How Can I Better Handle an Employee Taking Frequent Leaves for Childcare?

Hi, I have an employee who takes frequent leaves, claiming that her child has fallen ill or she needs to care for the child. This has become a pattern. Last Friday (Nov 14), she informed me that the caretaker of the child was going out of town and she might not be able to come in on Monday. I explained to her that due to several employees already on leave, it would not be possible for me to approve her leave without seeking my manager's approval. If the manager does not agree to a paid leave, she may have to go on LOP (Loss of Pay). Upon hearing this, she abruptly left. She then went to a colleague and explained the situation. This colleague later approached another Team Lead and complained that I was rude.

The employee then went to another Team Lead to reiterate the situation and request leave. The Team Lead also found it difficult to grant her leave. Eventually, the paid leave was approved after the manager's consent. This same employee had made an error while working, which was discovered by a Quality Analyst. When asked why she had missed the information, she did not respond to my email. The next day, I sent her a follow-up email stating that I was awaiting her response. Her reply was, "What do you want me to reply to? I know my mistake, I have corrected it and resent the report." I escalated the issue to the manager, who then reminded her of the importance of responding to emails for process improvement and personal development.

The manager suggested that I should be more careful when addressing such issues. However, the employee felt that I was being rude to her. She mentioned that my comments about her taking leave with her child as a reason had hurt her, even though I had not used any offensive or foul language. The manager advised me to handle the situation with more care. How should I manage this employee? Do you think I made any mistakes in this situation?

Dear Kiran,

Please understand that emergencies do arise for all of us, and we need to handle the situation sensibly. However, that does not mean that people can take undue advantage of the situation. The employee's performance on the floor and her body language will convey a lot more than the eye can see.

I suggest the following:
- Empathize with her for the difficulty she is facing, suggest a few alternatives.
- Help her understand that despite all personal and professional constraints, the team needs to work together towards achieving the target. The organization is not running on charity.
- Facilitate a meeting with HR and the employee to clarify the leave policies.
- Closely monitor her performance and team interaction.
- If the situation persists despite all measures taken, give a warning and then take disciplinary measures. It is better to address an underperforming employee promptly rather than let it affect others in the team.

I hope this helps. All the best!

Regards,
Suja

Hi, I agree with Suja. You'll have to be a little more patient. I guess she is just going through a rough patch in her life, or try connecting with her; maybe the problem is somewhere else.

As far as the case goes:
1. She might not be the right fit for the role and may be feeling pressured.
2. She may be going through a tormented time in her life and needs someone to listen to her and sympathize with her situation for her to be able to come out.
3. Her faltering and not replying back to emails is definitely viewed as "getting her defense guards up." This is predominantly observed as a trait in employees who take a query as a personal attack and hence would not want to respond and keep mum.

Way out - speak to her, get connected, ensure you tell her the leave availability balance and how her absence affects the work, as she is an integral part of the system. Make her comfortable for her to open up. Guess this should really help.