How would you handle this situation?

Anonymous

March 26,2022 at 4:23PM UTC

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How would you handle this situation?

I am a new people manager after being in the software industry for 20 years. People are typically very self-sufficient and professional and don’t require much oversight in this industry. I manage a group of tech writers and two of the employees are brand new to the company, but both have over a decade of experience in the field.

One of the new writers has assimilated with the team and work and you can’t tell she’s a new employee. The other new writer seems to be very receptive to the work and enthusiastic but I’ve noticed he is never available after 3pm during the work week. I figure that’s fine if he’s online before 7am, but that’s not the case either. I’ve started to take note that he typically responds around 8am and never responds after 3. We are working mostly remotely.

I’ve asked him in person whether he’s got enough work to keep him busy, and he says he does, but that his brain is fried by 3pm. His teammates all seem to be putting in regular 8 hour days, and being new, he has new products to learn yet he’s not putting in the time as far as I can see.

I honestly would not care if he logs off early as long as he gets his work done on time, if there are no complaints, and he is able to respond to things during normal working hours. However, on several instances in the past couple of weeks, questions or emails to him go unanswered until the next day, which just bothers me since he is supposed to be full time, and he’s putting in what appears to be 7 hours, or most likely less, since he steps away for breakfast and/or lunch during the work days. What’s worse is that our company requires the team to track their time for accounting purposes, and without fail he claims he works 40 hours a week.

What is the best way to handle this situation? I’m really would rather not be the type of manager who checks time or micromanages, but I also believe in honesty, integrity and fairness. I have team members who sometimes works longer than 8 hours a day and here it seems this employee is just taking advantage of the trust and situation. I would like to hear advice from people who have experienced this from either perspective- as a manager or employee.

