Why Do Employees Slack Off When the Boss Is Away? Seeking Solutions for Office Productivity

Hi all, I am working in a tea manufacturing company and have been with the organization for one month. I have been tasked with identifying the reasons why employees are not working when the chairman/owner is not in the office and finding solutions for this issue. I would appreciate your thoughts on this matter.

Thanks in advance.

Regards, Aparna

Organization Overview

The organization consists of 50 to 60 employees at the head office with an average age of 40 to 45. I have 1.4 years of experience in HR and currently work as an HR executive, being the sole HR personnel in the company. My role involves creating and structuring organizational policies and HR development. I am now seeking different ways to address the employees' attitude and understand why they have developed this behavior towards the organization.

Regards, Aparna

Dear Shenbagarajan, Thank you for your insights. I work in the head office of a manufacturing company where the official staff is located. While I can measure their weekly performance, it is not feasible to measure their daily performance. Please feel free to provide more input if you have any.

Regards, Aparna

I have compiled some of Aparna's responses to clarify her query and facilitate suitable advice.

Simhan

Same here in my office. Actually, one quote is prevalent: "Where there is no fear, there is no respect." So, the boss is our fear, and when he/she is not present, it's out of our minds. That's the reason we are not working because, in a job, that means just obeying your boss.

Kindly provide more information about your organization (number of workers, your role, etc.). There is a saying in English: "When the cat is out, the mice will play." Are there no targets set for workers? Ensure there is a single line break between paragraphs.

Regards.

Hi Harsheeta, I do understand that when the boss is not around, people are not working. But as an HR professional, how can we fix this issue? What are the necessary steps to overcome such a situation?

Regards, Aparna

I understood your situation, and I have a plan to avoid these issues in your organization. Those who are not working when the boss is not around should be identified and motivated. If there are any positive changes from the person in the future, it shows that your motivation is effective. If it is not working, issue a warning letter to that person. The warning letter should be given twice if the person continues the same behavior. If the same person is caught for a third time, issue both a warning letter and a termination letter. By implementing this strategy with 2-3 individuals, no one will repeat the same mistakes in the organization.

Please discuss this plan with your boss and implement it from the HR Department side.

Regards, Chandraprakash.K

Without detailed information about the scenario, it's like "stabbing in the dark." Please correct me if I have misunderstood the scenario. As I gather, it's a family-owned company, and you are concerned about the people in the head office idling when the owner is away from work. You are not complaining about shop-floor workers in the manufacturing plant.

If the employees are not working when the Head, Owner/Head is absent, it means the employees don't have any fixed target. Each employee should be measured for their contribution and appraised based on that. There should be a weekly review of what the team has accomplished.

In big companies, the CEO/Chairman/owner may not be present, but the work continues because every department's employees are accountable for the daily results and are reviewed on a weekly basis.

Since you are in a manufacturing company, you likely have daily targets to achieve. It is important to track whether these targets are being met.

In businesses like banking, insurance, retail, and consultancy, individuals have daily targets, but there are days when targets are not met due to external factors such as foot traffic in stores, customer purchasing decisions, job candidates' interest, or individuals opening accounts and making deposits.

In the manufacturing industry, if the procurement of raw materials is smooth, the plant must deliver as planned. Mistakes in even one department or production line can cause delays in the entire process.

Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that employees have daily targets to meet and are fully engaged during their working hours. When these aspects are addressed, work can continue seamlessly even if managers, HODs, CEOs, or Chairpersons are absent.

Regards

You have understood correctly. It is a family-owned company. When the owner is in the office, people work, perhaps due to fear, and when he is not around, the situation is a bit different.

As you said, it is a family-owned company, ask the chairman/owner to have a MIS meeting on a weekly or monthly basis with the department heads.

In the next month's MIS meeting, ask the chairman to review the status of the last MIS meeting and check whether it has been corrected/rectified or not. If this continues for 2-3 months, everyone will be aware that the chairman is tracking the status every month, and they will also have the motivation to work harder to present well in the next MIS meeting.

Since you receive weekly performance updates, introduce a daily performance sheet that must be sent to the owner on a daily basis.

I request you to conduct a market study of the daily production, compare it with your company's production, and implement improvements based on the study.

