Continued Tardiness After Winter Commute Hassles

Q: Over the past winter, I had many employees struggle with getting into work on time. I didn't confront the issues because I knew commuting, parking and the trains were horrible because of the snow. However, today is a beautiful day with no major traffic delays and not a flake of snow on the ground. I have noticed that my employees are still coming in 20-30 minutes late or more and no one seems to think it is a concern, except for me! It is now a pattern that I need to break. Have I let this go on too long?

A: This winter caused unprecedented travel hassles, especially for those reliant on the MBTA. Hopefully this coming winter brings us less snow and a more efficient MBTA!

It sounds like you were flexible over the winter months. Many employers had to be flexible since commutes were horrible. Many of us would have been fired if we were judged on our timeliness this winter. However, thankfully this winter is behind us and most employees should be back on track in terms of trains, buses, driving and parking. I would reset expectations with your employees. One option for your message is: "I tried to be very flexible with arrival times this past winter because of weather-related hassles. However, those problems should be behind us. I now expect all employees to arrive by 9am. I have noticed that many employees are not. Please plan your mornings and leave your homes earlier if needed."

After you have re-communicated expectations, you can now hold your employees accountable. You may have to begin disciplining employees if they continue to arrive late. However, at least you have given your employees notice that you are expecting them to be on time.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.

A new supervisor confused over a performance problem

Q: I am a new supervisor in a financial services company in Boston. We don't have an HR department. I have four employees in our department. Three of the four employees are great. Then there is one that doesn't seem to want to cooperate. She returns late from lunch. She arrives late in the morning almost every day. This employee always seems to either just meet or no meet deadlines. It is stressful to work with someone like this. I feel like I cannot rely on her. Sometimes I feel like I am giving more work to the others since I know they will just get it done. Should I confront her? How do I do this?

A: Being a new supervisor is a challenge, especially when you step into a challenging situation with an employee. Here is what I would recommend:

First talk to the previous supervisor if possible. Are these new behaviors or behaviors that began some time ago? The longer you permit an employee to behave like this, the longer that they think that this behavior is acceptable. Even if the former supervisor is not available, I would still recommend confronting her. However, it is helpful to have some history. Also, talk to your manager to make sure that he or she does not have additional information which could be helpful.

Begin to document the issues. On what dates did she arrive late? What deadlines did she miss? When did she return from lunch later than expected? Once you have real-life examples of her performance concerns, you should meet with her, ideally face-to-face. Explain your concerns and give her examples (e.g., On October 27th, you arrived at work at 9:35am when 9:00am is our latest acceptable arrival time and on that same day, you took over 75 minutes for lunch when most of us take 60 minutes or less). Explain that her unreliability and tardiness is becoming a pattern.

Finally, ask her for her input on why this is occurring. Explain your expectations. Next, document your conversation. If her behavior continues, you may have to give her a written warning or consider terminating her. Check in with your manager before proceeding with any further discipline.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section. Click here to read about more employment topics in The Job Doc Blog at Boston.com.