What makes people come to work on time?

November 14, 2005 7:39 AM

My assistant is usually late, help me get her to make me look better.

I manage a dental practice and not only is my assistant late, so is the doctor's assistant. We schedule patients to begin at 8:00 and sometimes both of these girls arrive at 8:15. Sometimes they'll call and say they're stopping to get gas, or that they overslept. Usually they don't call. This morning's excuse was that the doctor's assistant was "in the ER with boyfriend's dad since 2:00 in the morning." How do I make this stop? Rewards? Punishment? I'm only a month into this job, it's my first true management title, and they're both about 2 years younger than me. I'm 24. I don't want to be that asshole. We can't afford to fire the doctor's assistant, and she knows it. She has expanded dental assisting certifcate, which makes her very valuable. I agreed with her that she can come in at 8:00 when I started (I want her here at 7:45, but again, I don't want to lose her). This is embarassing in front of patients, many of whom do get to our office at 7:45 and expect to be seen at 8:00, not 8:15. Not only does this make me look bad, it reflects poorly on the doctor!

My assistant is a little better, but she's only here two days a week and is a student the other three days. They don't drive in together, so it's not like one is making the other late.

posted by bilabial to work & money (57 comments total)

Is she more valuable than the amount of business you lose from being known as a disorganized office? Don't start taking patients until 8:30 or institute a warning and punishment system. Make sure you punish them as close to the infraction occurs as is possible. Jumping on their back as soon as they walk in might not seem like a good thing, but it'd be enough to motivate me to get to work earlier so I won't get yelled at.

Try not to give off vibes that the assistant is really that valuable, or else she ends up running the business. If she's really that valuable and can seek comprabable pay elsewhere doing better hours, perhaps she needs a boost in pay to compensate for this.
posted by geoff. at 7:49 AM on November 14, 2005

Knowing where you are will help in answering this question. Cultural questions and employee rights and all that...
posted by Dick Paris at 7:50 AM on November 14, 2005

One psychological trip that might be useful is to explain to her that there is no such thing as arriving "on time." You're either early or late, and she should plan on being early. If she plans on arriving "on time" than half the time she'll be early, half the time she'll be late.
posted by alms at 7:50 AM on November 14, 2005

"We can't afford to fire the doctor's assistant, and she knows it."

This is the problem: She is getting away with it because she thinks she can. And she is--because you aren't doing anything about it.

Your office also can't afford to be unprofessional--which is what is happening. which can you not afford more? losing the assistant or losing patients?

tell her to be there by 8--no exceptions. If she comes in late once, warn her that the next time she is late, she is fired. And then do it.

If you really don't want to lose her, then change your schedule to match hers.
posted by lester at 7:52 AM on November 14, 2005

Also, start looking for replacements.
posted by Atreides at 7:58 AM on November 14, 2005

It sounds like you're a flexible and laid back boss - that's a good thing. But you need to make it clear that patients come first and that the assistants need to be there. It's not like they're just inconveniencing you.

I'm a consistently late and unprepared graduate student. Papers aren't always turned in on time, I miss appointments, and blow off friends a lot more than I should. Mostly because my mind is jammed with too much stuff to keep track of.

But I'm never late to the undergraduate class that I teach; I think it's fundamentally wrong and disrespectful for me to keep them waiting. More than once, this has meant a ridiculous cab fare due to sleeping in, etc.

Your assistants should have the same sentiment about the patients they're working with. And you need to make it clear (albeit in a gracious and respectful way) that you'll accept nothing less.
posted by aladfar at 8:00 AM on November 14, 2005

We can't afford to fire the doctor's assistant

Really? Sounds to me like you can't afford to keep her.
posted by Manhasset at 8:07 AM on November 14, 2005

I don't want to be that asshole.

Unless you can afford to hire a stand-in (read: office manager), that's part of your job. It's unfortunate, and hopefully rarely necessary...but it's absolutely part of the job. If you want to own a business, learn to deal with it. Otherwise work for someone else, make less money, and enjoy the reduced responsibility as one of the perks.
posted by cribcage at 8:09 AM on November 14, 2005

I'm in Florida, on the west coast, we have an older (richer) client base, and a lot of our patients really prefer to be here at 8:00. Some would rather we open the doors at 7:30. So 8:30 is really not an option, but I wish it were.

We have a serious shortage of qualified, professional assistants in our area. Our patients like her, and she likes her job and does it well. I would prefer not to bawl her out in front of patients, but I guess I will get her attention in the lab or in the doctor's operatory at her next lateness. I can't threaten her yet, but I will begin putting notes in her employment folder each time we discuss her lateness.

Has anyone had any luck with a surprise reward, like, hey it's Thursday (we only work 4 days!, how is it that hard to be on time 4 days!) and you've been on time every day this week, here's a little trinket/ praise/ something? Any suggestions?

When we talked about her coming at 8:00 and not a minute earlier, she lived in Venice, which is a considerable drive from here. Now she lives at most 3 miles away. So I have that to back me up in requesting that she gets here earlier.

I haven't had any luck peeking into management books, but do plan to take a management class at the community college in the Spring. This isn't the career I expected. I also have a seminar in the area specifically for dental practice administration in January.