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Joanne RosenMarch 26,2022 at 4:40PM UTC
That's a tough one.
Is his actual work product being completed on time? If so, maybe tell him that he needs to continue to check his emails and respond. If his brain is too fried for that, then he may not be the right employee.
It sounds like he has kids who come home from school and he takes care of them. Same with the morning. Ask him.
If he's a good writer, ask how you can devise a plan so that he is a responsive member of the team. It's so frustrating needing an answer from someone and having to wait til the next day.
Good luck!
Heather CutlerMarch 26,2022 at 5:15PM UTC
"My brain is fried" is not a legitimate excuse to log off early. I'm throwing the bullshit flag on that. My brain is fried, too, after a long day at work but unfortunately that doesn't buy me a get out of jail free card with my boss. He's an adult and he needs to learn how to manage his work day better.
As his supervisor, you need to call out this behavior and set expectations for him. If he's not responding in a timely manner, lay out consequences for the next time that happens. If he's cooking the books on his time sheet, communicate that he's expected to be responsive to incoming emails through the end of the work day.
To Joanne's comment, and she' right, if he is managing child care then he needs to communicate that to you and clearly lay out what he's doing to make up for that 30 or 45 mins off the clock in the afternoon.
Best of luck in managing this, I'd try to reel this behavior in quickly or it will get out of hand. Moreover, it's not equitable to the other people on your team who are following the workday hours.
Dr. Linnie S. CarterMarch 28,2022 at 12:17PM UTC
I totally agree!
MaryamMarch 26,2022 at 5:51PM UTC
Any chance he’s still within some kind of probation period? Sometimes it’s easier to promptly end a situation that’s not working out as opposed to letting it linger. Having a frank discussion about work hours might help. Many parents need to shorten their day-time hours around children schedule, but can then compensate in the evening. If he is not meeting expectations as far as responsiveness and / or completion of deadlines/workload, the situation needs to be dealt with before it becomes a demotivator for other team members.
Jackie GahanMarch 26,2022 at 8:02PM UTC
You are assuming that he is taking advantage. Why can't you have an honest conversation about his hours and just ask what his typical workday looks like? It doesn't make you a micro-manager to ask the question unless you are hovering over him daily. If you have an expectation on email responses you should put it in writing and then make sure he understands. I think you need to have more compassion for this employee because maybe his attention fades in the afternoon. I have managed people for years and I have learned to have more compassion for people because usually they want to do a good job, but they may need some help getting organized or managing their time. Lay out your expectations clearly and have some empathy, a lot of people are struggling mentally after the pandemic.
AnonymousMarch 27,2022 at 3:26AM UTC
If he is responding and completing his assignments in time then it maybe it does not it matter when he logs off. If there is something that needs done and is delayed to the next day due to his unavailability you may want to bring it up to him .
AnonymousMarch 27,2022 at 6:03AM UTC
I appreciate all the advice from everyone. I should have mentioned he does not have children and has not mentioned any special circumstances that would require him to be unavailable during regular business hours.
It’s tough since he’s been assigned to new products that don’t even have release dates yet, so hard to tell whether meeting deadlines will be an issue. I will need to have a frank conversation with him and set my expectations more clearly.
Jenna FirsheinMarch 28,2022 at 1:27PM UTC
That should not matter and as someone who worked in many businesses where people with children were prioritized over others and now work at a company that is family and employee first; this is an absolutely horrible thing. It should not matter his personal situation. If he is getting the work done he is getting it done.
If an email is not answered until the next day that is ok. We live in a society where we stop what we are doing to answer an email, which decreases our productivity significantly to only then have to jump back in.
If his work is up to snuff, you should let go.
If you want to be a micromanager, he will probably quit
BeaBoss750792March 28,2022 at 5:34PM UTC
As someone who’s been a tech writer for 20 years, the phrase “New products that don’t have release dates” gives me a lot of empathy for your writer.
Documenting vaporware is difficult under any circumstances. Is there an alpha or beta version of the product that he can play around with yet to learn how it works? Is he embedded in his product’s scrum team where he can start building relationships with his SMEs? If there are no release dates/milestones that he can work towards and the product keeps changing…that’s a very demoralizing situation for any writer. (Anyone who has been in this field for a number of years has likely encountered this situation at some point.). My first recommendation would be to sit down with him (virtually) in your next 1-on-1 with him and have him develop a documentation plan for his products. This will help him prioritize where to focus while the product is still in these early stages, and it’s a concrete assignment where you can set a deadline for him.
In the meantime, while the product development team spins its wheels, work with him to identify other areas where he can contribute. Could your team’s wiki pages use an overhaul? Do you have an established documentation intake process? Does your team have an established style guide that he could either write or update?
