employee taking advantage of flexibility

If you need me to do A as well, please let me know how I should prioritize.. This past year multiple family members of mine faced major health issues. There should be a within reason and workload permitting attached to that. This doesnt seem to be the case above though. What an exceptionally well-reasoned and thoughtful answer. This was exactly my read on it. Also, is there any possibility that the employee has been dumped on in the past or been asked to do a disproportionate share of other peoples work on a long-term basis? If I really want them to do new work, is there other work that they should not be doing, to make room for this?. In the first context its definitely push-back even though its just a question the implication is that I am erring in asking her and she wants me to reconsider, which is fine to do occasionally but should be done very sparingly. Been there, done that, and its not a good thing to do to people. He barely spoke to us, so there was absolutely no need for us to have our butts-in-seats crammed in the toxic little room we were all shoved into yet there we were, at his insistence, day after day. Even with the diabetic example, its only really a problem if the employee requests something like sparkling water and the employer insists they will only provide Coke. The way this letter came across to me was a bias in favor of the young, eager employee who is willing to do whatever, whenever, and never asks for much in terms of scheduling flexibility, presumably because she may not know that she can ask for that or because she doesnt have the same level of responsibility outside of work that your slightly older employee with a family has. I would hate it if she thought I were taking advantage of the flexibility she gave me, and I certainly wasnt enjoying independence.. My manager answered my every request when I first started (to leave early, go to an appointment, take a late lunch, etc) with Is it on the outlook calendar? The good thing for you is that because youve developed a track record of being a reasonable and flexible boss, pushing back on overly tight boundaries will be easier and a lot less likely to make you be seen as unreasonable. Party planning? And I also feel that it is hard to ignore that when the older report keeps asking is this technically one of my job responsibilitiesit is not a matter-of-fact question, just a not-so-subtle way of making it clear I dont want to do this. So while there are advantages in some situations to being a team player, employees should not be penalized for trying to protect their jobs and not have them turn into free-for-alls. Likewise, I was very conscientious about leaving early and either making it up where I could or taking the hit on my paycheck. I was frowned upon for working from home because I needed to communicate. I often felt almost jealous, because since I never had reasons to take off or flex, I never did, and was starting to resent them for it. I got the idea from OPs letter that she might think that when her report is OOO, she is tooling about, driving with the windows down, etc. Personally I think things like flexibility and independence should be the default, not some gift benevolently bestowed by the manager But one step at a time I suppose.. Yeah I was going to write a separate comment along the lines of I think one of OPs problems is that she sees flexible schedules and work from home as a perk. Its not. How to Offer Flexibility to Employees Without Being Taken We have people who work extra hours M-Th and take Fridays off. Overtime costs 9. I read this and kept expecting the other shoe to drop and it never did. Heres the thing for me: A manager shouldnt be basing things on I feel like they actually show up and care. When I was younger, I poo-pooed that advice, and ran myself into the ground. He still does weekend/late night stuff from home if he needs to. Other responsibilities, as well, such as houses or aging parents. You shouldnt be trying to establish dominance over your team. My current boss is fairly supportive, but not as much as Amazing Boss was. A decrease in human relation and interaction 11. If the older employee says, right here, still doing a great job and the younger says, Great, I was hoping to talk to you about paths to promotion internally, and a reasonable time-frame, and what skills I should work on, then probably everyones entirely happy with the situation, and theres absolutely no problem. If you suddenly start saying no just because you can and you think you need to be stricter, you could find yourself down a good employee.. If it is more along the lines of, Im happy to do this, but is it really the best use of my time? which is valid and something senior employees should be asking themselves. It was the same headaches every time with the same people who didnt understand deadlines and missed every one while I was the one dinged for not managing the projects correctly. If your job is to do whatever random thing anyone asks at any time, whats the point of even interviewing for a defined position? Workplace Flexibility Is Growing -- so Why Are Employees Afraid to If someone got bent out of shape about it, I would be looking for another job before they even thought about firing me. If you need more frequent updates on what shes doing, or if shes not meeting deadlines, tell her what your expectations are. Maybe shes just not experienced enough to know she can ask. I think this is totally context dependent. And if Im