Please keep the suggestions coming.
posted by bilabial at 8:12 AM on November 14, 2005

Pay here $150 an hour from 7:45 to 8:15, and minimum wage all other times. She'll start getting there early.
posted by whoda at 8:15 AM on November 14, 2005

Agreed. You've got to be able to stand up to them. If you can't afford to lose her, then you can afford to make her life moderately miserable to until you can work yourself into a place where you can afford to lose her.

I recently 'encouraged' an employee who continually goofed up assignments and spent a lot of time web surfing to leave. He did. We've now been operating without him for a month and we haven't had a problem.

I would start by changing their schedules so that they're required to be there 15 minutes before they need to be. If someone doesn't have time management skills, it's on you as a boss to put them in a position where they grow the time management skills. You also need to put consequences in place; announce a three strikes rule, and stick to it. It's also more than Ok for you to say "That's not acceptable, I need you here right now. You need to get gas on your own time, not mine." when they call in to say they're stopping for gas, because that's bullshit.
posted by SpecialK at 8:16 AM on November 14, 2005

I don't own a business. I have a boss, and her behavior makes me look bad. I'm trying to find a way to get her to change, because I'm still pretty new here and not wanting to trash the respect for me that they have in all the other areas of our working relationship, like dress code, gum chewing, phone answering, lunch breaks, personal calls. I'd rather not loose all the good things they do over this one bad thing. I'd like to not have to engage in the search for someone who is her plus one, because most of what's out there (I've done the interview process for assistants) is her minus, oh, ten point five. She really is great. Most of the patients who leave this practice leave because the drive is too long from where they've moved to, or they die. But this is my sanity we're talking about, I like to know that the office is set up, ready to go and that she is smiling when they walk in the door.

Now, clearly, I'm typing this at work, it's important enough to get some input about the problem before tomorrow, if she's late then too. I'd like to not throw bats at my office, but if it comes to that, I'd like an idea what size bat might work, and how many to throw. And what bat to absolutely never throw, ever.
posted by bilabial at 8:18 AM on November 14, 2005

The worst thing you could do as suggested above is change the office schedule to accomodate her tardiness - are you joking?? Absolutely not. Then she decides that 8:30 is too early, so you change to 8:45.....can you see what could happen here?

Every employee is expendable to a degree, including her. Set a written tardiness policy and stick to it (for *everyone*, not just her of course): Late once, a write up in the employee file. Late twice, a sit-down with the manager. Late thrice, only one to go til termination, etc etc etc. Don't praise for being on time (trinkets? you're kidding), punish for tardiness.

Schoolmarm OUT!
posted by tristeza at 8:21 AM on November 14, 2005

I don't think scheduled awards will help so much. It's not a surprise if it's a "for every" ... but saying, "Hey, I appreciate you getting here on time for the past week. Here's a gift certificate to starbucks. Thanks."

Shortage of assistants or not, there's got to be someone else out there that can do the job. If you were on th east coast, I'd actually have someone for you. :-P

When you're talking to her, do NOT say anything to her in front of other people, unless it's YOUR boss. A good rule of management to follow is never discipline someone in front of others, but do complement an employee in front of others.

What time do you get in? I always maintain the appearance of doing more than my employees... it's amazing what it does for morale for 'the boss' to be there before my guys show up and still be there after they leave ... even if I do take a 2 hour lunch. ;)
posted by SpecialK at 8:22 AM on November 14, 2005

P.S. - I'd have more to say to you if you had an email in your profile, bilabial.
posted by SpecialK at 8:24 AM on November 14, 2005

It's not necessary to be confrontational to be firm. One approach is to sit down with her (in private) and work through the problem face to face, without any preconcieved ideas as to a solution. Just put the problem to her directly and ask what she thinks you should do. Make it clear however that the problem needs to be solved, so that muddling through as you have for the past few weeks is not an option.

The advantages are twofold. Firstly she may genuinely come up with a novel and workable solution. Secondly, assuming you do negotiate a solution, she will feel that the solution is 'hers', that she was involved in developing it, and is therefore more likely to stick with it.

The quickest way to lose credibility as a manager is with unilaterally imposed and half baked solutions.
posted by grahamwell at 8:26 AM on November 14, 2005

Has anyone had any luck with a surprise reward, like, hey it's Thursday (we only work 4 days!, how is it that hard to be on time 4 days!) and you've been on time every day this week, here's a little trinket/ praise/ something? Any suggestions?

Yes, actually. In my management experience, this was called a "paycheck".
posted by padraigin at 8:39 AM on November 14, 2005

This is embarassing in front of patients, many of whom do get to our office at 7:45 and expect to be seen at 8:00, not 8:15.

Umm...why are your 8am patients being seen at 8:15? Assistant or no, its ultimately your responsibility to respect your patients time. If your assistant isn't there, get the files out yourself, check the appointment schedule yourself and attend to your patients on time.

Regardless of whether or not you have an assistant, there's no excuse for wasting your patients time. They have an appointment; honour their appointment.

As a bonus, you may feel much more motivated to deal with the assistant and perhaps more willing to "be that asshole."
posted by duck at 8:40 AM on November 14, 2005

tristeza, I disagree -- while I did present other more viable alternatives, if she's really nearly inexpendable as bilabial indicates then he does need to work around her. This involves not punishments, but rewards. Either by making the schedule better or increasing her pay to make her come in on time. Take the firing away from the equation and there are no punishments that can effectively scare her. Dock her pay, take away her vacation days, anything will result to her moving into another job. Perhaps this needs to be done but we don't know from the information given to us. In fact I think bilabial makes it fairly clear he wants to give her some kind of incentive to stay here. Then you have very few reward options, such as giving extra vacation days, performance bonuses, moving the schedule to accomodate her.

