Tips on dealing with employee who constantly has issues?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTF, are they doing their job or not? Or is their job kissing your butt and showing face.

Focus on what matters. Maybe they are a scofflaw, maybe they get stuff done but hate their commute, or maybe they just had bad luck.

I had a couple years where I had chronic illness requiring 3x weekly therapy, both parents died, a broken arm, a new baby, and of course existing kids. Some people have a season of life. I worked nights and weekends to make sure I didn’t fall behind.

It’s hard to hire people still, look at companies hoarding employees — look at managing your employees work product and results not the time codes on their

+1. Does being in office truly matter? Are they not able to complete their work without being in office? Is their work product consistent and good quality, if so, would let it go. People go through tough stages of life. Have some empathy, and hope that the same would be given to you, should things come up in the future.

No, this attitude will breed a lot of resentment from other employees that will cause broader problems. Either have an in office rule or don’t, but don’t have a rule and not enforce it for people who just refuse to follow it. The rule followers will be discontent (and that will show itself in one way or another) or leave. Not worth it.

[Anonymous]

8 in office days out of 12 weeks? And she missed 5?

So clearly there is no need to be in office at all, it’s just some exercise in power since in normal situation she would be working from home the other 52 days and it would have been as expected.

Maybe she is trying to angle a remote job, hybrid in name only, or maybe she had bad luck, but in any case getting spun up over 5 days out of 60, when you are WFH 86% of the time anyways is the height of pettiness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTF, are they doing their job or not? Or is their job kissing your butt and showing face.

Focus on what matters. Maybe they are a scofflaw, maybe they get stuff done but hate their commute, or maybe they just had bad luck.

I had a couple years where I had chronic illness requiring 3x weekly therapy, both parents died, a broken arm, a new baby, and of course existing kids. Some people have a season of life. I worked nights and weekends to make sure I didn’t fall behind.

It’s hard to hire people still, look at companies hoarding employees — look at managing your employees work product and results not the time codes on their

+1. Does being in office truly matter? Are they not able to complete their work without being in office? Is their work product consistent and good quality, if so, would let it go. People go through tough stages of life. Have some empathy, and hope that the same would be given to you, should things come up in the future.

No, this attitude will breed a lot of resentment from other employees that will cause broader problems. Either have an in office rule or don’t, but don’t have a rule and not enforce it for people who just refuse to follow it. The rule followers will be discontent (and that will show itself in one way or another) or leave. Not worth it.

We are talking about 5 days over a 12 week span. No one else has probably even noticed.

[Anonymous]

There are some people who think the rules do not apply to them. She’s a slacker. Make her step up. She should be taking leave for these missed days. Every time.

[Anonymous]

If she says she’s sick, then she’s taking sick leave. She’s not WFH.

If she says her kid is sick, she’s taking family sick leave. She’s not WFH.

If she says her car is in the shop, she’s taking personal/annual leave. She’s not working from home.

I’d double check the employee handbook about requiring a doctor’s note. There has to be something there about a supervisor requiring one after a certain number of absences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If she says she’s sick, then she’s taking sick leave. She’s not WFH.

If she says her kid is sick, she’s taking family sick leave. She’s not WFH.

If she says her car is in the shop, she’s taking personal/annual leave. She’s not working from home.

I’d double check the employee handbook about requiring a doctor’s note. There has to be something there about a supervisor requiring one after a certain number of absences.

Are you posting from 2018? People WFH now when they are sick but still capable of working -- the runny nose, the sneezing, the coughing from your cubicle but still working -- now you do that from home and don't spread germs.

Kid being sick, depends on the age. If they are 8 or older, most rules are they can be home alone, so you are staying home just in case they get work but they are on their own for the day you work.

For the car, they take leave for the time they are dropping off the car, but then can WFH just like the other 90% of their schedule

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If she says she’s sick, then she’s taking sick leave. She’s not WFH.

If she says her kid is sick, she’s taking family sick leave. She’s not WFH.

If she says her car is in the shop, she’s taking personal/annual leave. She’s not working from home.

I’d double check the employee handbook about requiring a doctor’s note. There has to be something there about a supervisor requiring one after a certain number of absences.

Most of the times it will be sequential absences. It certainly won't be after 5 non sequential absences

[Anonymous]

Sick leave for sick kids. If the kid is old enough to stay home alone all day, then the employee can come in.