The “brain fried” comment is a clue to me that he maybe has information overload from trying to read/absorb too much internal documentation without actually being able to do any concrete/hands-on work. He probably would like to be more productive, but as a new employee, might need some additional help/direction figuring out where best to help out.
AnonymousMarch 31,2022 at 4:53PM UTC
OP here- thanks for sharing your perspective as a tech writer.
He appears to be building the relationships with the scrum teams, and is supposedly learning the products he’s assigned to. I’m just surprised that if everything is new, you’d think that there’s always more to do and learn on the products, which is why I am surprised he logs off so early. I think your suggestion of defining more specific and achievable tasks would definitely help in this case.
Shannon LavenderMarch 28,2022 at 12:34AM UTC
It’s interesting how we spend so much focus on hours worked, and prioritize it over tasks completed. Some people go full throttle for 6 hours and complete far more than peers that start, stop, take more breaks, etc. Let us remember that the US in many respects has archaic labor laws. Many developed countries have moved away from the 40+ hour work week. ?‍♀️
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 1:06PM UTC
Hmmm, archaic? Maybe in some ways. But the fact remains that if you want to be paid for an 8 hour day, then you need to actually work for 8 hours. If you can get the job done in 6, super. There is something else you can do for the last 2 hours of your day....like respond to emails after 3 p.m. The attitude of "I can do my job in less than 8 hours so leave me alone" is the reason a lot of companies want staff back in the office. I'm pretty sure that those same employees would pitch a fit if they were told that they are only being paid for 6 hours a day instead of 8.
The US has NOT moved from a 40 hour work week and a lot of employers expect more. It is rather wrong to compare US policy with other countries. If we do that then why aren't our school systems modeling Japan? Especially their lunch programs, and I believe the students are responsible for cleaning classrooms and cafeteria. Can you imagine the outrage if parents were told their kids would be doing janitorial work?
Jenna FirsheinMarch 28,2022 at 1:25PM UTC
1) Productivity is so much more important that hours worked. If an email goes unanswered, they can get the answer tomorrow. Is this job saving lives, is he missing deadlines? Does not seem like it. It seems like this is a micromanaging viewpoint
2) In other countries, kids are responsible for serving food and cleaning because it teaches respect and responsibility.
In Montessori schools they are taught how to do functional things from older students.
But it seems like you are using the janitor not as a respectful example, but as something that no one would want to do.
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 10:00PM UTC
Certainly did not mean to imply that janitorial work isn’t a respectful job. They are more important in most businesses than the CEO. And yes, serving food and cleaning DOES teach respect and responsibility. Something severely lacking in a lot of U.S. children/teens/adults.
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 1:54PM UTC
IF the person is exempt and they are getting the work done, 8 hours is irrelevant. While it doesn’t seem to the case in this situation, exempt positions should not be measured by hours worked. That’s the underpinning of that status. It’s the flip side if exempt status that many managers ignore.
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 9:56PM UTC
True. But when you are exempt you are also expected to work 10-12 hour days when necessary. that doesn’t seem to be the case.
AnonymousMarch 30,2022 at 6:14PM UTC
“When necessary” does not mean all the time. Exempt means you are paid to do a job, not for your time. So you are paid the same for however long it takes to do the job. Ideally some days that will be 6 hours, some will be twelve. It’s should balance out. It shouldn’t mean constant 12 hour days. If it does, it’s a poorly designed job.
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 2:13PM UTC
Making ppl sit around for 8 hours and pretend they’re working when they’re able to finish their work in less is not productive or efficient.
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 9:57PM UTC
Because you are expected to be “in the office” for 8 hours every day. If you don’t like it, you get another job or offer to become an hourly employee. Thus, if you can get your work done in 5-6 hours, then you get paid 5-6 hours for the day. Not 8.
AnonymousMarch 29,2022 at 9:56PM UTC
Great job with that forward thinking around work productivity and efficiency!
Sounds like you’re the kind of person who thinks that a person has to work the full 8 to get paid for it but still only get paid 8 when the hours run longer, as they sometimes—and even often—do for exempt workers.
AnonymousMarch 31,2022 at 6:18PM UTC
Actually, if a person is exempt, you are paying them to do a job and not by the hour. If they can get their work done in fewer hours sometimes, that’s fine. If you start tracking the hours of an exempt person, you risk opening yourself up to a lawsuit which could result in paying all employees in the same class for all hours worked, including overtime.
Exemot status is a two way street, although the direction that “favors” the employee is often ignored.
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 12:29PM UTC
If the position is salaried and the work is done, ask about his working style. If the position is hourly, you have a different discussion.
Bradford McCormickMarch 28,2022 at 12:30PM UTC
