Question

As a supervisor, what is the most appropriate course of action when an employee consistently arrives 20 minutes late for work?

a) Confront the employee publicly to address the tardiness issue immediately.
b) Ignore the lateness as long as the overall work performance is satisfactory.
c) Have a private conversation with the employee to discuss the lateness and find a solution.
d) Deduct 20 minutes from the employee's salary for each instance of tardiness.

Answer 1

The most suitable action is to have a private talk with the employee about their tardiness and collaboratively find a solution, while maintaining professionalism and respecting workplace relationships.

Step-by-step explanation:

In dealing with an employee who consistently arrives 20 minutes late for work, the most appropriate course of action is to have a private conversation with the employee to discuss the tardiness and find a solution. Confronting the employee publicly could be humiliating and counterproductive, potentially damaging the relationship and workplace morale. Ignoring the lateness could undermine the importance of punctuality and lead to more widespread issues with showing up on time. Deducting pay without warning may not address the root cause and could be illegal or against company policy. A private conversation allows you to explore potential reasons for the lateness, such as personal challenges or misunderstanding of work hours, and to discuss the expectations for showing up to work on time and how important it is to the team and the business operations.