Ideally he'd be able to import a dental assistant from elsewhere in the country and not have to worry about local employment. Unforutunately it seems the ball really is in her court. She's 22, doesn't realize that working 4 days a week with a nice manager is a bonus within itself, the only thing kids care about is screwing with their cash. Of course if you somehow gave her more responsibility along with pay rewards she'd feel more of an obligation and part of the dental practice -- motivation within itself.
posted by geoff. at 8:46 AM on November 14, 2005

Do you have real, explicit examples of losing money/clients because of her tardiness? (If not then you might just be imagining the problem and need to let it go. It sucks to have a boss who confuses his hang-ups for his clients hang-ups.)

If you do have clear and obvious examples that her behavior is detrimental to your business, is she aware of it? Does she know that that she is making the clients unhappy? In other other words have you given her explicit examples of her tardiness causing your office to lose money? (Don't assume that she knows what is going on or that she sees the same things you do.) It seems to me that you should remind her that if you lose enough clients that you will have to let her go anyway, and that while she is valuable you aren't willing to continue to lose money because she can't bother to be 1/2 an hour earlier. Always remember a good boss explains what he needs before changing an employees job (so that the employee can give his suggestions and feel that his opinions were consulted), and a good boss explains his rational for every decision that he makes (if you have good reasons most employees will not fight you, they are reasonable people who can understand why you are making a change if you can justify it.)



One more thing, was the request to have her come in at 7:45 accompanied with some kind of compensation? I don't mean the extra paid 15 minutes. (I disagree with padraigin that a paycheck is proper incentive for an established and valuable employee to change her schedule at the whim of some new boss. You get paid to do a job, not to follow unreasonable demands.) What I mean is something like offering to let her she leave 30 minutes earlier, or have an extra 15 minutes for lunch. Something like that.
posted by oddman at 8:52 AM on November 14, 2005

Your right to do so, .geoff, but I think it's utterly insane to be working around this person and trying to change the shape of a BUSINESS to accomodate some flake who can't be arsed to get to work on time. It's not hard - be there or get canned. There are plenty of 22 year olds who'd kill for a job like this, and learn what they need to know to do a good job. She is *not* irreplacable, period. It might not be *easy* to find a replacement, but it certainly isn't impossible.

It's just unimaginable to me that a manager would let an employee take advantage like this - talk about being wrapped around your little finger!
posted by tristeza at 8:54 AM on November 14, 2005

I second asking her for recommendations. She should know what would motivate her to get there early (or what is making her drag her feet). Rewards for coming in on time seem babyish and imply that the start-time is arbitrary rather than necessary. If the start-time isn't arbitrary, her lateness suggests that either she doesn't know the troubles she's causing, or she does but she doesn't care, or she knows and cares but has other stronger factors preventing her compliance.

So, for instance, if her life is too busy/chaotic, giving her the chance to leave early whenever possible might help her manage her time and put the emphasis on efficiency. Or having breakfast available at work. It used to really bother me when my managers were sticklers for the start-time but would turn a blind eye about making sure I was out on time. And does she see the consequences for her lateness? Is she the one who has to explain/apologize to the patients? Making her aware of this process, if she isn't already, might trigger her sense of responsibility.
posted by xo at 8:56 AM on November 14, 2005

I don't want to be that asshole.

Sometimes you have to be.

My family owns a small manufacturing business. We used to have trouble with chronic tardiness. We tried all sorts of negative reinforcement, but it never seemed to do the trick. Ultimately, we resorted to monetary incentives.

We have a per-paycheck ontime bonus: if an employee is on-time every day during a pay period, he received a small bonus. (Unfortunately, once an employee is late for one day, there's no incentive to be on time the other days.)

We also have a profit-sharing plan that is based on hours worked. If we wanted to get really fancy, we'd tie that to on-time, also, because the profit-sharing is more than just a little bonus.

Ultimately, though, some people are just late. If that's something you can't have in your business — and this sounds like the case — then you have to resort to punishment, including dismissale. Yes, this is a pain in the ass and uncomfortable for all involved, but it's a short-term discomfort whereas it sounds like the damage being caused is long term.

Sometimes you have to be that asshole. Or, to look at it another way: your employees are the assholes; you're just coping with their asshattery.
posted by jdroth at 9:02 AM on November 14, 2005

Can you officially start the work day before 8:00? I'd say that the required time to be in the office should be 7:30, or at latest, 7:45 to set up for the day. I realize that you probably clean up all the instruments, etc. after every patient or at the end of the day, but are there some tasks that would be best done first thing in the morning? If there's something to be done before patients get there, then they'd be late if they miss that period instead of the day beginning with patients.

Are they entering at the same door patients do? I can see where it'd be very unprofessional for patients to be in the waiting area and watch the technicians walk by after they've been sitting there ten minutes. That could be the basis for a conversation. Mention they might want to apologize to the patients, not to you.
posted by mikeh at 9:14 AM on November 14, 2005

Like others, I too feel she's aware of how valuable you feel she is and is, therefore, able to do as she damned well pleases.