I do not hear if this person is completlng their required tasks or not. I worked in IBM back around 1980.There was a man who had been a delivery truck driver but they gave him the PAT and he was a programming genius. He reduced chip production programs that ran for days down to hours. He came to work sometimes. I even met him once -- on 2nd shift in somebody else's building. and he wore jeans and grew house planet in his basement. The blue suit company had no problem with this man and did not dare try to make him obey the rules. He was priceless, an IBM was willing to pay the price. Check out the "How to stuff a wild duck" poster on the Internet.
M BaazaMarch 28,2022 at 1:40PM UTC
She said he doesn't meet expectations
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 2:09PM UTC
“I honestly would not care if he logs off early as long as he gets his work done on time, if there are no complaints, and he is able to respond to things during normal working hours. However, on several instances in the past couple of weeks, questions or emails to him go unanswered until the next day, which just bothers me since he is supposed to be full time, “
OP doesn’t specifically say that the employee knocking off early is not getting his work done; just that emails don’t get answered after 3p and that bothers her.
Nancy CincottaMarch 28,2022 at 1:04PM UTC
Having been a remote employee for several years before starting my own consulting, I was always the one who answered each call immediately-- looking back, I did so even when not necessary. I went above and beyond because remote work was still seen as "not really working", and I was determined to prove them wrong. I did so at the cost of my own health, working up to 60 hours/week. So, I'm trying to resist my urge to see this through my workaholic personal lens. Could it be that this indicates an opportunity for you, as the manager, to set some concrete framework (read: written policy) for remote work so that everyone has the same expectation? I'd ask for feedback from your team, individually. This may give an opportunity to get honest answers from your team, including this particular employee. Then, set your policy and use it for training, measuring performance, and general team morale-maintenance. If some work in a manner that is not in accordance with said policy, it can certainly damage morale. It's an opportunity to demonstrate your skills as a manager, too-- a feather in your cap. Just a thought. (Oh, and if you ever need technical writing on a consultant basis, look me up. I have room for one more client). Good luck!
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 1:25PM UTC
I've managed tech writers. He's probably working on his novel.
I would manage this person out of the business. He is causing you unnecessary stress. He is being disrespectful to you and the team. He is being dishonest. He is most certainly causing resentment in the rest of the team.
Make it clear that the expectation is for him to be available during normal working hours. Define specific milestones with a schedule if you haven't already. e.g., the first draft of XYZ guide is due on this date. My guess is that he is not meeting his milestones and has a million reasons why it's not his fault. Document document document.
This person will just keep pushing the boundaries that he has set.
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 5:14PM UTC
Wow, what a crappy blanket attitude towards tech writers. I hope you don’t manage them any more. We have enough problems finding managers who understand our roles and respect us on our own.
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 7:02PM UTC
Sorry if that came off sounding harsh. I was a tech writer for over 20 years, and then managed tech writers for 7 more. This is from all those years of experience working with fellow tech writers and managing them. In 100% of the cases when a person on the team was displaying this exact behavior, team mates became resentful and that person's behavior became progressively worse. In two cases, when laptops were handed in because things didn't work out - there were notes for, and drafts of, novels. I am a huge advocate for tech writers, which is why I hate to see this guy giving a new manager a hard time.
J LolaMarch 29,2022 at 7:07AM UTC
LOL, and this is why I don't write for anyone but myself ;)
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 1:27PM UTC
It sounds like he's abusing his "remote" work option and needs to move to a hybrid model where he's in the office at least part of the week.
Marguerite Thibodeaux, Leadership & Career CoachMarch 28,2022 at 3:31PM UTC
First, I want to acknowledge that this situation is complex. You have several people and systems that all assume different things about the job, and you're in the middle having to reconcile all this on your own. If you want one-on-one help, DM me; I'm a leadership coach and would be happy to help.
That said, here's my initial take.
I hear two questions regarding fairness:
1. Is it fair that this new employee spends less time working than his peers? (Assuming he's delivering what he's supposed to, see below)
2. Is it ok to report 40 hours of work to the accounting department if he's delivering as expected as a full-time employee even if he works less than 40 hours? (Assuming he's meeting delivery expectations)
As a leader, the only thing I care about is whether each employee is contributing to team-level results as expected. I pay for results, not time at laptop, and I coach accordingly (and terminate if the employee can't get up to expectations with coaching and support).
That could mean he's delivering individually what he needs to and/or how he's affecting his teammate's ability to deliver what they need.
I've had teams with vastly different unofficial shift times collaborate successfully as long as they're aware of when each of them is available and not. That gives each person the information they need to plan accordingly.
The accounting aspect seems to present a unique problem with honesty. The setup seems to assume each person has to work 40 hours a week to meet delivery expectations. If someone can deliver as expected in less than 40 hours per week, you need to figure out how you want to handle this to align your values of fairness and integrity between all parties involved.