Furthermore, down the line, recruit younger individuals and replace non-performers with the owner's assistance.

In a family-owned company, you have to be diplomatic in conveying messages, as many staff members may have joined through the owner's references or are relatives. Even when communicating with the owner, justify each decision you plan to implement so that he will agree to the changes.

In today's scenario, every owner is willing to transition from old/traditional methods to a more professional style of working.

Regards

I have appreciated two of the comments above, and in Kolkata, especially in a Marwadi-owned family setup, the initial business was based on trading, all of which was founded on trust. Later on, the culture shifted to a "chalta-hai" kind, where people took their jobs for granted or had political clout to make their employers uncomfortable. Given that there is a new government in Bengal, things have not changed much. That attitude of taking things for granted has to be stopped.

Now, being a young girl in HR, which is often not taken seriously, I am sharing with you a clever way of putting those uncles on the hot seat. You will have to take the boss into confidence. Find out how many of those 60 uncles are his favorites. Then make a list of those who aren't and what they do. Start hiring either full-time employees or interns for the same work they do. Pretend that the uncles will be eased out if they do not start working. This will do the job and keep them on their toes.

Another clever way is to install CCTV. This is simpler. Keep the monitor in the boss's cabin. Everyone will work. Also, you can install a biometric attendance monitor. I guarantee you that all the uncles in the office will even forget the aunties back home as they will have lots to work on. 

HR needs to be innovative and mischievous at times.

Regards,
Saurav Das
Mumbai

In my view, we should allow them to habilitate for a boss-free environment. The reason being, top management cannot sit and make the employees work all the time and ensure the deliverables, ignoring their strategic plans and actions to take the organization forward.

This situation is happening just because the boss is monitoring the floor entirely. To avoid this, ask your boss to head the departments and delegate the work accordingly where the department heads will be responsible for work monitoring and deliverables. This will actually make your boss free to drive the workforce in the exact way.

Even if you have concerns that this may not work out, my question is, how many days can your employees sit idle or talk - one day, two days, three days, or four days? I am sure that after those days, they will get bored being idle and will start working on their own. I trust this will work out because this has happened in my organization too. The only thing is you should take a little risk with the trial and error method.

You need to be very careful even when suggesting employee surveillance using CCTV, as it may worsen matters. Please see Employee Surveillance - Your Privacy.

I am not an HR expert. As an HR person, you do not have direct authority over the 60 workers. I am sure there must be managers to whom the workers report at the HO, and not all workers report directly to the owner/chairman. If that is the case, what are the managers doing and what are they paid for? I worked for a large organization that was family-owned. The company had weekly/monthly meetings at different levels to check productivity, customer complaints, etc. The minutes of the meetings were scrutinized, and summaries of any deviations and actions to be taken were sent to the Chairman's office.

As mentioned before, unless you provide details of the scenario, it is not easy to guide you in the absence of complete details.

Reasons for Lack of Employee Engagement in the Absence of Management

My opinion is that those who don't work when the manager is not in the office have a few underlying reasons:

• Some employees lack interest in their current job tasks. It is crucial to assign them work that aligns with their interests to boost engagement. They should develop a passion for their job and actively participate in their roles.

• Certain employees find achieving targets easy due to their exceptional skills and intelligence. Setting higher targets or assigning additional responsibilities related to their interests can further motivate them. Providing learning opportunities is also beneficial.

• As Chandra Prakash mentioned, a lack of motivation is evident. Offering occasional monetary incentives can help motivate these individuals to fully engage in their work.

Best of luck.

Regards,
Panisha A S

Whenever I have faced those kinds of issues in the past, the thing that has always worked for me is "Divide and Rule." Try to get a couple of senior members on your side by motivating them with the prospect of a hike or promotion if they pull up their sleeves and have a clear chance to lead the herd. Of course, my situation was a little different as I was dealing with a bunch of software engineers, but you can try this out.

All the best.

Cheers!
Pallav Thakker

The Role of Leadership in Employee Motivation

It's a totally wrong concept. Ask your Chairman/Owner, as they are cultured in professional entrepreneurship. First of all, they should not maintain a status of fear or a boss concept. In their absence, people should be free of fear or retaliation. Who is creating the atmosphere of "Fear"?