I would sit her down at the end of her shift today and let her know that her constant tardiness is not going to be tolerated any longer. You have a clients that expect to be seen at the time of their appointment, not 15-20 minutes later (which I imagine throws off the rest of the days' appointments, as well). Point out that part of getting the clients seen On Time is her being there to greet the clients as they come in, have their file and any other materials ready for you, etc, etc, etc. I would also point out that her being late causes unnecessary stress for everyone else in the office, including the patients. Again, not good.

Ask her what it is that causes her to be late every day. Ask her what she thinks she should do to fix the problem. Tell her by week's end a formal policy and consequence document will be in place for all employees. I would have each employee sign a copy for their personnel files. Bottom line, let them (her, especially) know you mean business.

No way should any "reward" system be put in place for her. Showing up on time, or heaven forbid early, is her job!
posted by SoftSummerBreeze at 9:14 AM on November 14, 2005

I disagree with padraigin that a paycheck is proper incentive for an established and valuable employee to change her schedule at the whim of some new boss. You get paid to do a job, not to follow unreasonable demands.

She's been asked to begin work at 8:00, and comes in at 8:15. It would hardly be unreasonable to dock pay for this, nor is it unreasonable to demand punctuality, especially considering the nature of the business.
posted by padraigin at 9:20 AM on November 14, 2005

P.S. I'm chronically early. I'd rather arrive to a meeting, event, luncheon, work, etc. way too early that suffer the embarassment of having someone wait for me to arrive before can begin.

People who are chronically late have no respect for those they keep waiting. It's basically all about them and no one else. To me, someone that treats their employer like this on a regular basis is not someone I'd want working for me - wonderful or not.
posted by SoftSummerBreeze at 9:21 AM on November 14, 2005

In case it hasn't been stressed enough, changing office hours to accommodate this woman is the Worst Idea.

Start occasionally bringing breakfast, punctually at 7.45, so people who get there ON TIME get it. It will inevitably call attention to this woman's lateness in an indirect way.

Also, consider getting another job. Seriously. If your boss/owner has a fundamental inability to address issues like this, your ability to manage effectively is severely compromised. I would not be surprised if any attempts at change by you are countered by this woman going around your back to your boss. Expect this woman to play the two of you off of each other. I've seen it in other situations.
posted by mkultra at 9:21 AM on November 14, 2005

Former manager here. I would sit down with her and state clearly and without blaming that you have noticed that she continually arrives late at work and would like to know what both of you can do to fix this ("what can we do to fix this problem") - this allows for the fact that she may have some life issue which you do not know about which is causing the lateness and if this is the case, you can work together on a solution. "I know I don't have to remind you that the job starts at 8am, not 8:15, it is not optional for you to be here at 8am, it's mandatory, so what can we do to ensure that you are here and ready to work by 8am every day from now on?". I would also state that she is placing you in a position where you are going to have to formalize this issue in the form of a written warning, and that you do not want either of you to be in that position. Tell her you will be reviewing this in one week, and do so. Keep detailed notes about exactly when she walks in the door, and when you sit down to discuss it again next week decide then whether or not you need to go any further. I would keep note of when she arrives from now on, and make it a point to bring this up at her review meetings (even if it's just to say that you've noticed that she's really been making an effort in this area).
posted by biscotti at 9:26 AM on November 14, 2005

First, I agree completely with xo.

Second, I was in a similar situation - I was a young manager and my employees were close to me in age. What worked for me was helping my employees see that we were a team (cliche, I know). I let them know that I would help them out in absolutely any way that I could (and I delivered on that - sure, you need to run an errand, I'll cover for you, that kind of thing) - but in return, I needed them to be willing to work with me and help me.

I'm not saying be a pushover. Take them to lunch, together or separately, and tell them how much you value them, and thank them for the things that they are great at. Then tell them that you need them to be there on time - and tell them why (i.e., it's not just you being a jerk). Ask what will help make that happen.

Get them on your side - you'll be surprised how great they might end up being.
posted by Puppy D at 9:26 AM on November 14, 2005

I don't think it should be that hard to be honest with the 2 assistants.

Sit them down and explain to them that while they are otherwise doing a great job and you want them to continue, their tardiness is affecting the business. Leveling with them and explaining why it's important that they're there at 8a is the first step, and hopefully that will take care of the problem. Let them know that you understand that shit happens, but that in the future they will be allowed one (or whatever you can live with) tardy day a month.

You do need to make it clear to them that while they are valuable employees, they are not invaluable if their conduct is affecting business. Make sure you have the backing of your boss before you let them know that dismissal would be in their future if the tardiness doesn't stop.

I don't think rewarding them for showing up on time is a good idea. It's mollycoddling and unprofessional. Offering to help them as per Puppy D's answer above is a much better option.
posted by widdershins at 9:30 AM on November 14, 2005

oddman sayeth You get paid to do a job, not to follow unreasonable demands.

The demands made by one's boss are, by definition, the job. If you don't like it you can attempt to talk it out or quit, but the suggestion that someone should just do as they damned well please because they as an employee think it's bunk is insulting to all of us who do our jobs.

