Always late workmate

LegacyUser

I would on reception in a small office. There is one other full-time employee and three other part time employees. The owner is the other fulltime employee.

All three of the part time employees work on an appointment bases with the first appointment at half nine and the appointments run for half an hour. It has been like this since before any of the three part time employees started.

One of the three employees works two days a week. She is always late by 10, 15, to 20 minutes late. There has only been on incident in the past five years when she has actually arrived on time and always runs over time. She has often run over an hour late.I am the one who gets the flack from the clients to the point where I have had parking tickets flung at me, been verbally abused on a regular bases, had people give out to me about loss wages etc.

I understand entirely where the client is coming from. I have directed upset clients to the boss but they have normally vented their angry at me at that stage and aren't aggressive to him.

I have made my boss aware of what happened, but he replies to me that she stays late in the evening after work (she sits in her office, reading a book till it is time to pick her kids up from school).

It has gotten to the point that I don't sleep and am sick before I go to work every morning when she is on and physically shake when I take appointments for her from certain people as I know they will be angry at the delay. We have hr or anything in the office and I have followed all procedures about making a complaint and keep getting told she stays after work (even though she does no work, it is just more comfortable than waiting in her car). Is there anything more that I can do? I have applied elsewhere and cannot afford to resign.

KCC

Your boss isn't getting the point. It's irrelevant to you that your colleague stays late. The point is that you are getting serious flak from clients over it. That is the issue that needs to be addressed. The solution is that your co-worker needs to arrrange her appointments to start at 10am and your boss needs to make that happen.

I would also get quite assertive with the clients. Direct them immediately to the boss as soon as they complain. Don't give them a chance to vent at you. You need to make this your boss's problem. He/she won't be long sorting it out then.

jimmycrackcorm

Take an initiative. If the employee is consistently late then make sure you record the instances so you can cover yourself, then change all their appointments in anticipation that they'll be late anyway.

tenifan

upsetatwork wrote: »

I have made my boss aware of what happened, but he replies to me that she stays late in the evening after work

His business, his rules.

I think you need to stop being so sensitive and get on with your job.

Mrs OBumble

Who makes the appointment times? Perhaps her first appointment should always be with someone who doesn't turn up.

TimeToShine

Start turning up 10/15/20 minutes late just like your workmate and then kick back for an extra half an hour in the evenings reading a book to make up for it.

draiochtanois

This post has been deleted.

Wanderer2010

Up to now, your boss has had no incentive to change this problem because he is relying on you to just sit back and take the abuse from the clients so he kills two birds with one stone - he doesnt have to feel the wrath of clients or deal with an underperformer. The next time a client is about to mouth off, firmly and clearly raise your hand and say "Im going to stop you right there, this is an issue you need to bring to (John etc), i will buzz him straight away" and even if he is with a client interrupt and land the problem on him. Direct him or her straight to the boss's office if needs be.

Its time he dealt with the root of this problem straight away - the woman who cant keep time properly and his weakness in dealing with her.

R.D. aka MR.D

I agree with the others, you should make your boss deal with the complaints or ask the customers to complain directly to her. I worked on a reception at a veterinary office for many years. After a while, as soon as the customers would complain about being seen late, I would say: oh i know, i'm really sorry, it's an absolute disgrace. We have appointment times for a reason but for some reason, he just won't stick to them. I don't know what I can do. *exacerbated sigh*
People are angry and you are the person that they can direct that at but if you point out that you are just as frustrated at the behavior, it has a calming effect. Saying 'oh i'm so sorry' can come across as insincere when a person is really angry.
I should point out that it made me unpopular with the vet in question but i was extremely safe in my job so he had no other option but to put up with it.

Also, have you tried speaking to the late person? Telling them that because of their lateness you are getting shouted at. You could do it in the nicest possible way, approach it as if you want to solve the problem together. She obviously has such a busy life that she can't possibly be on time :rolleyes: so how can we make things easier on her and you.


If she's not very nice and you don't want to do that. I think that having the appointment be someone who always cancels is a great idea.

Dial Hard

R.D. aka MR.D wrote: »

Also, have you tried speaking to the late person? Telling them that because of their lateness you are getting shouted at.

I really, really wouldn't advise this. It's not the OP's place to bring this up, at all.

They've already discussed it with the boss, and nothing came of it. It sounds to me like the colleague in question has an agreement with the boss that they can come in late and make the time up at the end of the day. And if that's the case, it's nobody's business but theirs - they're perfectly entitled to make such an arrangement, I've seen it happen it pretty much every job I've ever worked in.

I do appreciate, however, that the OP is getting grief from clients over this. To that end, I'd suggest she approaches the boss again with the solution that they schedule the late colleague's first appointment at 10am. If he refuses to consider this, then the OP has some hard thinking to do.

Sunny Dayz

Op - if appointments start at say 10am, could you not arrange hers to start half an hour later, say first one is at 10.30. So she is still in late but not too late for her appointments. Or does she arrange her appointments?

LegacyUser

Op here.

Thanks for the advice. I have tried setting her first appointment at ten rather than half nine and she walked in at quarter past.