A woman I hired has been here three months and has been late at least once each week. I’ve talked to her about it several times and she is apologetic but always has an excuse about how tough her commute is, how her bus ran late, etc. I don’t want to fire her but if the entire department did this I couldn’t run the business.
If the problem really is traffic delays then I have no patience for constant lateness — just get an earlier start, people. Sometimes, though, mornings can be a challenge when child care is an issue — school drop-offs or nannies’ schedules might require a daily beat-the-clock routine, and some employees may not want to raise that as an issue.
Explore what the problem is further and if you think she is worth keeping then I’d consider giving her an adjusted schedule that allows her to start and stay later if the department can accommodate that. But if she is one of those chronically late people — the kind who will always be tardy no matter how much time you give them — tell her that if it continues, she’s out. I can think of some friends who have to be told an 8 p.m. dinner is at 7:30, because they’re just wired to be horrible at time management, and it makes me crazy. (Yeah, you know who you are!)
My wife came with me on a business trip and joined us at dinner. One of the clients mentioned to my boss what great hosts my wife and I were, but instead of congratulating me my boss reprimanded me for expensing her meal. Isn’t this petty and ridiculous?
Hard to say. Unless your boss knew your wife was traveling with you and unless the clients’ spouses also attended, he has a point. Maybe she shouldn’t have been there even if you paid for her meal separately.
Listen, everyone has to remember that it isn’t your money — it belongs to the company. It may seem harmless to you, but such costs would quickly add up if everyone acted the same way.
Transparency is best. Tell your boss what your plans are, making sure you are clear on policy and protocol. And when in doubt, always pay out of your own pocket.