Volume 1 Issue 1

Q & A

Q: Got a great employee? But he's not too good at attendance? What to do?

My name is Steve. My problem is I have a guy who works for me whose attendance is not the greatest. He's a good worker, he takes initiative and gets along with everybody. I talked to him about his attendance and it got better for awhile but it didn't take long before he started coming in late again. I'm not sure what to do next. If I come down on him, I'm afraid that his performance will suffer. Can you help me?

A:

Dear Steve:
This type of situation is one that comes up time and time again in our training sessions. First, I commend you on discussing the attendance problem with him. Too many supervisors avoid dealing with these types of situations because they don't want to be seen as the bad guy and hope the problem will eventually resolve itself. Well done! You have indicated that this person is a good worker and seems to have a good attitude about his work. That's a real positive. What you are dealing with is a behavioral issue. Dealing with someone's behavior is considerably more challenging than dealing with someone's performance. Performance is concrete and objective while behavior is more subjective or up to your interpretation of what appropriate behavior is.

My suggestion is as follows; speak with him a second time about his attendance. Although you may feel angry and frustrated, it is very important that you not allow your feelings to interfere with the way you are going to communicate. Remain calm, listen and focus your energy on reaching your objective, which is to have him resolve his attendance problem. Begin your conversation in the following way; " Do you remember us having a discussion about your attendance a few weeks ago?" (Wait for an answer) "After we spoke about it, I noticed that your attendance got better, and that's great. I have recently noticed that the problem is coming back and it seems to be getting worse. Do you understand the impact that your lack of attendance is having on the company, the department, your co-workers and yourself?" (Wait for an answer) Steve, this person may not be aware of the consequences of his actions. If he isn't, it is then your responsibility to make him aware. Focus your attention on helping this person understand the big picture because understanding is often the key that promotes people to change. The last question should be "What can you do to make sure that you are here on time from now on? " (Wait for an answer). It is important that you ask for his commitment. It is also beneficial to let him know what will happen if the behavior continues.

You are invited to submit, for future issues, any questions regarding management and leadership issues to: The Management Development Group by mail, fax, or email as shown on the back page. We reserve the right to select those questions that best represent our readers needs and interests.