Understanding the Role of a Manager

The actual concept of a Manager is - if a subordinate is failing or finding a task difficult, then the boss or Manager is required to perform that job. If an employee is perfect, then what is the use of the boss or Manager? The Chairman/Owner is not running the business; they consider themselves the King of their Kingdom, and all employees should bow their heads in front of them.

Human Nature and Compulsion

Human nature is such that every person always resists "Compulsion". It is wrong to assume that the output is low when the Chairman/Owner is not in the office; then how is the business running?

Please make a strict rule that each and every employee should maintain a daily work status book. This book should include the Date, Time, and Activity done. Through this, we will be able to track individual work statuses. At the end of the week, please collect the list of pending works. This will help HR to assess each employee's contribution towards the organization, enabling us to rate every employee effectively.

Thank you.

Why Do People Not Work When the Boss Is Out of the Office?

The reasons could be:

- Employees are working under strict control and performing their duties.
- All decisions are taken by the boss, and they are not empowered to make decisions.
- There are no criteria to measure the performance of employees.

I completely agree with Chandrakukalta's and K. Shenbagarajan's views. Also, I would add that if work is related to fear and not responsibility, these situations are bound to arise.

Mechanism for Responsibility and Recognition

There should be a mechanism to make people responsible for their work, measure them, and reward and recognize the good and continuous performers. This will not only motivate employees to work efficiently but also promote healthy competition among them. You can reward an employee for automating a simple task or for not having any backlog of work, etc. You can give a letter of appreciation, a small token, or even pin their photograph on the display board. For three consecutive appreciations, you may consider sponsoring a lunch for their family at a good restaurant. This will boost their morale to perform continuously and motivate them to stay competitive.

Balancing Reward and Performance Improvement

Just as a coin has two sides, along with a reward program, you should also have a stick method to address non-performance by introducing a Performance Improvement Program (PIP) and warning letters to maintain the balance.

Regards,
Rajani Ingle

The best way is to set targets, i.e., Key Result Areas (KRAs), for each employee and ask questions about them.

I think taking any drastic actions suddenly would affect the employees' feelings, as it would be like a sudden cultural shock for them. In manufacturing, things should be handled with proper sensitivity. You should have continuous facts at hand to pinpoint anyone.

Suggestions for Improving Employee Productivity

1. Identify the job types these people are engaged in (I think you would have it already).

2. Sit with a person or your boss who knows all these job types well and define the KRA or KPIs.

3. Start measuring these on a day-to-day or weekly basis through a dashboard. Train people on how to interpret these.

4. Internally, also keep track of which day the boss was there and which day the boss was not there in the office.

5. With the data in point number 4, you can discuss with employees that you've observed that productivity goes down when the boss is not in the office. Please put up the dashboard and show a comparison of productivity among all job types. This will instill a sense of who was more effective. Also, it will not place blame on a single person; instead, it will be for all the people involved in that job type.

This will also foster a sense of belonging to a team where they will strive to ensure that their team's productivity does not decline next time.

6. Reward the teams with the highest productivity. Reward the best performers from the team as well (if you develop a mechanism to measure individual performance).

7. You can also conduct some short team-building training sessions.

Consider these suggestions and then decide what best suits your organization.

Regards,
Yogesh

You can implement the following things:

1. Explain to your boss the need for proper policies to create a professional organization.

2. Rework the job profiles of each employee (please do not spare even the pals and kins of the boss). Include daily, weekly, and monthly targets for each of them.

3. Rework the reporting structure and try to decentralize the authority.

4. Include performance bonuses and reward systems.

5. Arrange some motivational training to bring about an 'attitude change.'

Best of luck.

Regards,
Dr. Dinesh Shende

Fixing targets will help solve this problem. Employees should know their responsibilities and complete their work. If your company is overstaffed and not everyone has proper work to do, it's better to reduce the number of employees. This, in turn, will reduce overheads.

It is not necessary for employees to always undergo policing, as this can spoil the culture and environment of the company. Employees may lose interest and become demotivated when they are constantly monitored.

As an HR professional, you may feel that taking a break during working hours is a waste of time, leading to the perception that employees are not working when there is no boss present. However, have confidence in your people and show them support and understanding.

