitor her over the next week or so. Remind her of her contrated hours. I would also give her tasks that she has refused before.

Then I'd have her in for a casual chat. Get some advice from HR for this.
I would use this as fact finding. Is she comfortable in her job? Does she need more training. Everything ok at home? Getting to/ from work? Public transport? Childcare?
Obviously some people just take the piss! But that is for you to decide.

I had a guy once who was late & off sick a lot. Obviously this triggered our systems. I found out that he had broken up with his girlfriend and was sofa surfing... Luckily we were able to help.

You are the manager!

Not my job- no way I would take that! You are the one who assigns the tasks!
The 10-20 min- I would not send an email, expecting a reply, with only 10 minites to go! 20 min... well depending on the task. I would have an issue with her leaving early if it has not been agreed with management, so you! Maybe she has an agreement with previous manager? Maybe she starts 30 min early and she needs to catch a bus or train? Find out her full days timings and reasons, then you can say for sure. If she is just not putting the hours and not bothering with the tasks assigned, time for tough meetings with HR present.

Yes, 10-20 minutes daily is an hour per week.

Our work sent out a general email to everyone saying they noticed some people were logging off early and to make sure people finished on their appointed time. Could you do this, send a general email out to everyone?

I managed someone who used to leave for dr appointments, but not tell me. She has the appointment instead of lunch.
All that is fine, and I didn’t care, I just wanted to know in case she was needed and no one could find her.

In your case, I would go for an ‘information gathering’ approach first. Say that a colleague has mentioned she was gone, and ask if that was a previous agreement.
I personally wouldn’t care if someone was more flexible with their hours, as long as the hours were worked, and I knew

I don’t agree with this advice. Don’t send a general email to everyone because of one specific person - that’s passive aggressive and dodging your own job to manage them.

PP's have covered all the main points.

The approach I'd take is to reengage and motivate - it sounds like you're trying to build evidence to discipline.

In case you aren't aware; it's incredibly difficult to recruit at the moment, and whilst nobody wants dead wood in their team, if you don't handle this correctly and the person decides to leave, you'll be two months into a new role and a team member down.

How supportive is your line manager?

Speak to her, find out what's going on. Is she starting early to leave early to collect dc or look after a relative? Issues at home meaning she has to leave early. Better off going in with this approach than barrelling in there with a bollocking.

As for 'not my job' this needs addressing also, again talk to her about it, these days jobs a few very flexible and the 'not my job' isn't acceptable, especially if she's using the flexible approach to timekeeping and hours

Presumably you met with your team and have had one to ones with them all since you started? If not then that could be why her attitude is off. I would have a chat with HR to see if there's anything you're not aware of that you should be in relation to this employee before you speak with her.

you need to talk to this person. Are they arriving earlier than everyone else? working through their lunchbreak? generally managing their workload? Are they being given tasks that other people haven't completed and are sick of it? have they mentioned this before and been ignored? are they taking advantage of a new manager who doesn't have the experience to be on top of this? do they have something going on in their private life that is causing this?

First you need to address it. "not my job"? go through the JD and the expectations of what they should be doing (be realistic). First a chat with coffee. Then see where that goes.

I'd also ask when she was coming in and if she is working through her lunchbreak.

In one of my jobs our core hours were 10 am to 4 pm. I arrived at 7.30 every morning and left at 5 minutes to 5 pm as that is what meant I could catch my train home.

I was also the person who brought in the second highest amount of money in our department of 9, so was hardly shirking when I was at work.

I was exceptionally unimpressed to be brought up on my 5 mins early leaving by my manager who arrived just before 9 am in the morning. People might see you leave early. But they are not seeing you arrive early.

So I would delve further before jumping in.

I think as a manager you have every right to challenge her not doing work within her remit, but you need to try to keep an open mind about the leaving early until you know the full details.
The employee may be ‘buggering off early’ for no good reason, but might have negotiated this with a previous manager.
Who is the ‘we’ that looked at the CCTV? Unless it is someone who has a need to know, such as your line manager, that is very indiscreet, and could be criticised.

Did you check her arrival time?
Could she be working through lunch?

You spent time checking CCTV

Sounds like you are developing something of a vendetta against her

Yes to both of these. If it's her job, she does it, otherwise she will be disciplined.

She may leave early to catch a bus if she's dependent on public transport - but that is something that she should ask permission to do and agree with you, and also should curtail her lunch break/come in 10-20 mins earlier to compensate for.

Whats the work environment? Do others have to cover for her when she leaves early? Is everybody allowed to leave early if they want if not why her? I take it you're not on flexi time.

@SummerLobelia - agree! Had this in a previous workplace. One manager used to go on about a really committed colleague who stayed late each evening. No she didn’t! She didn’t get in until 11 most days and so by 6pm still hadn’t done her hours 😤

I am so glad I've never worked anywhere where this would be an issue.

Its not possible to answer whether you are unreasonable really as so many jobs now have flexible approaches - rather than a clock in clock out mentality

I am horrified at a manager checking cctv because someone didn't answer an email! are you kidding me!

I work in a high pressure job with a lot of stressful deadlines - people are trusted. They do the work - that is what matters.

I would focus on her actual output and sit her down if you arent happy with that.

Are you her manager? If I'd think twice about revealing I'd checked CCTV as it's more for security than to check on colleagues.

If she doesn't confirm her hours, I'd check with her - she might reveal why she leaves early, could be she starts early, doesn't have a break, has holidays to used up, possibly has a temporary issue at home and has permission to leave early.

The question of her saying she won't do something as it's not her job, needs clarity.

I would ask her directly about the leaving early. There may already be an understanding in place that people assume you know about. Before I learnt to drive when I was in my late teens, I used to catch the bus to work, I lived rurally and there was a limited service. So I actually came into work almost an hour early and left about 20 minutes early in order to catch my bus home.

The "not my job" needs sorting though, unless you are asking her to clean the windows when she's actually a front of house receptionist.

Deffo have a conversation. Perhaps she is having a shorter lunch break to accommodate school pick ups or something. Possibly arranged pre-you joining. Don’t go in guns blazing before you have both sides.

The OP says she asked her to conform her hours. Surely if there was some sort of agreement for them to vary she would have said so?

Have you checked what time she's arriving? My hours are officially 8:30 to 5, but it's no issue if I'm in half an hour early to also leave half an hour early, as long as the 8 hours are worked. She might have an agreement with a previous manager. Or she might just be taking the piss and seeing how long she can get away with it 🤷‍♀️

Are you at a remote location? As she’s clearly in the office, rather than emailing and watching cctv is there an option for you to interact directly…sit together as a team?

So she works 6h less a month than everyone else, and still gets paid? Sounds fair.

Not nice to deal with, but the sooner you do the better. Any allegation of some custom and practice which did not exist beforehand or is unreasonable (you should have a break for example) should be challenged.

Others have noticed and resentment could build if unchallenged.