employee taking advantage of flexibilityamerican airlines check in customer service

However, Im always answering emails/texts/calls outside of the office and will hop online at any hour of the day (within reason) and on the weekends to answer an important email or finish a project. This honestly sounds like you have no real problem with it, but you dont like it just because. Just tell her it is! One of our employees was dealing with a spouse dying of cancer (they werent even 35! And, as you point out, the things shes being asked may not necessarily be part of her function but they may also not be unreasonable tasks. I know that there are tons of exceptions to this, but younger employees are also less likely to have kids that means they dont have to use flex time in order to support them, and are more able to run errands after standard working hours. Solved. Employee retention rates are higher with flexible work schedules because employees enjoy the flexibility and autonomy they offer. A problem with managing time 3. Teamwork spirit doesnt enter into. This was a problem, because weve switched to a new money handling system that I havent been trained in. Of course its a privilege and a great benefit I wasnt suggesting it isnt. Yeah, it reads to me like the difference is mostly to do with the older employee having a more seasoned/mature/confident attitude toward the business relationship. And dont cast her as not a team player for this, either. Sometimes its just not your problem. Ive had to say Its not my job anymore more than a few times, even when it would have been very easy to perform the requested task. And Im one of the few people in my department that have been around so long, other long-tenured people outside our department just send everything to us first because they know us and havent met the newer hires yet. It may seem unfair in the short run, since the younger co-worker isnt taking as much advantage of a perk, but in the medium/longer term Id expect the younger one to be getting faster promotions or bigger raises than the older as a result of this. Yeah, I think that the team player aspect is really what is bothering the OP. Does my work get done no matter what? But I would definitely feel judged by asking for the time off to take them to the vet. At my agency, we have people who work from home full-time! I have a customized desktop set-up at my office that I have no desire to replicate at home, and I value being able to chat and have good face-time with my bosses by virtue of being here (my big boss took me to lunch on a whim the other day, just because I happened to be in my cube when most everyone else was working from home). Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesnt. Hes committed to the boundaries around his work responsibilities, because he has a ton of them and also a small child and also assists with caretaking for an aging relative. Im not sure if the not-technically-my-job response is the only thing that = not a team player, or is it an example of a pervasive problem with this employee? They use these things! LW was right to question her own feelings about this, and write in. This is also a good point. And yes, this would have made sense in a call center, but no, not a call center or any similar sort of customer service job. Lord knows your employee might not be going through all that. That said, I wouldnt push the issue much. The thing isthe person who asked (and who also took /very exact/ breaks and holidays) actually MET all, 100%, of her deadlines. I feel like this might be a clash of expectations and communication (or, as people often refer to it here and elsewhere, Ask Culture vs. If its not impacting the employees work, it shouldnt be a problem. From working from home to traveling abroad to being in the office one day a week or three, employees enjoy the freedom of remote work. If shes getting her work done, the work is up to standard, and shes not late with her projects or refusing to do things in a rude manner, or whatever, then why shouldnt she have a flexible schedule if its something your employer allows? but unlike my other group members, who work from home one day a week, i only do it every once in a while. Some people here have worked here literally for decades and Ive heard people say that being able to take time to see their childrens school plays or accompany others to doctors appointments, or take a mental health day without having to justify it, have contributed to their wanting to stay with this employer. There are lots of legitimate reasons for someone to raise concerns that something shouldnt be part of their role. It never got foisted onto me, and deadlines didnt get missed. Like I said, and I cannot speak for OP or her report, my need for flexibility was out of necessity. Imho, its different to say go to so and so! Than just not me! Its helpful to be told the right person to go to (presuming it is accurate), sucks to just be blocked with no idea what to do next. If theres a yes to those, thats a reason to say no to the request. Ive had managers who would pile tasks onto employees regardless of job description. Oh boy, I am sooooo sorry about your loss. :). Thats what I was thinking too. If they can, how many tasks/how much time can they devote to such tasks in an average week? I spent almost five years working under a boss who sucked at managing and seemed to view his position as a