In 1997 I traveled to California to visit a tremendously successful business owner. When Greg asked if I used a time clock, I said no. I went on to explain that I didn’t want my employees to feel micromanaged. He chuckled.
Greg immediately said, “I know what you do. When your employees walk in the door, you look at your watch to see if they are on time. Which do you think is more insulting…having a time clock with keeps records in a professional manner or you checking up on them?” I looked rather sheepish and he said, “You know you’re looking.”
He was right. I didn’t check my watch every time an employee came in but I knew which employees were most likely to be tardy. I did typically looked at a clock when they came in. If they were late, it made me feel uncomfortable. Should I say something? I didn’t want to feel like a grumpy boss looking for problems.
Greg explained that he had a time clock for several good reasons.
1) It assured accurate records. I know business owners that have been involved in EEOC lawsuits. Correct documentation can be a lifesaver.
2) It kept him from being the bad guy. There was no longer a need to assign a person to check up on employees. I was an employee for 13 years. It was not fun working in an environment when it felt like an employer was trying to catch me doing something wrong.
After visiting with Greg I flew back to Texas and purchased a time clock. After a brief explanation to staff that the program was to reduce everyone’s stress, we were up and running.
Around the same time we instituted the use of an Absence Calendar. On more than one occasion, I had struggled at the end of a year when an employee and I had different records regarding the number of days they had been sick or taken vacation. I kept close records but so did they. If there was a discrepancy, both parties were very uncomfortable and I always gave them the benefit of the doubt.
Eventually we created an Absence Calendar. It is a document that is used to track paid vacation, paid sick leave and personal time. It is also used to document any tardiness.
You can obtain a copy of the document at my website by clicking on this link http://www.lauraharris.com/Forms/Index.asp
You can see there is a box for each date of the year. If a person is sick, we will put “PSL” in that date…if tardy it will be a “T”. The time cards from the time clock determine if someone was tardy.
The number of days provided for Paid Vacation, Paid Sick Leave and Personal Time are communicated prior to hire and defined in the Employee Handbook (e-mail me at laura@lauraharris.com if you would like a copy). At the end of each month the employee and employer initial the bottom of the form. We are agreeing as we go. We are also making the situation more professional and less person if there is a problem. This visual reminder of the situation is very powerful.
As we begin a new year, consider whether utilizing a time clock and Absence Calendar would reduce the stress and increase the professionalism of your operation.