already working full time and then some, which happens since weve been understaffed for a while, I will push back on work that I think someone else could do, that I cant get done within a reasonable time. Thats very much not the point of Karos comment theres no indication here that Experienced Employee is being granted flextime BECAUSE shes a parent, just that Younger Employee might not need to use the flextime as much as a working parent. But why should I? I know I sound cynical, but balance really is crucial. To do otherwise is not fair to your employees. I wouldnt say it bugged me. Thats not to say that this is the situation for your employees, but the contrast resonated so much with my experience that I wanted to jump in. Own it, deep down in your soul. Are they taking advantage of me? As for the Is this really my job? it really depends how that is being asked. It was the no because were going to start a big unimportant project during our slack time that got push back. Can I do A next week? or Im not really familiar with how to do that task could I sit with you after Im done with my current assignments to go over it? And if she just truly doesnt want to do it, something like, Oh, Im sorry, but I dont have the capacity to work on that project since I have X, Y, and Z going on right now. Ooooof. Am I asking too much? > How would she respond if you were to say Well, actually, it would be better if you were in the office on Wednesday? That doesnt apply to me so I dropped it. They arent always worth the hit to my work-life balance in the way they once were. Some non-kid examples: car stuff (picking up/dropping off for repairs), medical stuff (appointments, therapy), home stuff (waiting for a delivery that needs to be received in person, dealing with maintenance, etc). I just feel like nothing you explained about her hints at her taking advantage of you. You may even want to practice some scripts. You'll be more relevant. Yes, a big part of the *way* to get that work done is based on employee satisfaction and work ethic, but people work for the paycheck and perks. Interruptions, chatter and all that blow my mental stack away, and I have to start over. Ayups error might be more along the lines of not keeping her manager in the loop enough for them to understand how shes managing her hours. Where they erred was by telling you upfront that you could flex your time when most hourly employees dont really have that option unless theyre strictly clocking in and out at certain times that add up to 8 hours a day. Maybe whats really bugging you is her overall attitude the Do I have to? sentiment. Unsuitability 7. update: I resent my employee for being richer and more qualified than me, can I say I cant come to the office because of my dog, our unlimited vacation is really just three weeks, and more. One of the things I love about my manager is he is really really hands off with you managing your own work. In so many letters here, weve seen bosses wanting a level of gratitude thats just not reasonable, and I hope OP just checks herself, to make sure shes not being unfair on her employee, in wanting certain levels of gratitude but if flexibility is part of the job package, expecting thanks for allowing it is on a par with expecting thanks for paying employees on time, providing a work computer etc etc. I used to work as a DJ in a public radio station. You can hire and fire. Because some people have to make up stuff to fit the narrative theyre trying to argue. Managers will play a key Kudos for reframing your viewpoint. I would suggest in that case that she do a little fact-finding with the other employee. Copyright 2007 - 2023 Ask A Manager. And thats before getting into what your last sentence alludes to if I veer into another employees lane because the request was brought to me and I didnt want to look like not a team player by redirecting them to someone else, theres no guarantee that Im aware of every recent business rule or process update and a non-zero risk that Ill do it wrong and the person whose job it actually is will be cheesed off at me for overstepping. In my opinion, things here look fine. If its more about feelings about whether these requests are proper (or other values-based feelings) or over-frequent, then I would take a step back and evaluate if it affects performance and workflow. The other is about my age or a little older, has less of a teamwork attitude (is this technically one of my job responsibilities?) and frequently asks to work from home (one day per week) or leave early to take her daughter to appointments, etc. Because there really ARE a lot of bosses who take that attitude. Flextime What Is It and How to Manage It It was a tough thing to deal with and it was harder still when I felt like my boss had said yes when they didnt want to and its affecting the way they treat me now. Perhaps OP should review senior reports duties with her and go from there. And for what its worth, working from home 1 day a week isnt that great (unless your in an industry in which WFH is very infrequent or just not done.). That is very different from someone who claims that everything isnt their job and is generally difficult to work with. Yeah, I remember that letter. That can be a very good use of the companys resources in terms of her salary, because she may be learning things that could be useful to both her and the company. (I did a lot of admin despite being a high-level non-admin employee.) I just think the idea of enjoying it minimizes a lot of peoples