Daily work start time

[Sample00]

ok, gonna vent a bit here and its gonna sound like I'm the old guy and whats up with the new generation.

I have two employees, both are 22 years of age.

one starts at 8:00AM, the other at 12:00PM (noon). Both arrive for work either at the scheduled time of 8 and noon or slightly thereafter, typically within a few minutes.

Here's the part that drives me crazy...their shift starts at those times, in other words, be here ready to work at those times. Not come in at 8 and 12, take your coat off, get coffee, socialize, eat your breakfast/lunch, etc.

I have jokingly commented on these on a couple of occasions hoping they would get the hint but it seems that I may have to be a bit more forceful in my remarks.

Personally, even as a teenager, I was always at work 15-20 minutes early. Finding out what needed to be done, socialized, had a coffee but when my shift started I was working.

Please tell me this tardiness isnt the norm for our newest generation.

thoughts?

[anyonebutedmonton]

What kind of work are you/they involved in?

[Sample00]

Originally Posted by anyonebutedmonton

What kind of work are you/they involved in?

i'm not sure how that pertains to starting work on time but..one is technician and one is a customer service representative.
Both involved in the retail industry.

[Cheese]

I see the same thing on my side Sample...and I was the same as you, always showed up 15-20 minutes early, got prepared, then started work at scheduled time.
Im sure there are young people that share our virtues but the number is dropping.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Stop the jokes, be assertive.

[-TC-]

Agreed, they are there to work. If they don't understand that, or can't, find new kids.

[fredr123]

We just need CaptainCrunch to come in and complain about kids on his lawn and the thread would be complete

I kind of resent the "young people these days" sentiment that's emerging in this thread and can think of a long list of people of all ages at every job I've worked at that has the same mentality regarding start times. Young whipper snappers and crusty old farts alike. Perhaps it's less of a generational thing and more of a change of times thing.

Sample, maybe you need just come out and be clear about your expectations for these employees. You've joked about being ready to work at the start of your schedule but perhaps these two chaps need something more than a joke to get the message.

[Ducay]

I like to rail on young whippersnappers much as the next guy, but Im pretty much as guilty as these guys; as are 99% of the salaried population. Suppose the difference between these guys and myself is that I'm not in an hourly employee dealing with customers directly like they are.

I mean honestly though, we're all browsing CP @ 8:30, we're all calling the kettle black at this point.

[puffnstuff]

tell them they now start at 745 and 1145. when they ask why tell them.

[Sample00]

Originally Posted by Ducay

I like to rail on young whippersnappers much as the next guy, but Im pretty much as guilty as these guys; as are 99% of the salaried population. Suppose the difference between these guys and myself is that I'm not in an hourly employee dealing with customers directly like they are.

I mean honestly though, we're all browsing CP @ 8:30, we're all calling the kettle black at this point.

you are right and I am railing on the young. I suppose there is probably just as many old doing exactly the same thing.

About the CP thing though, I own the business. Personally, I should be able to do whatever I want. Also, I've been at work for an hour already, trying to get everyone else's day organized.

And as for the other poster, I am not going to tell them to start work at 7:45AM and 11:45 because the will expect pay for this and although I am not apposed to paying them for their time, I am apposed in paying for them to be ready for work.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

This might be unrelated but I always hated it when I worked retail and was the cashier and my boss/company told me I had to have my till counted and be up at my till by a certain time.

If I am scheduled for 9-5 then I show up at 5 mins to, clock in, count my till and head up front. If that means I don't get up front until 9:05 then so be it. I always used to get in trouble because I was "required" to have my till counted before 9am.

Total BS. If my stupid employer wanted me to show up at quarter to the hour to count my till then I guess they should have scheduled it that way.

The same thing always happened at the end of the day. I'd be scheduled to 5pm. To me that means my till is counted and cashed out by 5pm, not starting my cashout at 5pm and leaving by 5:15. That means my replacement should be scheduled to overlap by enough time that they can count their till and get up front and then for me to cash out by 5pm.

Sorry for the OT rant, probably could have gone in the WGMG thread.


As for your issue, it is not a young person thing. Young people I find tend to have quite the sense of entitlement but the older crowd are much better, IMO, at the time wasting routine than newbies are from my experience.

[Sample00]

^^^ hell, I'd be happy if they showed up 5 minutes to, but at this point that seems to be difficult enough.

[fundmark19]

I am bad for showing up right at 7 30 or shortly ther after. Being salary though I just work untill 3 30 or the equivalent of when ever I get in. I don't deal with customers or anything so it doesn't impact anyone. When I worked at a call centre we got in in trouble for logging into the phones 1 min after your shift started. Many a times I would be sprinting from the parking lot to log into my phone right for 7 to not get in trouble

[annasuave]

Whether it's the norm for this generation, that generation, or any other easily identifiable segment of the workforce is irrelevant. You are the boss, so you set the expectations.

Why not simply state your expectations and insist they be met? You don't even need to be a jerk or a hardass about it. A short, matter-of-fact statement along the lines of "I've noticed you usally arrive at your desk a few minutes after the start of your shift. I need you to be at your desk and ready to work when your shift starts."

End of story. There's no need to make it into a confontation, or any kind of big deal. Just get it said and move on.

You can expect people to test you on it, to find out if you really mean it. So you might need to repeat a couple of times.

I don't see it as a generational thing at all. If standards aren't set and enforced, people will understand that there are no consequences to failing to meet standards no matter what their age. And if there's no consequences to poor performance, why make the effort?

For our generation, we could expect to get chewed out for it, written up for it, or ultimately dismissed for it. If I was 22 and had a boss who didn't seem to care what time I showed up, I wouldn't bust my hump to get to work 15 mintues early either.

[DownhillGoat]

If you change the start time to 15 minutes early, they either have to be paid an extra 15 minutes, or let out 15 minutes early.

- - whoops. Already mentioned - - -

Our start time is 6:45. We get there at 6:45 (bit of a different scenario as we take a crew van to get to our office). We BS until about 7 and have a morning meeting to kick the day off. Seems pretty standard these days.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Sample00

^^^ hell, I'd be happy if they showed up 5 minutes to, but at this point that seems to be difficult enough.

I definitely think a "show up on time and ready to work" speech is in order.

Thing is if they are taking liberties already it might be their general work ethic that they have. A workplace with a culture of slacking is tough to get rid of. Just ask the Flames.

[The Goon]

Dock their pay by 5% (or whatever the time wasted works out to), with a description attached to the pay stub. That should send the message.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by The Goon

Dock their pay by 5% (or whatever the time wasted works out to), with a description attached to the pay stub. That should send the message.

Pretty sure that isn't legal.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Cheese

I see the same thing on my side Sample...and I was the same as you, always showed up 15-20 minutes early, got prepared, then started work at scheduled time.

.

Yep, same with me... Always at work early....

[The Goon]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Pretty sure that isn't legal.

Details, details.