3 Simple Tips to Help Reduce Employee Lateness

Learn How To Reduce Employee Lateness

The Problem – Employees who show up late for work.

Employees showing up late to work is a big problem for construction and remodeling contractors. The scopes of work that most contractors take on require more than one set of hands in order to complete.

As the saying goes, many hands make for light work.

So when someone doesn’t show up or shows up late, it can throw the entire project off course. So what can you do to correct the problem?

1. First, talk with the person who is late. Is there a legitimate reason why the person is late? Maybe they have problems at home. Maybe they have car trouble. Get to know them and find out what the problem is. See if there is a simple correction that you can help with.
2. If there is not a problem, then ask them for their commitment to change and get to work on time.  Sometimes just letting someone know that you are watching is a great way to motivate them to change. If they are able to make the change then acknowledge it. This will help reinforce good behavior.
3. Finally, if there is no legitimate reason why someone is late and they are not willing to commit to make a change then it may be time to let them go. Give them a few chances, but in the end if they won’t change you may need to. Letting them continue to abuse the start time sends a poor message to the rest of your team.

Last word – document your entire process of discipline. This goes from the first meeting with the employee through each step of the process. Issue warnings to them in writing and have them sign off on each notice. By documenting each step of the process you can help show that you gave them opportunity to change and that you tried to work with them. This can help you defend an unemployment claim from the employee should you need to let them go.