We have all, at some point, been late for work. There will always be occasions where something happens, out of our control, which prevents us from arriving to work on time. However, when an employee is regularly late for work, at best, this can be frustrating but, at worst it can have a detrimental impact of the business, reputationally and financially.
This article provides some practical steps to tackle the issue of poor employee timekeeping. We have highlighted some things that, as an employer, you should be aware of when an employee demonstrates persistent poor timekeeping and/or a pattern of poor employee timekeeping.
What is poor employee timekeeping?
The nature of the business, the job the employee holds and the culture of the business, will have a significant impact on how the situation is managed. For example, some jobs are not time bound and therefore may allow for greater flexibility if an employee is late. In these situations, it is likely that the time can be made up at the end of the day with limited impact on the business.
Other companies focus on output and productivity, rather than hours worked. In this case, as long as the work is being done effectively, the time an employee starts and ends work is not so important.
However, other jobs require the employee to consistently arrive at work on time. Examples of this might be jobs that require the employee to: open the building; be present to serve customers; be part of a production line; attend client meetings; and/or answer the telephone in a customer service centre. In these examples the impact of someone not arriving at work on time has a much greater impact on the operation of the business and therefore disciplinary action may be considered earlier than in the first example.
What should a manager do if an employee demonstrates poor timekeeping?
Here are 5 tips on how to respond to poor employee timekeeping:
1. Introduce a policy
Having a policy which sets out your expectations on timekeeping that is clear about how you will deal with it is important for consistent management. This policy should include how you expect employees to log their time (if at all) and what they should do if they’re going to be late. It should also include the action you will take if the policy is breached.
2. Establish the reasons for poor timekeeping
Firstly, it is important to establish the reason for poor timekeeping with the employee. Every member of staff has a responsibility to get to work on time. It is inevitable that there will be occasional lateness but if this persists and even if the reason for the lateness is out of the control of the employee (e.g. high levels of traffic, late public transport etc.) action should be considered.
3. Discuss poor timekeeping with the employee informally
When you first notice poor timekeeping, speak to the employee informally. Be very clear about the occasions on which you have noticed poor timekeeping as this helps to focus the conversation and try not to generalise. Explain that you expect there to be an improvement, what that improvement looks like and explain what action you will take if improvement is not made. It’s also useful to refer them to your policy on timekeeping to ensure the employee is clear about the company’s expectations. Whilst this is an informal stage, it’s also useful to summarise the discussion in an e-mail or note and place it on the employee’s personnel file.
4. Follow your disciplinary procedure
In situations where the required improvement does not happen and poor timekeeping continues, follow your disciplinary procedure ensuring that the individual is aware of the allegations and has the opportunity to respond to them. The employee’s response should be considered along with any mitigating circumstances before issuing a warning.
5. Dismissal as a last resort
You may get to the stage where you have to consider dismissal if the improvement you require has not been met. This should only be considered as a last resort and after you have followed the stages set out in the disciplinary procedure and taken into account any mitigating circumstances. As with any dismissal, you need to consider whether dismissal is reasonable in the circumstances.
What to do if lateness is due to illness
You may find that the reason for the lateness is due to an illness and if this is the case, it may be classed as a disability under the Equality Act. If this is the case, you will be expected to consider whether or not you can make reasonable adjustments for the employee. Examples of reasonable adjustments might be to change the employee’s start time or to alter the employee’s job in a way that would enable the start time to be flexible. What is reasonable to one employer may not be reasonable for another and therefore adjustments should be considered within the context of your business.
Even if it’s identified that there is a health problem and it’s not classed as a disability, it would still be advisable to discuss the matter with the employee and consider whether it is feasible to implement temporary adjustments to cater for the individual’s ill health.
We hope you found this helpful, if you would like support with resolving poor employee timekeeping, please do not hesitate to contact us.