Is this person salaried or hourly? A whole world of opportunities open up to you if she's hourly, the simplest one being docking her pay. You're not here and ready to do your job, you're not getting paid for the job. If you want to really drive the point home and can take the pain, send her home without pay if she's late. I'd be amazed if you had to do it more than once. This would probably be more effective if you had made it clear sooner that you'd be unable to give a positive reference to any other possible employers given her inability to be in on time.

You don't have to be "that asshole" - just be matter-of-fact. "Lateie, I realize it may not be a big deal to you, but a number of our customers feel like when we're late it's an insult to them because it means we don't respect the value of their time. These people pay our salaries by being our customers and we need to keep them happy. They'd like us to start taking appointments at 7:30, if not earlier, so not starting till 8:00 is for our sake and by not managing even that on time we're letting them down. I need to have these people in the chair at 8:00 sharp and to do that I need you here before 8:00. If there's something I can do to help you do this, I'll be glad to talk with you about it but the one that that HAS to happen is you being here and ready to see people at 8:00."
posted by phearlez at 9:32 AM on November 14, 2005

Buy breakfast/coffee for everyone who is supposed to be in the office at 8 minus one.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:32 AM on November 14, 2005

You need to institute a formal process that acknowledges lateness is a problem that needs to be solved. Each time a person arrives late she should have to fill out a form detailing the time she was expected to arrive, the time she actually arrived, and the reason she was late and she needs to sign it. Then, at the end of the month, you should generate reports detailing their hours and the total minutes late. Make them sign these reports also so they understand just how much they're late. Then with the approval of your boss, you need to institute some sort of punishment. This could be anything from a cash penalty to making them work late an extra 45 minutes for every 15 minutes their late. Finally, provide some basic incentive for them to come on time. Coffee and doughnuts will help a lot here.

Also, if you're seeing patients at 8:00 then the start-of-day should be 7:45, methinks. Seems pretty silly to cut it so close each and every day.
posted by nixerman at 9:33 AM on November 14, 2005

Do you have a break room with a coffee pot? You could start bringing in donuts & brewing coffee, which would be an incentive for her to show up early. If she comes in late, she's left with the mangled, half-exploded jelly donut.

Of course, this is a dentist's office, and my dentist bitched me out for drinking so much coffee...
posted by Marit at 9:33 AM on November 14, 2005

I say try and talk to her person-to-person, first. I had a job (pizza delivery, considerably less important than this one) that I was CONSTANTLY, CHRONICALLY late to. But that's only because it didn't really matter what time I got there. If my boss (whom I had a good relationship with and cared about) sat me down and told me that my lateness was causing personal trouble for HIM, not affecting the business but actually making his job and life harder, I would have been in there early every day.

Try the civil, sensible tack first. That's what would work on me. Just let her know that her being late is bad for business and it's really making things difficult for you. Then you can try the carrot-on-a-stick management stuff that's been suggested.
posted by deafmute at 9:35 AM on November 14, 2005

bilabial, you say you've been working there for one month. How long have the assistants been employed there? How does the dentist you work for feel about their tardiness? Have you received complaints from patients?

I ask this because if there are no negative consequences from their tardiness--as far as they can tell--they will not have much of an incentive to show up on time. And if they've been doing this for years, it's going to be even more difficult for them to change their behaviors.

I think your first step is making sure that your boss, the practice owner, is on your side. I would provide documentation of the tardiness and note any complaints you have received from patients about it.

If the dentist shrugs it off, you're going to have a heck of a time doing anything, I think, because when push comes to shove--say, time to fire someone--the owner is not going to have your back because they didn't think it was a big deal in the first place.

Although I hate the idea of paying people to do what they should be doing anyway---since you feel you really have your back to the wall with this one assistant, I would explore the idea of an incentive program with your boss. Perhaps an extra amount of money based on the number of on-time days worked in a month; docking them pay for the 15 minutes they miss every morning is another thought.

I would then meet with each of them, find out if there is any issue behind their tardiness and then present them with the incentive plan, if you're going that route. I would also let them know that the behavior has resulted in patient complaints (if that's true) and that the dentist wants it resolved (if also true).

You may also need to consider the possibility that their tardiness is a sign of job dissatisfaction. If that's the case, pushing on it too much may result in either one quitting.

For that reason and more, I would start looking for replacements. It may have the unintended consequence of straightening them out too: nothing says business like seeing a resume for your job at the fax machine.
posted by Sully6 at 9:44 AM on November 14, 2005

It might bear keeping in mind that one probably *is* making the other late. If one of the woman is showing up late and there's no penalty, it makes the other think the behavior is acceptable in your office.
posted by occhiblu at 9:51 AM on November 14, 2005

The rewards system seems like a horrible idea. These are adults you are dealing with, not infant children. I think that if I had an attendance problem and my boss sat down and discussed it with me, but then also got me little rewards when I was on time I would feel condescended to and patronized. I second all the opinions that you just need to make it clear that the behavior won't stand in as diplomatic a manner as possible.
posted by xmutex at 10:12 AM on November 14, 2005

I didn't read all the suggestions but if she is late for 8, she would be late if you opened at 8:30. Because she can and sees no consequences for being late.
posted by 6550 at 10:23 AM on November 14, 2005

In some ways it sounds like your priority really lies with maintaining peace rather than with them being on time. I think many of the suggestions here are good, but I guaruntee they won't make you popular. So it's really time to decide which one is more important to you.