There is always a way to handle difficult situations with employees. When you feel they are wasting time, approach them directly. Have a friendly conversation and inquire about their tasks for the day. This approach can help them refocus on work immediately and stay on track.

Regards,
Bharghavi

All seniors have given their valuable inputs. Apart from that, you can also formulate the reporting systems. In the absence of the Owner/CEO, the second in command can officiate for all reporting, as most companies do nowadays.

This is a very funny piece of advice...!! But we can try to implement it. I suppose it cannot hold good for a long time...!! You can only threaten weak people, but when one of them strikes against you, things will get out of control.

Remember, you also have chances of getting caught because you cannot work without wasting a single minute. Maybe these people are overdoing it, but when you are caught for that particular minute, the scenario may change, and perceptions might change. You have to be cautious..!!

All the best..!!

Regards,
Bharghavi

The Real Issue: Leadership Challenges

The problem is not the employees but the boss himself. It appears that the boss is controlling everything and not delegating his authority. Before you change others, change yourself.

It is my thought that the more employees feel a sense of belonging and ownership in what happens to the company, the less they tend to goof off when the boss is away. However, there will always be a few who do not see the need to work in the absence of the boss—they are working for the boss and not themselves. If all employees are like this, then it is about the working culture in the company, and any change or intervention you try with only the staff will not succeed—the boss will need to be spoken to as well.

It seems that the owner has employed people through his relatives and references. Sometimes it's good, but sometimes it becomes difficult to manage. In this situation, I think you need to discuss and identify their work and workload. Depending on the output, you can discuss with your company owner to set some targets or add more work, which will be beneficial for the company. Once finalized, you can discuss with the respective managers and others to make them aware of the same. Having your boss or owner there with you will have more impact. Also, you need to make the respective managers responsible and accountable for their team members' work. If it comes from the managers, they have to start working. Simultaneously, you can also provide training on time/work management and other personality development sessions.

Wishing you all the best. If you need anything, please let me know.

Regards

It would seem that the employees are not involved or committed to the business. Also, if there are team leaders or junior managers involved, are they not doing monthly or weekly appraisals? My teams in the past have always known that I would review their work with them regularly to see if there were problems or if I could be of help.

Regards,
Dave

The reason team members prefer to be free when the boss is not in the office is that when the boss is present, they often ask for information and keep the team busy. Therefore, team members seek to have more freedom when the boss is away.

Regards,
Jagan

Developing an Effective Work System

Work should be managed by the system rather than relying on the presence of a supervisor in any organization. Therefore, it is essential to develop a robust system. Keeping employees engaged and setting targets are two of the many tools you can utilize to achieve this.

I am a latecomer to this conversation, but I think the problem here is not what has been discussed. In all these discussions, you have not mentioned how you came to know that these people are not working when the boss is not in the office. I fear the boss himself has planted that seed in you. He wants you to be his CCTV and report back. He is paranoid and needs to be treated for that, or he is taking you for a ride.

Reason for My Deduction

Your organization is not new; it is quite old. All these years, it has been functioning like this, so why is there a sudden reason for this action from mature employees? There is something basically wrong here. Also, check what happened to the old HR personnel before you, as you are the sole HR person in the office. Talk to the person who was there before you, and they will tell you the truth.

Regards,
Krishna

I understand from your communication that your company has only two levels of management, i.e., Owner and employees. Normally, if you really want to run the company effectively, you have to share authority and responsibility with your staff. This means you should keep sharing positive aspects with your employees to encourage them. At the same time, if you are earning more, you should give them their share and keep reminding them that they deserve it. Always emphasize that the company's growth depends on them—"the more they work hard, the more they will grow."

It is my personal experience that most family businesses are more like "Dukans" than companies, and they are not even interested in what you are talking about. I suggest you request your employer to create middle management and make them responsible for the workers' performance. Ask him to maintain a distance from employees and their day-to-day activities, and you will see a drastic change.

All the best,

Sadashiv

First of all, try to understand the reasons why the workers are not sincere by studying the surroundings and seeking help from someone who appears sincere towards their work. Then, implement HR solutions.

