You’ve heard every excuse in the book. The alarm didn’t go off. There was traffic. The car wouldn’t start. The fact of the matter is that frequent tardiness is not only a bad habit for an employee to get into, but if you let it go on, it can impact productivity, morale and profitability.
Instead, follow the tips below to deal with employee tardiness in a positive way and ensure your team understands your expectations for them:
1. Take a proactive approach.
Tardiness might not sound like a major performance issue. But as one of the leading staffing agencies in Dade County, Future Force knows if you let it go on without confronting it, you’re going to grow resentful toward the employee. Not only that, but other employees too will take notice and get frustrated when you don’t address the situation.
That’s why being proactive is key. Begin documenting the problem – the days they occurred, how late the employee was and the impact it had on the team and the work day – then confront your employee with these details.
2. Do it in private.
Don’t ever discuss a performance issue with an employee in front of others. They’ll be embarrassed, get defensive and won’t process what you’re saying. Instead, schedule some private time with them where you can talk about the issue and get their side of the story. This will enable your employee to better absorb what you’re saying and respond, all for a more productive conversation.
3. Get into the details of the problem.
Just calling a staff member out for their tardiness isn’t enough. You also must go into specific detail about the impact it’s having. For instance, “When you were five minutes late to the client meeting, they had to sit and wait until you arrived. That makes them feel like you don’t value their time.”
4. Talk about consequences.
If bad behavior never has any negative consequences, your employee isn’t going to change. So explain what will happen if the chronic lateness continues. Perhaps you’ll write them up or require them to work later to make up the time. Whatever you do, strive to be consistent across the board with all your employees.
5. Recognize positive behavior.
If your employee takes what you said to heart and breaks their bad habit, recognize them for it. This simply reinforces the improvements they’re making and shows that you appreciate their efforts and progress.
Every employee will be late at some point. However, those who are chronically late impact the whole team. It’s therefore critical that you deal with the situation swiftly, so your staff member knows the consequences of continued lateness, and has the chance to take responsibility for their actions and change their ways.
Need help with these and other staffing and HR-related issues?
Call Future Force. As one of the leading staffing agencies in Dade County, we’ve helped thousands of clients overcome their human resource, hiring and staffing hassles, all to build a better, more flexible workforce. And we can help you too! Contact Future Force today to learn more.