Throw away the clock
Say you have an employee who is often 20 minutes late. So what? Try managing without a clock, advises HR pro.
“Clocks are cheap. Good employees are not, so let's all step away from the clock and focus on performance, shall we?” That’s how Suzanne Lucas, more famous as the Evil HR Lady, opens her response to two readers who seek advice on punctuality in the workplace.
While many managers still manage by the clock, Lucas points out they should worry more about results than what time their employees came in or left. In many cases, however, managers keep a closer eye on the clock rather than the employees' output and results, she writes.
“What is a bad thing is your employees not meeting their objectives and goals and not providing high customer satisfaction,” Lucas writes. “Face time should not matter. If John comes in at 8 and Harriet doesn't come in until 10, it shouldn't matter unless John and Harriet need to work together on a project, and then (because John and Harriet are grownups) we should let them figure it out.”
Follow the link above to read the Evil HR Lady's full response to the questions. Meanwhile, we'd like to ask you: Do you agree with Lucas? Have you encountered managers who worry more about face time than results? Does your job require you to be at your desk by a certain time, or do you have a more flexible schedule?
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