If maintaining peace is more important than cracking down, you'll probably have to put up with the lateness. Also, as others have said, if you don't have the support of your boss, you're definitely going to have to document solid business reasons (like losing money and/or patients) and get him or her on board before you'll be able to do anything.
posted by Kimberly at 10:27 AM on November 14, 2005

As someone who has regrettably had to supervise and discipline (ick) employees who were not performing satisfactorily, I'm on the side of SoftSummerBreeze - set a policy and then manage to that guideline. What's happened up until now is water under the bridge unless you have a clear way to show they're hurting the practice. If you discipline or fire them, you have to have concrete evidence which explains the reasoning behind your actions.

Have a meeting to tell the assistants that to ensure the office runs smoothly and that patients are seen on time, you're instituting a policy requiring staff to arrive 15 minutes before the first scheduled appointment, or appointment slot, at 7:45. (Tell Miss 8:00 her revised schedule isn't working.) If you want, you can throw in additional items like "if staff are late with less than X hours notice, they will lose X minutes' pay for every X minutes/hours missed (my husband worked for a shop that had a policy like this, and people were lined up to punch in - at 6 a.m.).

Set the policy in writing and make sure everyone sees it. The point is to construct something that a.) shows them they need to get in before the patients arrive as a matter of course, and b.) gets them to give you notice well in advance of an absence, even if they're calling in sick.

You'll want to add a clause about unacceptable levels of absence - you decide how many tardys and how many missed days that is per month, pay period, whatever. Have a way to track arrival and departure - if they don't currently fill out time cards, they should probably start (you will, of course, keep your own record and match that against what they submit to you before you sign the card).

Do not bargain with the assistants in setting the policy. Do not bribe them with treats to get them to come in on time. I cannot stress enough that you have no control over whether or not they perceive you as an asshole - they willl or they won't. If the policy applies to everyone, the assistants can hardly call it unfair, though they may feel it is.

And just to prove I'm not a total hardass, I'm not ruling out bringing in donuts entirely - I just suggest you do it after this crisis has passed.
posted by deliriouscool at 10:49 AM on November 14, 2005

Another vote for just sitting down to talk about it, and letting her know how you see it as affecting the business. None of this twee reward for four days of promptness stuff; I'd be insulted if my boss started giving me little trinkets for doing my job - yes, even those parts of my job that I know perfectly well I could use improvement on.

Aside from this one employee's issues, it seems like really bad planning to have the office open at the same time that appointments start. People often show up early for doctor's appointments, so you've automatically got people waiting outside even if the staff is always prompt. I'd really recommend opening 30, or at least 15, minutes before the first appointment.
posted by hilatron at 11:11 AM on November 14, 2005

I think oddman, xo, and deafmute are right on target.

If you haven't let her know that this is actually causing problems for you, any solution involving incentives or punishment is premature.

Bear in mind that in many workplaces, start times really are arbitrary and no one really cares about fifteen minutes here or there. This case is different, but since she doesn't see the floundering early-morning patients, she may well not realize it.

(As occhiblu pointed out, that's reinforced by the other woman's tendency to come in late, too. This really does put you in a tough spot.)

In any case, talk to her before drawing any conclusions. At this point, treating it as "bad behavior" or "unsatisfactory performance" isn't likely to be helpful. If she then turns out to be unresponsive or unable to change her schedule, you can think about other strategies.
posted by tangerine at 11:39 AM on November 14, 2005

Disagree with rewards. Strongly disagree with adjusting the start time.

Also, you'd better never be late or be taking long lunches if you're going enforce this. And yes, this is part of the suck part of your job.

Don't say anything to her in front of patients or other staff. That's not cool.

Your talking points should be something like the following:
* I've been more than understanding, but the lateness has become a problem.
* It's important to never keep patients waiting.
* It sets a bad example for the rest of the office.
* We may have been more lenient in the past, but it's time to shape up. If lateness persists, she'll get a letter in her file, and this will be part of her annual review. Future raises, including cost-of-living raises, will be affected.
* End with what grahamwell said.
posted by desuetude at 11:53 AM on November 14, 2005

Have you discussed this with the boss? If the person at the top does not think it is a problem, then it's not a problem. Also, if the assistants have been around longer than you, they will resent it if you stick your nose in and get too bossy too soon.

First, talk to the boss and see how he/she feels about it. If the boss is not concerned, then chill for a while until you've earned some trust.

If the boss is concerned, find out how far he/she is willing to go: docking pay (if hourly), or keeping them late (if salaried). It's best to start off with a small discussion of the problem, how it affects the office and the patients, and what you'd like to see happening - without any threats or rewards.

If the initial discussion does not get them to start coming in on time, get a definite punishment policy in place with the boss's blessing. Then, enforce it.

Rewards are useless. They make the employee think that you are grateful for them doing their job. This is wrong. They need to understand that they must do their job, or there will be consequences.

Most important here is finding out what your boss thinks - bosses are more than willing to leave you hanging if they think it is in their best interest.
posted by MrZero at 12:04 PM on November 14, 2005

My boss is behind me 100%. He wants this to be my realm because he knows he has been too nice about it in the past. He will be talking to her about this today and making it clear that this is my job, to make sure the office runs smoothly and to keep up with the expectations/needs of our patients.

