Hello
I have an employee who is always complaining that she can get her work done because she is so busy. But, when I walk by her desk she is always sending text message. Do any of you have any ideas as far as tracking her workload, maybe a form. Do you think that it would be unreasonable to ask her to write down what she does daily.
Thank you
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Rather than give her one more thing to do (i.e. write down what she does) there is another possible option.
If you are using Microsoft Outlook you can turn on her journal. Then you can make the settings record things such as email in and out, meeting requests, task requests, files used in Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Word. The journal will record when each item was accessed and for how long.
All she has to do is show it to you as often as you request it. Also if she shares her journal with you, you can access it any time it is convenient for you. This way you are given an accurate accounting of her time.
Of course this will not include items off the computer, such as filing, but those things she can log for you on an Excel spreadsheet. Hope this helps.
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Dawn Schulz on
5/23/2011 5:20:04 PM
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Having someone write down what they do works on the honor system. If she?s lying now about her workload, she will also lie about it on paper?she has no honor or respect for her workplace or you. With all the people waiting in the wings to get a job, you really need to fire her and get someone else. Texting at work is as much of a violation of duties as it is when you?re driving. They call it ?work? for a reason.
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Anonymous on
4/28/2011 11:46:23 AM
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She's addicted to her email / IM / texting. Counsel her, advise her to leave the device in her car and break the habit, and then fire her if she's not working. She'll break the habit once she understands how it's affecting her performance.
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Joseph Moxey on
4/15/2011 12:11:55 PM
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Sounds like time to sit down with your employee and work out a work improvement plan. I would start by referring to your Use of Personal Cell Phones on Work Time policy to be sure that he/she understands that personal cell phone usage at work should be limited to breaks and lunch time only. If you don?t have such a policy, perhaps now is the time to implement one to be sure that all co-workers in your organization are aware of that behavioral expectation. Have the employee make a bulleted list of the task he/she perceives he/she is responsible for and what is actually required for those tasks. When that list is complete, match those tasks with what is written in his/her job description. They should be fairly close. If not, perhaps that position needs to be reevaluated as to its purpose in the organization. Once you and the employee evaluate this position together you should be able to see if the employee is indeed responsible for too many tasks or if this employee needs some time management education. E-mail, texting and the like can easily suck you in and waste an enormous amount of time. An employee should not be spending any time on personal texting. Business e-mail can also eat up an enormous amount of time if allowed. One should designate certain times during the day to visit the e-mail box and respond only at those times. That will leave time to focus on and complete other projects.
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Debbie on
4/15/2011 12:06:11 PM
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Set up a 15-minute weekly status meeting. The employee will need to give you a weekly update of what tasks she is working on and some kind of progress report. Hold these weekly status meetings as long as needed. If the whining and texting have gone down , you can do it bi-weekly, monthly. You can eventually cancel the meetings when you feel it is time to let go.
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Anonymous on
4/15/2011 12:00:27 PM
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It is NOT UNREASONABLE for you to ask for anything. You are the person managing, correct? So, you should feel 100% confident in doing what's necessary to complete your responsibility as manager.
RE: Texting. Put a *temporary* policy in place regarding cell phone and texting. For example, cell phones and/or texting is only allowed away from the work area and during designated breaks. This gives you the option to specifically address individuals you see at their desk texting or talking on the cell phone. (Everyone has a phone at their desk and, if there's an emergency, they can be reached.)
RE: Time Tracking. Your better option (than simply handing out a form) is to indicate your want to help her with the workload situation (and she's the one making it a situation, not you). As such, you need to see where the "bottle necks" are, and will begin some workload tracking. (Don't call it "time" tracking.) Request that she provide each morning a list of scheduled tasks for the day. Then, at the end of each day, have her submit the updated list showing the completed tasks - including any items that had to be taken care of on-the-fly. She also needs to include how much time was spent on each. (It's a bit hard to "fudge" the numbers on this type of reporting. For example, if you see it's taking 60 minutes to write a 15-minute letter, red flags will go up. Plus, if there is something that just doesn't look right, you can begin asking questions.)
If she's smart, this employee will realize she's got all eyes on her, put down her cell phone, and start focusing on her job.
Honestly, if she gives you any grief, you need to say, "don't let the door hit you on the way out." There are plenty of others who would appreciate and value a job.
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Cindy Brock on
4/14/2011 11:59:40 AM
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I agree w/Ki that you should first address her texting. How many times per day do you walk by her as she is texting? You might try standing by her the next time to see how long she is texting and then have a talk w/her about it. Then she should account for all her time on any project/job/duty she is assigned. Once you've gotten a clearer picture of what she does and how long it takes her to do it, then you can have another discussion w/her and make some adjustments. Last I heard, texting is not part of a job description, so she really has no business texting unless she is on break or lunch (her time). You have the right to tell her to stop, mid-text and tell her so, unless EAs are allowed to have Blackberries to email with.
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AlVerta Harty on
4/14/2011 11:31:06 AM
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It's not unreasonable at all to determine what employees are doing on company time. I've had to complete Time in Motion studies before to figure out better or more efficient ways to do different tasks. Tell her that you're going to conduct one. Every minute of every day has to be accounted for for a period of time. I had to track my time for a month. It was a little tedious, but my manager found out what I was spending too much time on during the course of a day or week and we decided to change up a few things. It actually helped me out a lot.
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Marlene Russell on
4/14/2011 11:24:10 AM
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I think first, there needs to be a discussion with her regarding texting. While the occasional text here and there are fine, if it seems to be interfering with her work, you need to call her on it and nip it in the bud before you can address anything else.
As far as tracking her workload, have HER detail what she perceives her workload to be and weigh that against what is actually being assigned to her. That may show she taking on tasks that perhaps she shouldn't and it's interfering with the workload she should be working on. Secondly, there should be a weekly email "progress report" to you showing her progress on tasks. This makes her accountable for her work and there's no hiding behind an excuse anymore. I've used this technique in the past and it has worked. Lastly, I'd recommend a great read "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" by David Allen. It's a great book for anyone to read, I personally have a copy in my own library.
Good luck!
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Ki Jones on
4/14/2011 11:21:15 AM
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It is not at all unreasonable to find out what she does on a daily basis. It is your right to find that out. Just tell her to make a list of the things she does during the day. If you want to know in detail you can also ask her to put down the time, how long she took per task. I would sit her down and speak with her and let her know that you are concerned about her workload as she does not seem to be able to take on new tasks, but when you do pass her desk, that you see her texting. Just tell it like it is. If she loves her job, she will listen and make sure to improve things. Good Luck!
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Katja Williams on
4/14/2011 11:18:34 AM
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