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 4:52PM UTC
I would encourage you to talk to this person about when they are most productive during the day. Also for the emails and questions he should be responding after 3pm, find out if it takes a lot of energy for him to respond to.
When I receive emails that requires a lot of strategic thinking or meetings that requires planning, I have them in the morning and nothing past 3pm. Usually because in the morning, I have a lot of energy and more productive. The tasks I do and emails I reply to after 3pm do not have a high stakes.
Liz MilneMarch 28,2022 at 5:15PM UTC
Ask him. 'Hey [name] I've noticed you're never responsive after 3pm, what gives?' Then, if he BS's you in response, say something like 'Riiiight, because I see you're working 40 hours per week: what are your chosen work times, so I know when I can expect a response during your 8-hour working day.'
As you are a new manager and a woman, he is maybe feeling a little bit over-relaxed and you're going to have to show your power to get him into line. Hopefully, once you've done that he'll fall into line with a better understanding of where his boundaries are.
This is the downside of WFH, people will get lax and take advantage. Stamp down on it hard, show that you *can* tell he's messing about, and let him know that it will not stand. Diarise *all* your attempts to get hold of him and note when he replies, so you can counter his protests authoritatively and matter-of-factly.
AnonymousMarch 28,2022 at 5:37PM UTC
It seems that the issue is with not knowing what this employee is actually doing and whether he is meeting the objectives.
I would not put "not answering questions until the next day" in the same bucket as "non-performing."
He also could be brilliant and cover all of the assigned work within 6 hrs vs 8 - more power to him!
As a manager, you need to come up with a set of metrics that you track against, i.e. number of pages written, progress on the work, training completed. These metrics should be applicable across the team. It will give you an idea at what capacity your team can work and is working.
BeaBoss750792March 28,2022 at 6:19PM UTC
If the issue is that he’s not responding to emails after 3pm, your team needs to establish an SLA for communication to set an expectation that individuals should respond to IMs/emails within, say, 4 business hours.
ETA: I’d like to add that I appreciate that you’re coming here asking for help with problem solving as a new manager and are stating the situation with neutral, non-judgmental language.
AnonymousMarch 31,2022 at 4:30PM UTC
OP here- Thank you for the suggestion and for your kind words.
Farah BajwaMarch 28,2022 at 7:21PM UTC
I remember once as an employee, my manager called me into his office and simply asked, "What are your work hours, and what does your typical day look like?" Turns out someone from another team had gotten in trouble for their own actions and tried to throw me under the bus as well from "not being at my desk enough." Well, that was because the team i was involved with at that time had me running tests in a lab, so naturally i wasn't at my desk. My boss nodded and simply said, "Be mindful of appearances."
Later I became a manager myself, I did suffer from "imposter syndrome," especially since the people now reporting to me were once my peers.
This team is now your responsibility. If you need clarification from one of your employees, ask them directly (Directly doesn't have to mean harshly). If the employee is deviating from the hours expected of the company, then you need to convey that to him.
Keep in mind that if he's very new and has limited work experience, he may either be unclear about the rules on working hours, or just seeing what he can get away with until someone says something about it. You don't have to micromanage right away. See if the conversation leads to a permanent improvement in the behavior. If not, then you can proceed to requesting logged hours. Good luck!
AnonymousMarch 31,2022 at 4:27PM UTC
OP here- Thank you for sharing your experience from both perspectives.
I might have to borrow that line from your old manager!
Farah BajwaApril 1,2022 at 2:53AM UTC
You're more than welcome to! I've used it myself with my own intern when he appeared to not be working to others who should have minded their own business. :)
AnonymousMarch 31,2022 at 4:39PM UTC
OP here- Thanks for your understanding and the detailed suggestions!
AnonymousMarch 31,2022 at 6:25PM UTC
A conversation with the employee is certainly warranted and that’s where I would start. Keep in mind, if they are new, they may not fully grasp the expectations and probably don’t know enough about the job and your culture to understand what to do when they run out of routine tasks.
If they are exempt, minimize the focus on number of hours worked and stick to expectations of the job. One shouldn’t be perceived as counting hours of exempt employees.
TheodoraApril 4,2022 at 5:08PM UTC
Quite frankly, I'm having a similar situation. 2 of my designers are top-notch. Always meet deadlines. We hired a 3rd designer 2 months ago. She is missing deadlines, and when I ask why a project hasn't been completed she'll say she had questions about it. I told her repeatedly to come to me or my creative director with questions. My CD and I both told her from her start date, it's always best to get projects completed in advance because we know there'll be tons of urgent requests in between. She either misses deadlines or waits until literally the end of the day of the due date to send layouts for approval.
It's not fair to the other 2 designers that I have to keep giving them significantly more work because they complete their tasks faster.
Any advice? I don't want to have to micromanage this employee.