experiences. Then my boss starts with the mumblemumble 8-5 business hours so noooo, which lasted approximately 2 weeks of me complaining I wasnt getting home until 7 and I was donating an hour of work every day through lunch and I also tend to get there at 0730. Could we get a sub-thread on Useful Rules for New Managers? When I was recruited for my current (hourly) position, I was promised flexibility and an understanding that we all have families and lives outside of work. Most of the time I love it and would never want to go back, though if there was an office and teammates local to me, I might choose to work in the office one day per week. You may find that really feeling your authority makes you more comfortable not exercising it. I see invoices but I am not a legal / financial professional, I should not be giving cost reports / forecasts to my execs. When the comments about is this my job are made, are they in a space where the other coworker can hear them? It created hard feelings. If she is doing good work and you like having her on your team, allowing her flexibility to deal with life while also doing her job is good management. 3. The thing is equitable doesnt mean exactly the same all the time. I will run the dishwasher when I put something in it and see that it is now full, but I will not be ~the dishwasher~ of the office. Its the disparity. Hes committed to the boundaries around his work responsibilities, because he has a ton of them and also a small child and also assists with caretaking for an aging relative. Id take this situation as a push to look at whether that should be the set-up here. Flexibility: 40 Useful Performance Feedback Phrases Especially if you are the junior employee who is new, doesnt have the confidence or know how or ask for reasonable requests or has had a terrible boss who definitely does play favorites. If you arent sure, when it comes up again, maybe a Why do you ask? response to let her explain why she is asking the question. dont be that manager. My boss helps to foster this by simply telling us to go home. One day a week doesnt seem frequent to me unless theres no culture for WFH in your organization. We just dont know. Liking the work itself is a bonus, not a requirement. OP, maybe it would help to think about what your own policy should be on flexibility/WFH. Heres why! Using a more experienced employee to complete these tasks is actually kind of waste of the companys money. Yes, I could look up the answer for them, and in most cases Id probably have a good idea of whats going on anyway, because my colleague and I communicate on whats happening with the overall project, but in the long run its not helpful to do that. As a manager you are the advocate for the best of everything for your people (Time off, work life balance, tools, equipment, etc), these are the things you fight to get for your people so that they want to come to work with you and produce and create for you at the top of their game. Benefits of Working from home one day a week isnt a giant ask if her work can easily be done from home. Maybe she really feels like there is someone else who is better suited/more skilled at that work. I mean, am I asking for too much? is literally teeing it up for OP to say Yes, Im not going to approve this request.. As long as you (generic) dont get saddled with stuff because the other person took some time, it shouldnt matter to you whether and why they take time. Its very clear that thats not my call, so its also not my problem. National inflation is 2%, but local inflation is more like 5%. Flexibility is a huge incentive and if the person is able to manage their time well and stay organized, then its fantastic. But I think its important that managers trust their employees, especially when given no reason not to. Asking for things and setting boundaries are skills that I wish MORE people had in the workplace. But then, he knows I always make sure my work gets done. Maybe theres a bit of the same thing going on here (assuming older co-worker is not NEVER willing to pitch in on unusual tasks). But thats what flexible means, individuals having the ability to make choices that work best for them. If youre hourly, then technically (and legally), your employer is supposed to be paying close attention to your hours worked, otherwise, they can be fined/sued. If that sounds like your employee I fail to see what the problem is. Thats not to question your character personally but many employers do not have their employees best interests at heart or simply arent well trained. Its crappy. As long as you have a functional computer, good WiFi and the ability to complete tasks on time, you can work from wherever you are. One of our employees was dealing with a spouse dying of cancer (they werent even 35! (I got chewed out by a C level person for calling it that WTF?). Yeah, I have that a lot. I know this from my young and stupid days. Im not getting paid to stroke your ego, Im getting paid to produce a product. Hmm, to me the LW didnt strike me as a toxic manager so much as a slightly insecure and inexperienced one. employees After all, if OP chases older employee out, then loses driven younger employee to another employer because she wants to rise in job titles without coming gunning for OPs job, OP will be left with zero good, competent, trained employees, as opposed to the two OP now has. When I first started working, I was always eager to jump in, take extra assignments, and grow my skillset as much as possible, because I wanted to