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When an employee can’t get to work on time

Joe Marconi
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CARMandP Proficient

CARMandP

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It would depend upon what motivates the tech. How about cutting pay or charging when late? You are right that it will kill morale if one tech has one set of rules and the rest have another set. That killed the morale where I use to work. It wasn't the different rules, it was the politics of one tech getting all the gravy and the rest having to follow up after him and fix his crap. It's still that way 2 yrs after I left.

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Gonzo Grand Master

Gonzo

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I had a similiar story, but this tech was good. I hated to let him go, but life goes on and we survived. It's not that I don't worry about losing a great tech, but if the tech stays, what will that do to my business due to bad morale and hard feelings among the other employees?

I've had similar problems with techs. Some ... when they do call in late for the 3rd or 4th time... I tell them not to bother coming in at all... but I reserve that for the bad ones. The good techs.. well, I won't assign them work... If you come in late... you get nothing. Eventually they either get the idea or they quit.

 

My worst offenders of this whole thing has always been the interns... I ended up handling them this way.... first off they are usually college or high school students... keep that in mind too. What I do is stand by their work area at exactly the start of the day... IF you are not there ON TIME... then GO HOME... all day. Until you can make it in the real world at the real time... you don't need this job. I'll usually play this game thru their entire internship... then when it's grading time it will show on thier report card.

 

It's worked in the past... hope this helps. Gonzo

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ROBK Apprentice

ROBK

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Ahhh one of the benefits of running a one man shop..... The shop I was at before going out on my own it was a constant problem. One tech I ended up changing his hours instead of 8 to 4:30 I gave him new hours, 9 to 4:30. Which amounted to less money for him at the end of the week. He did make it in by 9 and the other techs referred to his walk across the parking lot to the shop at 9 every morning to his walk of shame as he came in. Had it turned into a problem with other employees he would have been let go. The only thing that saved him was the hard time we had finding anyone worth hiring. What I could never figure out is how come the guy that lives an hour away shows up on time every day rain show or shine, but the guy that lives a mile away on the same street is always the late one?

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GeeZ Enthusiast

GeeZ

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All businesses seem to have this problem with all types of employees with 30 somethings. First, speak to him/her about the tardiness. He may have mitigating problems. Since in my primary business, I deal with mostly women, I have learned ask questions. Most common problem is taking kids to school in the morning. With this problem, I allow them to come in late and take a 30 min. lunch to make up for the tardiness. Failing this, I would start progressive discipline to get rid of him. Don't allow this situation to continue or as others have written, it will cause problems with the other employees. Good luck.

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Gonzo Grand Master

Gonzo

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Welcoem to the forum! Sometimes one can get away with things where it is all family.

 

 

Sometimes I wish I'd fire myself... but then Monday morning rolls around and I have to fill out that employment application thing again.... then the interview, then the trial period...

 

Well, I'm here... might as well stay....

 

I guess I'll stick around for that gold watch...

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Gonzo Grand Master

Gonzo

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I don't remember lateness being problem years ago. Maybe I'm getting old, but I remember a more responsible work force. Sure, you always had the expectation, but the majority of people knew there were a set of rules and they stuck to them.

 

I think this lateness is at epidemic levels and part of the reason may be the enormous amount of obligations people have with their lives today. But regardless of what the reason is, lateness kills productivity, costs this industry valuable dollars and should not be tolerated.

 

 

Hi Joe, I think you're right in every case.... especially the old part.. LOL

You know one thing I did find... back when I had a lot of employees ... is the one time I had a guy who would leave during the day because of some ... stupid... made up emergency... (I'm sure of it) What he would do is leave a job half done... and then the next day he wouldn't show up... then somebody would have to finish it. It turned out .... he didn't know how to do that paticular job, and he would come back later to find out what we did to make the repair.

 

He didnt' last long...

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

    • Joe Marconi
      The Toolbox is Last to Leave, First is the Heart
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      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.

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