chance to have his underlings at his beck and call to make himself feel important. That wording in the letter really bothered me. I think Alisons redirection to focusing on the work product rather than managing employees behaviour should be helpful. And thats ok. Ex: Not wanting to do the vacuuming when I am a highly skilled attorney doesnt make me not a team player. I see invoices but I am not a legal / financial professional, I should not be giving cost reports / forecasts to my execs. If you suddenly start saying no just because you can and you think you need to be stricter, you could find yourself down a good employee.. So if the employee in question is meeting those requirements, no problem. Watch how hard I work now.. I think its the comparison of the two employees that is bothering the OP. My Mentor when I became a manager gave me great advice that has helped me so much. From the way the letter is phrased, it sounds like the younger employee can ask to work from home, but just doesnt use the perk much. In 2019, its the cost of doing business, like giving your employees office space, a computer, and paying them. I agreed to do it the one time even though its a lot of extra work and hassle. whats the pettiest thing youve done at work (or seen done)? I am all for flexibility if the work is done. Maybe she has stuff going on at home. Businesses that I get that your point may be in the ideal scenario it should not be implemented as such, but reality is it often is. I think the OPs attitude is kind of toxic, to be honest.. On one end, there are managers who think of flexibility as just the opportunity to deal with rare life events car in the shop, kid with the flu, HVAC guy coming to fix the furnace, etc; its not a daily or even weekly thing; its the ability to deal with the realities of life a few times a year but on a normal basis youre still in the 9-5. 1. Likewise, I was very conscientious about leaving early and either making it up where I could or taking the hit on my paycheck. Perhaps OP should review senior reports duties with her and go from there. But where in the letter are you getting that the perk isnt accessible for the younger employee? In fact, we can all be out of the office on the same day from time to time without consequence. Im also excellent at my jobas good or better than I was when I seemed more eager. But it also sounds like OP just gets along better profesionally with Younger Report than with Older Report. Shes being compensated for her skill, and if that skill isnt being used at the level for which shes being compensated, the company is being, as the expression goes penny wise and pound foolish.. Such as you need her to be more willing to take on tasks that arent officially part of her job or you need her to be more willing to X. I dont enjoy working from home. Who has access to flexible work? This coming from a young recovering perfectionist/workaholic whose amazing boss made it his mission to help me understand work/life balance. This is something I have wondered about frequently. And when I say it backfired, I mean that many good people got fed up and left while the slackers stayed. I literally cant get to the bank during the week because of my commute and core hours. There have been some rough patches, especially since Im still physically located in this department, but for the most part, theyve come to terms. That was where my thought went as well. The combination of an older, more experienced employee whos comfortable drawing boundaries with a younger, less experienced, more eager employee does sound like a recipe for the younger one taking on more stuff. I dunno, all the talk in the letter about respect and taking advantage and such seemed to me to be the LW trying to find a way of saying no for no reason that had a sort of..plausible deniability reason? I would say more often than not I have a couple 8.5 + hr days and a day under 7 hrs. Im happy to step in and take notes for a meeting, but Im not going to be ~the notetaker~ for every meeting. Is it worth having a separate conversation with her about that? If we are sick or have an appointment, we also WFH part of a day, and inform the team by email or slack. I think the flexibility and the willingness to take on projects that arent strictly in her job purview are two separate issues but I understand why the LW is conflating them it must be frustrating to feel like youre extending flexibility to an employee who isnt reciprocating, but the flextime perk isnt predicated on her taking on job responsibilities that may be outside of her actual job. I think this is an ask-versus-guess culture. However, the current manager interprets that as I must request in advance any shift of more than 15 minutes from M-F 8-4:30. happen to fall when youd otherwise be remote. Maybe whats really bugging you is her overall attitude the Do I have to? sentiment. Otherwise, no matter what you say, shes going to know that she really CANNOT take that flexibility. IF they choose not to use something, that doesnt make it less of a perk, IF they choose not to use something, that doesnt make it less of a perk.. Is it part of her job? As long as you have a functional computer, good WiFi and the ability to complete tasks on time, you can work from wherever you are. I figured if the employee could make a case for what they were asking for, I would think about it and be open to saying yes. Not