Employee Personal Time-off

[e***@gmail.com]

Hello,

I run a business with 8 employees, and I have a very relaxed
attitude about time-off, flex-time, etc. I am not interested in micro-
managing my employees, but at the same time, we have a mountain of
work to do.
Recently, a couple of my employees I feel are over the line. Today,
for example, 1 employee meet with their real estate agent for 1 hour,
and another employee has a 1.5 hour house-hunting appointment. Can't
they do this on the weekend?

So my question is: where do other bosses draw the line on personal
time-off? What is acceptable and what's not?

Thanks for any help. Eric.

[John A. Weeks III]

Post by e***@gmail.com
I run a business with 8 employees, and I have a very relaxed
attitude about time-off, flex-time, etc. I am not interested in micro-
managing my employees, but at the same time, we have a mountain of
work to do.
Recently, a couple of my employees I feel are over the line. Today,
for example, 1 employee meet with their real estate agent for 1 hour,
and another employee has a 1.5 hour house-hunting appointment. Can't
they do this on the weekend?
So my question is: where do other bosses draw the line on personal
time-off? What is acceptable and what's not?

The problem is that people adjust to (1) the examples that are
set, and (2) what they think they can get away with.

First thing is that you need to set the example for the office.
If you want folks to work a good solid 8 hours, you need to work
a good solid 9. If you want them to do stuff after hours, you
need to do stuff after hours. That is your responsibility as the
front line manager for these folks. If you were in the exec office
and only see these people in the elevator, then it is a different
story.

Next, you need to set formal written rules. Every employee needs
and is entitled to an employee handbook. You don't need a work
bible here, but rather, start with the rules you want, and expand
it later. Make sure you have a rule in there that says that you
can change or add to the rules any time you want to. The first
time you issue such a handbook, you need to have employees sign
a statement that they received the handbook and accept it as a
condition of employment. Some will squawk, but ask your attorney,
you really need this.

Once the handbook is in place, let folks know that you expect
to live by it, both for your benefit as well as for their benefit.
Put in place a time off request sheet. Ask that all time off be
requested at least 3 days in advance, doctor & dentist appointments
at least 2 weeks (if known), and vacation at least 2 weeks in
advance. Then let them know that some requests will be OK'ed
on an ad-hoc basis as long as people get their work done and are
not abusing the policy. This is a reward for those that do good.

If you really want to get things under control, change the pay
system so part of people's pay is based on attendance. This is
the so-called attendance bonus. Take the money that you were
going to use for raises this year and next year, and put them
into a bonus pool. Set it up where if people are on time every
day during a pay period, and miss no work at all, they get so
much extra on the pay check. If they only miss due to sick leave
or vacation, then they get a smaller bonus. Be late one day, or
skip out 1 hour without paperwork & approval, then the bonus goes
poof. Let folks know that if they don't get they bonus, you do.

-john-

[e***@gmail.com]

Post by John A. Weeks III
The problem is that people adjust to (1) the examples that are
set, and (2) what they think they can get away with.
First thing is that you need to set the example for the office.
If you want folks to work a good solid 8 hours, you need to work
a good solid 9. If you want them to do stuff after hours, you
need to do stuff after hours. That is your responsibility as the
front line manager for these folks. If you were in the exec office
and only see these people in the elevator, then it is a different
story.

That certainly is no issue, since they know that I get in early and
am usually the last one to leave. However, I have certainly found that
there is a difference between my attitude to work (as the owner), and
the employees (as the employees). They will never share my enthusiasm
for the job simply because they have no stake. It has taken me years
to accept the fact that employees view the job only as a job, whereas
I view it as my mission. Obviously, they want to do a good job and get
raises/etc., but at the end of the day, they leave and switch their
brains off. Only once have I had a employee who truly believed in the
mission... he was in at 7:30, and left when I did. I tried my best to
keep him happy (raises, more responsibility) but at the end he was
just too good to work in my small company, and he left for a big
company.
Profit-sharing does not sit well with me because, to be honest, most
employees are a) not worth it, and b) they get fired-up at first then
go back to their regular patterns. In all my work-years (20+), I truly
believe that most companies are run by 5% of the employees with the
rest just 9-to-5ers. So why give everyone profit-sharing?

Post by John A. Weeks III
Next, you need to set formal written rules. Every employee needs
and is entitled to an employee handbook. You don't need a work
bible here, but rather, start with the rules you want, and expand
it later. Make sure you have a rule in there that says that you
can change or add to the rules any time you want to. The first
time you issue such a handbook, you need to have employees sign
a statement that they received the handbook and accept it as a
condition of employment. Some will squawk, but ask your attorney,
you really need this.

This and the rest of your post is very good advise. Thanks. Eric.

[m***@jach.hawaii.edu]

Post by e***@gmail.com
Hello,
I run a business with 8 employees, and I have a very relaxed
attitude about time-off, flex-time, etc. I am not interested in micro-
managing my employees, but at the same time, we have a mountain of
work to do.
Recently, a couple of my employees I feel are over the line. Today,
for example, 1 employee meet with their real estate agent for 1 hour,
and another employee has a 1.5 hour house-hunting appointment. Can't
they do this on the weekend?
So my question is: where do other bosses draw the line on personal
time-off? What is acceptable and what's not?

Eric,

depending on the kind of business you have time off can be made up
out of hours or on weekends. Im my so-called 40 hour/week job I
was joking in late November that if I was to take my comp time
seriously I'd take the rest of the year off (without getting around to
taking my use-it-or-lose-it vacation time). If your business requires
work to be done at a certain time that's a different matter - and most
or
all real estate agents work out of hours. -

What I'm trying to says is: taking time off during the day doesn't
have to
mean less hours worked, and if it does maybe the other stuff needs to
move 'out of hours'. - And less hours worked also doesn't necessarily
mean less work accomplished .... -
(Apart from that, agree with John to a large extent.)

Aloha,
Maren
Palms, Etc.: Tropical Plant Seeds - Hand-made Jewelry - Plants &
Lilikoi
http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/~maren/palms_etc/
- Job's Tears/Coix Lachryma Iobi available -