I want to tell you why companies face such conditions. Companies set targets, but when there is no understanding between workers—when workers simply work for a fixed salary—problems arise. After some time, you may realize that the company is declining, affecting you as well. Therefore, never work solely for a company; work towards your own goals. I am sure you will not encounter such issues. Do not compare yourself to others because life without a goal is merely existence. Those who do not work when senior employees are absent will not succeed.

Your organization is involved in tea-making, which includes inputs from employees who are not very literate. The organization is old, and you are the only HR. Find out whether you are the first HR ever in the history of the company. If that is the case, you may well face resistance if you video-shoot/report about them. Many of the employees are friends of the M.D. and are willing to do whatever the boss tells them. They think that obeying the boss's orders, even if it involves domestic work, is work for the day. In such organizations, KRAs/KPIs/PMS won't help you. Never attempt designing any HR Policy Manual; it won't work.

Meet your boss and explain to him that your concern is the growth of your organization. Once he agrees, design a format prompting your employees to state their responsibilities; fine-tune them, show them to your boss, get it corrected, and implement it (don't enforce your ideas initially). Once people get used to doing their work (after 6 months or more), you may think of implementing biometric time attendance. Hope it meets your needs.

Thank you.

Fostering a Sense of Ownership in the Workforce

Unless the management creates a feeling of ownership among the workforce towards the company, situations like this will continue to occur. This sense of ownership can be fostered through a highly democratic and human approach. By taking the time to understand the personal challenges faced by staff members, the company can encourage them to proactively address the organization's issues even in the absence of direct supervision.

I think the employees who have been hired for their roles are not responsible for their work, which is why they require supervision.

Regards,
Rajesh Negi

First of all, collect the month-wise factual data about the quantity of tea manufactured, the quality of tea manufactured, the number of workers engaged, the quantity of tea sent to the market, the quantity of tea received from the factory, and the sales data of each month. Along with this, include the complete program schedule of the boss, and submit the same to your boss for analysis. You can politely give your opinion to your boss without any complaints, stating that during his absence, the production is decreasing, and similarly, the sales are also declining.

If you analyze and address this issue in this manner, it will surely be beneficial for your company and the management. The management will understand that deploying HR is not a waste, and it will lead to increased productivity for the organization.

Wishing you all the best.

Regards

Hi Aparna, as an HR professional, I believe a good worker is someone who thinks daily about how to contribute to the organization's growth. An experienced staff member does not need instructions when the boss is out of the office. They already have departmental targets to achieve. Bosses should make it a habit to share these targets with their subordinates to align them with departmental objectives.

I work for a mining company. When I have no specific tasks, I consider any HR functions that are not currently in operation and suggest them to my boss. She then asks me to implement and present them to her. We discuss the outcomes and arrive at solutions beneficial for the department.

Regards, Alusine

Apart from the contributions made by friends above, let me add a motivational dimension to it. I feel if you compile all the motivational policies, it would boil down to a "Carrot and Stick approach." The employees have developed this kind of attitude because of reinforcement from the management. You need to develop policies and practices that encourage them to work and instill fear if they do not.

Mind it, you need the support of senior management in developing and especially in implementing these policies; otherwise, it may backfire on you. If your company is located in Bengal, please be extra cautious because in Bengal, there is a very strong social structure and relationships that dominate professional structures and relationships.

Regards,
S. M. Mashuque
Assistant Manager
Hindustan Copper Limited
Kolkata

Dear Aparna,

Taming the Shrew: Managing Your Boss

In this instance, it is going to be your boss! Changing the diverse group in an owner-centric and family-driven organization can be challenging. It's sometimes better to have a frank, confident chat with the boss. Show him the mirror, as it were, while exercising usual care in taking him into confidence.

Communication: The Key to Change

This would be the first primer for the change process—communication with the people is key. Rest assured, any tricks or steps, punitive or otherwise, will not work. Indeed, this could further perpetuate the "environmental degenerate."

The One Minute Manager's Approach

Try also the One Minute Manager's recipe for quick reward and reprimand. However, the broad endemic problem of diffused enablers, control and command structure, perceptual gaps, etc., must first be addressed by tackling the simpler DNA element of progressive change. That is one step at a time.

Regards,
[Name Removed For Privacy Reasons]