So one of my team is on assignment in a different office in a different country. We are a small team <10 ppl. It is my experience that the smaller the team, the greater the need for reliability. Today is one of the busier day’s in the period. Today he sent me an SMS saying he slept in & is going to be late about 9am. At about 10am, he sends another sms (while at the office) saying in fact he went out last night and got completely plastered, never felt so bad, in the toilets being sick. Background info: i. His mum is very sick (recently diagnosed with terminal C) & lives in this location - I have sent him there on compassionate grounds. ii. He is a party boy, typical BO guy, very popular. What do you do?
Read him the riot act, but give a pass (unless he has done this before).
Not much you can do about today except decide whether to tell him to get his act together right now. Longer term, you need to track his tasks and output carefully and set the expectations. He can do whatever he wants as long as the work gets done well and on time. If not, then you have a basis for disciplining or firing the guy. Basically, it comes down to telling him that you’re cutting him some slack because of his mother and being clear about what your expectations are from him.
I got plastered last night. I was at work at 7:30.
Tell him to take 3 shots of whatever he was drinking last night and man the f up.
when i was in MO it was a badge of honor to turn up on time totally wasted …my my how things have changed
I’ve arranged a conf call for tomo am and will let him tell me what happened. Will take it from there. I haven’t involved HR at any stage so far as that starts a formal process. I need to get some facts first anyway. He might be having personal issues although he could just have overdone it. And i’ve done it before, it happens. He has also had big nights out before (I know I’ve been with him) and always made it in. Thing is, today he could have easily told me he had to take care of his ma and wasn’t coming in today - I wouldn’t have been any the wiser. I have to consider that he is basically honest - with a wild streak. I’ll follow the charlottekid/bchadwick approach. I might still fire him though…
Give him a pass this time (his Mum is dying). If this type of behaviour becomes a habit, have a quiet word with him.
Muddahudda Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I’ve arranged a conf call for tomo am and will let > him tell me what happened. Will take it from > there. I haven’t involved HR at any stage so far > as that starts a formal process. I need to get > some facts first anyway. He might be having > personal issues although he could just have > overdone it. > > And i’ve done it before, it happens. He has also > had big nights out before (I know I’ve been with > him) and always made it in. Thing is, today he > could have easily told me he had to take care of > his ma and wasn’t coming in today - I wouldn’t > have been any the wiser. I have to consider that > he is basically honest - with a wild streak. I’ll > follow the charlottekid/bchadwick approach. I > might still fire him though… I’d think being honest would at least score a few points (although not enough to offset a legit miss). If he does a good job otherwise, just document it (for HR purposes with an email or something) and tell him not to do it again - save the partying for weekends or when you’re with him. ETA: Unless he’s the dude who tried to chump out on the $500 ‘bet’, then can his a$$.
Ha ha, no he’s not the $500 guy. Yeah, the honesty factor is def a plus. Moreover, he organises our fantasy soccer league…
Muddahudda Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Moreover, he organises our fantasy soccer league… Ah, he has you by the short & curly’s
The rule is, if you get plastered the night before, you must come in extra early the next day. Nups went the proper route. I agree with the others that you should give him a pass this time around.
I give him serious points for being honest with you. Consider how few employees feel that that’s necessary. However…that’s not an excuse to act like you’re a college freshman. As I’m not a supervisor, I’m unsure of the exact way I’d go about this. Maybe something like, “Hey (direct reports name), I appreciate your honesty in telling me you were hungover. Given the choice between a bogus story and the unpleasant truth, I will always prefer the unpleasant truth, and I give you credit for being straight with me. So thank you. However, I’ve got to tell you, this kind of stuff cannot become a regularity. I always tell me direct reports that stuff like nailing your deliverables, getting along with colleagues, building your brand inside the company - these things are really not easy. Stuff like showing up on time, bright-eyed and dressed presentably - those things are relatively easy. I ask you please, please, please - don’t lose points with me on the easy stuff.” Yeah, I think that’s about what I’d say.
supersadface Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I give him serious points for being honest with > you. Consider how few employees feel that that’s > necessary. > > However…that’s not an excuse to act like you’re > a college freshman. As I’m not a supervisor, I’m > unsure of the exact way I’d go about this. Maybe > something like, > > “Hey (direct reports name), I appreciate your > honesty in telling me you were hungover. Given > the choice between a bogus story and the > unpleasant truth, I will always prefer the > unpleasant truth, and I give you credit for being > straight with me. So thank you. However, I’ve > got to tell you, this kind of stuff cannot become > a regularity. I always tell me direct reports > that stuff like nailing your deliverables, getting > along with colleagues, building your brand inside > the company - these things are really not easy. > Stuff like showing up on time, bright-eyed and > dressed presentably - those things are relatively > easy. I ask you please, please, please - don’t > lose points with me on the easy stuff.” > > > Yeah, I think that’s about what I’d say. Agree with your sentiment overall, but when you do become a supervisor you will realize that you never, ever want the unpleasant truth in this kind of situation. Much better for both of you if your charge tells you a plausible lie. If party boy had just said he was up all night because his dying mother had an adverse reaction to her medication, all would be fine. Now, Mudda is in a very difficult position and has to worry about covering his own a$$ if he acts with some compassion and doesn’t tear the guy a new one. If he comes down hard, he’s the d1ck who beat up the kid with the dying mother.
“he’s the d1ck who beat up the kid with the dying mother.” Muddahudda cut the guy some slack.
I liked SSF’s overall approach… firm, but gets the point across w/o being too much of a b@stard. I think it’s more about setting expectations. He needs to know that he’s getting some slack b/c of family, but he also needs to know how far the slack extends.
You should overnight an ice to him fedex - a 24 oz. That’ll teach him.
I cut him some more slack. I expect a sainthood in the post for this.