WFH and encourage a different in-office day if employee is sick and capable of working, but be flexible here, because the WFH is also a benefit for your other in-office employees. No one wants Pat’s cold.

Sick leave if not capable of working remotely, and encourage the employee to take it and get rest so the issue doesn’t linger. Require a note after however long your policy states.

WFH and required different in-office day for car trouble.

[Anonymous]

Sick leave if sick, sick leave if kids are sick, other PTO for the car stuff unless there’s a rule that people are move their WFH day at the drop of a hat like that.

[Anonymous]

Take your salary and divide it by the number of hours you work a year to get your hourly rate. Then take that hourly rate and multiply it by the number of hours you’ve wasted worrying about this and trying to make it a thing. That’s the total amount of company money being wasted over something pretty stupid and inconsequential long term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she says she’s sick, then she’s taking sick leave. She’s not WFH.

If she says her kid is sick, she’s taking family sick leave. She’s not WFH.

If she says her car is in the shop, she’s taking personal/annual leave. She’s not working from home.

I’d double check the employee handbook about requiring a doctor’s note. There has to be something there about a supervisor requiring one after a certain number of absences.

Are you posting from 2018? People WFH now when they are sick but still capable of working -- the runny nose, the sneezing, the coughing from your cubicle but still working -- now you do that from home and don't spread germs.

Kid being sick, depends on the age. If they are 8 or older, most rules are they can be home alone, so you are staying home just in case they get work but they are on their own for the day you work.

For the car, they take leave for the time they are dropping off the car, but then can WFH just like the other 90% of their schedule

Nope. If they’re too sick to come in, they’re not working from home. OP asked how to deal with it. The employee doesn’t get to decide they’re not sick enough to WFH or that their kid doesn’t need tending to. OP is looking for ways to not get taken advantage of. This is how to do it.

[Anonymous]

I think the problem is that OP isn’t sure these are real. If they are, then as season of life PP posted, grace should be given. But unless OP is willing to outright ask for proof which indicates lack of trust, the best she can do is require them to take leave and/or make up the in office day. If it’s real, she’ll find out. If it’s not, the inconvenience of having to come in anyway, and or run through leave, should fix the behavior.

Though not always.

Also, OP, at the 4 month check in or whatever, you can gently say “I’ve noticed a pattern of calling out sick / having issues only on your in office days. Is everything ok. Do you need to change your schedule to be able to meet your in office and general work obligations.” See what they say.

[Anonymous]

Is WFH require boss approval. If so take it away for 30 days as a punishment.

My company had to resort to this on the hybrid people who work from home two days a week.

Sadly it is a punishment to come to work some people. My one staff after 60 days a week 5 day in office punishment now treasures his two days home and shows up early and stays whole day on his three days in office

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take your salary and divide it by the number of hours you work a year to get your hourly rate. Then take that hourly rate and multiply it by the number of hours you’ve wasted worrying about this and trying to make it a thing. That’s the total amount of company money being wasted over something pretty stupid and inconsequential long term.

I’m sure you are far better paid than the employee and have wasted more money worrying about how they spend their 15% time “office face time” than they were actually not in the office.

Measure what matters. Unless your management is buckling down to enforce RTO (and with 8 days out of 60, it feels like basic lip service) focus on your actual work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she says she’s sick, then she’s taking sick leave. She’s not WFH.

If she says her kid is sick, she’s taking family sick leave. She’s not WFH.

If she says her car is in the shop, she’s taking personal/annual leave. She’s not working from home.

I’d double check the employee handbook about requiring a doctor’s note. There has to be something there about a supervisor requiring one after a certain number of absences.

Are you posting from 2018? People WFH now when they are sick but still capable of working -- the runny nose, the sneezing, the coughing from your cubicle but still working -- now you do that from home and don't spread germs.

Kid being sick, depends on the age. If they are 8 or older, most rules are they can be home alone, so you are staying home just in case they get work but they are on their own for the day you work.

For the car, they take leave for the time they are dropping off the car, but then can WFH just like the other 90% of their schedule

Nope. If they’re too sick to come in, they’re not working from home. OP asked how to deal with it. The employee doesn’t get to decide they’re not sick enough to WFH or that their kid doesn’t need tending to. OP is looking for ways to not get taken advantage of. This is how to do it.

Go away. I do not want people coming in with their piles of dirty tissues and hacking coughs because of some rule monitor who doesn’t actually do any work but instead wastes time tracking what their colleagues are doing