good customer service. Having that flexibility is such a blessing, and it sounds like your employee is aware of what shes asking and how often, and is not taking advantage. It really comes down to where this is coming from. But it sounds like OP hasnt thought through what they are so that when one of those occasions occurs shed actually be prepared to say no. One day a week doesnt seem frequent to me unless theres no culture for WFH in your organization. There was a *lot* of pushback on this idea, and they eventually worked it out so that the DJs and ad staff werent cleaning the toilets. Aside from inventory, Ive never worked a job where I had to have someone cover my spot, so it doesnt actually affect me, but it would be really demoralizing if it did. In general, as a manager, you want to maximize the freedom and flexibility that people have at work, as long as it doesnt negatively harm their work or other peoples work. And then if that happens, ABSOLUTELY say no. As Alison said, there doesnt seem to be any issues with what she is doing. Lesson learned. I also give him the option to tell me no, and he always says as long as no ones asking about it, he doesnt care what my schedule is. Thats what makes you a bad manager and thats when people start to look elsewhere to get away from you. And Im talking within reason, of course. Here are the If thats the case, perhaps she should encourage the younger coworker to request more flexibility in her schedule, too. As a young person just starting their career with no kids, relatively good health, and few personal responsibilities, the hours Ive asked to flex with my manager are few and far between. As long as you (generic) dont get saddled with stuff because the other person took some time, it shouldnt matter to you whether and why they take time. And your experience afterwards. Just be direct and say flexibility is fine as long as the work is being done with quality. Which fell between x-mas and new years. Interruptions, chatter and all that blow my mental stack away, and I have to start over. updates: the monthly hikes, the coworker with the criminal record, and more, the outraged notes littering offices everywhere, update: my employee blows up my phone with memes and videos even in the middle of the night and refuses to stop, employer wants to hire my replacement but I havent quit, bosss daughter watches me while I work, and more, HR said a coworkers religion didnt count, employer wants me to lie about why Im leaving, and more, update: I feel no ambition whatsoever at work, updates: the blame-throwing employee, wearing a wedding ring to an interview, and more, updates: company asked for documentation of my dietary restrictions, Im afraid people at work will think Im being abused, and more. But none of that sounds like the case here. And if it doesnt relate back to performance and workflow, then OP should let it go. You can have results based management or presence based management, but not both. Personally I think things like flexibility and independence should be the default, not some gift benevolently bestowed by the manager But one step at a time I suppose.. Yeah I was going to write a separate comment along the lines of I think one of OPs problems is that she sees flexible schedules and work from home as a perk. Its not. Our organizations policy states managing salaried employees time comes at the supervisors discretion. Lack of team spirit is definitely frustrating and it can be maddening when a coworker wont do a single extra thing to help the team if its not chiseled into the stone tablet of their job description. Even then, it was more curiosity from her about what I find valuable about WFH (well, I work in an open office, usually as a team of one, and need to read, write, and think 95% of the time) and at no point has she said I need to change. If 6 of the 7 are doing X task thats related to their main role, and the 7th pops off with not my job, then we have a conversation about what is and isnt their job. 3. Sometimes its to get out of work, sure. Both my wife an I have appointments, and she doesnt drive. But asking if something should really be part of your role isnt inherently a problem. The other employee reporting to you might appreciate the opportunity to work from home too. In so many letters here, weve seen bosses wanting a level of gratitude thats just not reasonable, and I hope OP just checks herself, to make sure shes not being unfair on her employee, in wanting certain levels of gratitude but if flexibility is part of the job package, expecting thanks for allowing it is on a par with expecting thanks for paying employees on time, providing a work computer etc etc. So far, the training has only been offered by IT at times I cant take it: when my boss is on vacation for a week, or when I have a doctors appointment scheduled. But if its just the frequency with which she asks for things, things that help her and dont harm the work well, that in itself isnt a reason to say no. If I want to schedule my bi-weekly therapy session for the middle of the day or take vacation time, I just do. She may well be assuming that theyre only for senior staff, or only for extreme circumstances, or that one person needs to be in the office and her co-worker has priority for taking flextime. What does initiative really look like in their work context?

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