My plan is to check in with him about how that meeting goes after work today, and discuss this with her tomorrow, regardless of whether she is late or not, just to let her know that I have noticed it and it makes me uncomfortable to have to chit chat with the patients about why she might be late (they ask) and to make it clear that it is not my job to be getting the first patient into the chair every morning. My job is to answer the phone, get the messages, attend to emergencies, financial stuff. I am available to get patients back to the room on a very occasional basis, but all the time is unacceptable. She needs to be present to build a rapport, I won't have my hands in their mouths, she will.

She is hourly, we can't "dock her pay," we just don't pay her for the time she's not here. What makes this sting so badly for the doctor is that when the summer was slow (it always is here) he let her work "extra" hours doing less imperative tasks, even though she was not needed here full time, and she's not repaying that favor in kind, ie being respectful of the office's needs.

Rewards seem to be out, thank you for making that clear. I'm still establishing myself as the go to person for all the important stuff, slowly. As our season gets busier we can afford less and less this lateness.


We will be printing up a job description and a time requirement page for each position, including the doctor. This is what we need from this team, and this is what happens to the team if these needs aren't met. AND, this is what happens to the team member who is not keeping their end of the deal.

Thanks again, any more suggestions would be great.

(Oh, and I'm a she. If I were a he it would be rene. Then I'd probably be French too.)
posted by bilabial at 1:02 PM on November 14, 2005

It's good that the doctor is on your side. Don't stray too far from what the boss will allow you to do.

I noticed in your previous post that many of the things you intend to bring up revolve around you. For example, "I have noticed it," "it makes me uncomfortable to have to chit chat with the patients about why she might be late," and "it is not my job to be getting the first patient into the chair every morning."

Instead, you should emphasize the common ground between the two of you: getting things running smoothly, keeping patients happy, etc. You want to build a relationship where this person respects you. If you focus on yourself, she will resent you.

For future reference, don't ever start any sentence with the phrase "it's not my job...." It will never win you any sympathy. Managers (and employees) hate it.
posted by MrZero at 3:08 PM on November 14, 2005

I don't want to be that asshole.

You have to be willing to be that asshole. You have to be willing not to be a buddy. Then you can be firm, fair and friendly in your very reasonable expectation that all staff have to be ready to work at 8:00 a.m. Your staff are smart, so they recognize that it's unfair to patients when they are late. They need to be there in time to hang up the coat, wash up and be ready for the 1st patient. Be cheerful, nonjudgemental and very clear about expecting your office to provide exceptional patient care, and promptness is part of it.

Rewards are effective. When the staff are on time, notice it and thank them for their effort. If a staff member is on time for a week, surprise her with a gas card for $10, and tell her you wish you could do it all the time, but you want to express your appreciation for her effort. Not sure what you mean by trinkets, but occasional non-cheesy rewards are good. Try buying 2 lottery tickets every day; they only get one if they are on time. Thank you cards are good.

If the dental assistant is underpaid, she'll leave. Meanwhile, you can't afford to have an employee who treats patients badly by making them wait.
posted by theora55 at 4:12 PM on November 14, 2005

I've been a dental assistant and also worked the front desk (granted it was eons ago). However, you should certainly expect that your people show up on time consistently, barring some major catastrophe. There are plent of competent people out in the world who are willing to comply with this philosophy. It's not always easy to find them, but certainly worth it to your practice.
posted by kamikazegopher at 8:01 PM on November 14, 2005

I can't believe the creepy capitalist boss mentality going down here... You shall reap what you sew my friends.

It sounds like you want to be a decent human being, and respect your employee. Good. I would suggest being frank with her, and saying that you want to be flexible and understanding, but on this particular point her being late effects everyone. I would try openness and honesty. Try to suggest things to help her. Make no assumptions about the real circumstances of her situation. Perhaps offer wake up calls, transportation reimbursement, etc. But use progressive discipline if she burns you i.e. a warning, a write up, and so on. I think one thing bosses almost never do, and would ingratient them in the eyes of their workers and improve the work atmosphere is trying to be understanding and accommodating of worker's lives. You don't want to reward someone who disregards everyone else, but on the other hand treating someone with some humanity can sometimes have unexpected transformative effects.

It's good you're even thinking about this rather than firing her :)
posted by aussicht at 8:12 PM on November 14, 2005

You're on the right track with the job description. Be sure to clearly set expectations. You have to be specific. You can't just say "the job starts at 8am" ... you have to say something like, "arrive by 8am and be ready to process patients by 8:15am every day" or similar. Then, if they're not following your expectations, you sit down and say "I have a concern and I need your help." Then, you tell them what the concern is. "When you are late for work, it upsets the customers and makes the business look bad." Then you say, "I need you to be on time to work every day. What are you going to do to be on time to work every day?" It's repetitive, but reinforces your idea. They may come up with excuses. Do not engage in that. Simply repeat the message "I need you to be on time to work every day. What are you going to do to be on time to work every day?" Make THEM come up with what they can do, instead of you filling in the blanks. For instance, you don't want to say, "well, could you not stop to get Starbucks?" or whatever. Being late is THEIR problem and THEY need to fix it. When they come up with what they're going to do, like, "well, I GUESS I could leave earlier" you say, "great! so you've agreed that in order to be on time to work every day, you're going to leave earlier."