advance. What are the 5 employer benefits of flexibility in the workplace? I did push back and point out that I frequently stay late/adjust my schedule to meet work deadlines and that I frequently did this without announcing it to others. Does my work get done no matter what? Right! There have certainly been months I needed to take a couple of hours in more than one week due to a bunch of appointments or other things requiring flexibility, but other months where I didnt take any (or worked beyond 40 hours), and I very rarely use the maximum of 4 hours. Perhaps I should have said that in my experience employees without kids often have fewer reasons to need to have flexible hours etc Francoise, when you are out of the office so much and leaving early I am finding that your share of the store room restocking, the filing of TPS reports, the last minute invoices and similar tasks etc are not getting done. Idk though, I have A Thing about people who value the *appearance* of things like work or respect or flexibility above the actual existence of them. If you want to be competent at your job, but not take on additional duties, thats often OK. Its not going to land as being supremely helpful (if its a crap job nobody wants) nor as ambitious (if its an extra challenge or a task that might not really sit within your current skill set). Theres no need to make sure that every perk is equally appreciated by all employees you just want to make a reasonable effort to offer perks that are equally accessible to employees who choose to use them, and to consider reasonable requests for additions or modifications to the perks if an employee feels that the current ones dont actually have any retention value. That question mark counts. But its not helpful to pretend it isnt true; having the flexibility to leave work to handle family issues is a great benefit, and having the independence to determine your own workflow is a privilege lots of folks dont have (and those of us who are lucky enough to have that ability typically had to earn it with years of experience). Are there circumstances for which youll allow flexibility and others for which you wont? Innovation and creativity doesnt come from a cell. If thats the case, thats a different issue for the OP. Im not as productive. I know that there are tons of exceptions to this, but younger employees are also less likely to have kids that means they dont have to use flex time in order to support them, and are more able to run errands after standard working hours. Dont be my office and enforce set hours/butts-in-seatsyoull burn out any goodwill or benefit of the doubt your employees accustomed to better treatment may have otherwise had for you. One is rude and unhelpful, the other is not. Maybe she burned out quickly in other jobs. I also tend to put in hours in the evening and on the weekend. Luckily I had an excellent manager who spelt out for me that I was a reliable and trusted employee who would get the work done, and therefore could manage my own time to a great extent. I dont have kids, but I still consider flex scheduling a huge advantage. The employee may be asking a legitimate question. Thanks for posting this, Alison. Id go out of your way once to make the junior employee know flexible options are available to her as well but its up to her to use them, and maybe she just doesnt want to. You are doing fine. If the younger, eager employee is in effect being penalized for being around and eager, thats going to be a bigger issue in the long run than schedule flexibility is. My employees get health, vision and dental insurance. Cue being hired on salary, and I asked if I could continue the 8-4 schedule, as I obviously did my work well enough to be invited back full time. Just because something needs to be done, doesnt mean I need to be the one to do it. (Im learning ALL about this in a management training Im in.) I agreed to do it the one time even though its a lot of extra work and hassle. I think you are really digging here; why assume zip is acting badly? I have a coworker who pretty much sets his own schedule. 1. I actually had to tell someone TWICE today that the question they were asking me for help with is not my job. Tell me, were most of the people you let go for this women? Agreed! Teamwork would have been other people stepping in to help with it the second or third time and maybe going to management about how we really needed to come up with a solution to the Teapot Maintenance issue. If you go on like this the workers you have will be that type of worker and that type of worker only works well in a job that can be computerized and eliminated. Were both team players, it just manifests differently. The same boss I mentioned in a previous comment would let developers work from home because they needed the solitude. I think this is an ask-versus-guess culture. My previous manager was great about actually explaining the unwritten policy. Oh boy, I am sooooo sorry about your loss. I know some would be happy to do the same thing every day, yet I am not one of those people. They have more demands on their time its just math because theyre responsible for an additional person whos dependent on them for driving, care, etc. update: how do we fire someone who refuses to talk to us? Ive gotten grunt work dumped on me because other people were too busy, and once its happened, its really difficult to push back against it happening again, and pretty soon it becomes part of my job.
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