Managers have enough on their plates to worry about arriving on time. According to polling, in the U.S. punctuality among employees is not guaranteed. First, the good news: 48% of employees are never late. While on the flip side, more than half of the workers are not reliably punctual. 19% of employees are late at least once a week. These are often minor employees. Older Millennials are 50% less likely to work on time than older Americans (55+).
When managing an employee who is struggling to be on time, it is difficult to know what action to take. Anyone can get stuck in traffic. If they can still do a good job, the manager may decide to turn a blind eye - but what message does this send to employees who work hard to be time? Here are a few tips to maintain decorum at work:
1. Make it easy for your employees:
Make sure employees have an easy way to get in and out of their shifts. Disciplinary action should be a last resort, regardless of the cause of employee fatigue. If an employee is struggling with their current times, perhaps a simpler setting is more appropriate. If the gridlock makes their journey a nightmare, the possibility of working remotely can, at least sometimes, reduce that stress. If an employee loses engagement, try to have a clear
discussion with them about bringing them back on the project.
If employees find their shift time only at the last minute, they will struggle. Staff scheduling software allows you to create more efficient schedules in less time. This helps ensure employees can know when to work very quickly and rearrange their plans accordingly.
Fatigue is something to forget with the scheduling software. One can automate regular shift reminders with scheduling software. According to Pay core research, these can reduce the delayed loss by more than 16% per minute.
2. Improve communication
The best way to improve morale at work is to have a genuine open-door policy. Do not say that you appreciate the thoughts, comments, suggestions, and feedback of your employees. show them by your acting on the comments received.
Employees are happier in their workplace when they feel they can talk to the manager. Not only are they more comfortable with the employer they can talk to but are more likely to get a good work ethic when they feel you are on their side.
Engage with your employees. Ask for their feedback, and then, really use it. Take their suggestions seriously and consider implementing them.
When it comes to expectations, be clear with them. If your employees do not know how high the bar is, they will not be able to rise to the occasion.
Take the time to get to know your employees and deal positively with them to improve staff courage.
3. Provide proper equipment
Let’s take the example of servers at a restaurant. Your employee tips will depend on how well they know the food and the restaurant.
To keep your employees happy, make sure they have the right tools to do their job but they can also receive considerable tips:
Teach them how to provide customer service.
Train them in your daily activities.
Help them learn the items on the menu - let them sample new dishes.
Give them the supplies they need.
Provide checklists so you can stay organized.
With the right tools and training, any employee in any setting can succeed.
4. Identify the problem
Before improving your staff’s punctuality, it is important to identify the problem in advance. If your employees are late once, that can be overlooked. But if they are late often, you have a big problem with your hands.
Talk to your employee. Find out the cause. If it is the weather, traffic, unforeseen circumstances, or their children that are contributing to their delay.
Even if they are not excuses, they will help you understand, and foresee a solution. Once you know how to fix what is causing the problem, you will have a high-functioning workforce.
Tardy employees are a problem. They will disrespect you, your business, and the associates. Be proactive, and understand the problem your employees are facing.
5. Establish a clear policy
Before dealing with staff delays, you need to define them. The meaning of ‘delay’ is not always clear. If we talk about getting to work within the first five minutes of the shift, less than half (47%) of employees are considered late, according to Ugo polling. As the employee prepares for an important meeting on the workday, you will find that most managers arrive on time.
That is why it is always safe to give any expectations in writing and to develop a company time management policy that clarifies what a delay is. This often involves a grace period of a few minutes delay endurance and the employee must specify how late they are before taking disciplinary action.
A one-time formal time management approach is an easy solution to implementing time and attendance software. This ensures that the implementation of the manager's workload is not compromised, allowing employers to monitor employees in and out of the office. This is as easy as swiping a key on the door and making sure employees know that any delays will be detected.