Don't just put a note in the file, write up a quick recap memo. It doesn't need to be long - just recap the message, using the same verbage. Give them a copy. Next incident, repeat conversation. Three times should lead to performance counseling where you state that their performance must be improved or they may lose their job. Give them 30 days to improve (this is after the 3 times). No improvement? Fire them. This method is usually fair to both parties - you're not flying off the handle and firing them and you're not being a push-over. You just need to set expectations and follow-up.

Be sure to document, document, document and be consistent with everyone! Don't scold lateness one time and then ignore it the next.

Good luck!

On preview: I can't disagree more with aussicht's advice of offering wake-up calls and transportation reimbursement! Being understanding to "life happens" is one thing, but trying to manage their personal lives isn't your job. Keep repeating to yourself: "being late is their problem and they need to fix it."
posted by cyniczny at 8:24 PM on November 14, 2005

Well, I am jumping in really, really late here, but I second asking her how both of you should fix it. If you really want to be smart, ask her how it should be handled in the future and what you should do if it continues to be a problem.

Also, I am going to say something no one else has said. You need to be prepared to take over if she doesn't come in. When she sees that her not coming in isn't just keeping people waiting but means someone else has to do the work she'll probably step to. Not to mention you shouldn't let the business you manage lapse.
posted by xammerboy at 9:21 PM on November 14, 2005

Ok, since I'm not sleeping, here's what seems to be my plan.

1. Write up these descriptions pre meeting.
2. Set a time with her (work out whether tomorrow is convenient for anyone, see if she is available to come in friday, as she often does for the aforementioned "extra hours") to "go over what we've all learned in my first month here.
3. Give praise
4. Make patient expectations clear
5. Ask for help solving my problem
6. Get our plan into writing
7. Fill the doctor in on the plan
8. Enjoy the rest of my week and make sure to continue praising her kindness, efficiency, wit and all other good qualities to her and to patients, whether she can hear me or not.

And just so you know, we never discuss with patients why things have gotten behind, we just apologize for any inconvenience, thank people for their patience and offer to reschedule if anything becomes heinously bogged down. As I've noted before, I don't need to embarass anyone, I just want out office to work on time.

For myself, I will be getting in at 7:30 now instead of 7:45 to make sure that I am far enough along in my own chores that picking up her slack won't make me look like a schlub.

There may be more to this saga tomorrow. I do expect that things will work out well, as she is definitely a reasonable employee, and generally respectful. As others mentioned above, it's totally possible that she isn't aware of the impact her presense has for those 15 minutes.
posted by bilabial at 9:26 PM on November 14, 2005

Do you have contact with other Dental office managers? If I were you, I'd start building a network with other people in your position. It will make it easier for you if you end up having to replace this woman. You never know when some dentist in your area with an absoulutely fabulous assistant will decide with almost no notice to close his practice because he can no longer resist his childhood dream to become one of Santa's elves, and you never will know it's happened if you aren't tapped in.
posted by Good Brain at 10:33 PM on November 14, 2005

I am a dental assistant and have been an office manager, a position I don't think I'll ever do again. I'm not a manager of people. I have the attitude that we are there for the patients, we should be ready at their appointed time, period. Whatever goes on behind the scenes should be toward that end. I did not like having to cajole adult employees into being ready to do their job on time. Ridiculous!

I am the sole assistant to a dentist right now. When I started, it was scheduled that I'd be on the clock at 8:15 and seating our first patient at 8:30. That isn't good enough for me, it took some time, but the doctor lets me start whenever I arrive, I have quite a long commute and can sometimes be very early, depending on traffic. But never late!

I didn't mean to make this post about me being such a model employee, but to confirm that in all 18 years of my work experience, being at work earlier than the first patient has always been part and parcel of the job.
posted by Jazz Hands at 8:27 PM on November 15, 2005

The doctor and I have had some success getting the assistants in on time more often. We are attending a dental Practice Administrator Workshop this weekend and are getting a lot of great ideas for our practice, including his hearing from a professional consultant (who gets paid a lot more than I do) that his example is very important, so he needs to stop being late entirely in order for the girls to take our demands on their time seriously. When I started in the practice I wasn't aware that he had been coming late, and while he is better about it, he has been tardy two or three times in the 3.5 months that I've been there. So he will have a visible and painful punishment (fine into a piggy bank every time he is late) and they will have a lighter version of the same. For him, I think $20 or more per minute, for them, ten to 50 cents. The assistants' tardiness has been well documented, so if we need to fire them for it, we will have cause. A further complication of the plot is that my assistant is a very good friend of the doctor's cousin, which I didn't know when I was hired. She is also in beauty school and will probably quit when she graduates, so the doctor considers her a placewarmer for when our practice grows and needs a full time assistant to me. Then we will call that person the patient coordinator and maybe I will get my own office with a door to be the financial coordinator and the practice administrator.

Thanks again for all the help. I did print the suggestions all out and share them with the doctor, but hearing it from someone he's just paid a lot of money seemed to bring it all home to him, how we can't afford to let the behavior continue and that we will have to begin the hunt again if we can't eradicate the habitual tardiness.
posted by bilabial at 6:23 PM on January 13, 2006