How to Handle a Great Employee Who Consistently Submits Late Reports?

Hi,

In my organization, we have an employee who is a very good performer as far as work is concerned, but she has two annoying habits as described:

1. She talks very loudly in the office and in the vernacular language.
2. She NEVER sends reports on time. Her reports, which she is supposed to send every week, are always at least 1 or 2 weeks late.

We have already addressed the first issue. I need help in dealing with the second one. We have already sent her written notices, had talks, and held strict discussions with her about the reporting schedule. We also discussed the report structure and changed it to an easier MIS format, but she has not made any changes.

Please suggest a way or a disciplinary action we can take for this.

Warm Regards,
Archana Jog

Hi Archana,

I think the problem that you are facing can be solved by making the employee aware of the importance of her report to the organization. Help her understand how valuable her inputs are and appreciate her regularly. If possible, show her the final output of her reports.

I hope this will be of some help. Do let me know if it works out.

All the best.

Hello,

Counseling the employee for the need to make punctual submission of reports is the first step, and I suppose you have already done that.

Every employee has to be a responsible personality to understand their professional responsibilities. Regrettably, some employees do not understand this, ignore it, or take their work responsibilities so casually that the management needs to take formal cognizance.

In this case, even before we take a disciplinary view of the concerned lapses of the employee, especially since the employee is otherwise considered a good employee, I suggest that the consequences of not making punctual submission of reports should be instilled and implemented. For example, such an employee could be deprived of involvement in important assignments, receive adverse appraisals leading to poor salary revisions compared to their colleagues, and not be considered for promotions for some time, etc. These consequences should be made known to them as a result of the low reliability they have been demonstrating.

Some adult-to-adult talk and discussion between the concerned employee, the HR, and the employee's superior will yield results. Please try these and share the results.

Regards,

Samvedan

November 9, 2007

Dear Archana,

Disciplinary action aims to rectify the wrongs of an employee. It involves two processes - implementing a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) and administering punishment. In this case, you need to implement the CAP. There may be underlying psychological factors contributing to the employee's behavior. It is crucial to investigate how long she has been engaging in this misconduct and address the root cause of the issue.

Counseling should be the initial and immediate step taken. If necessary, gather information about her personal life, including visiting her residence to understand her family dynamics. If the work environment is influencing her behavior negatively, steps should be taken to address those concerns. Help her understand the significance of the report she is required to submit for the company; emphasize her importance within the organization. Stress that any delays in report submission will hinder the intended purpose.

Best regards,
Pashupati Ghosh