How to stop people from milking the time clock

Good leadership skills are a key factor in having employees that are productive and efficient. You will often find when there is poor leadership, employees are less motivated and less productive. Many are habitually late for work, take long breaks and continually milk the time clock by not working productively and getting paid for it. This type of employee behavior can cost a company a lot of money.

There are several ways to improve leadership skills and qualities to help lessen negative employee behavior and poor work performance. Here are just a few suggestions;
- Your employees are not children, they are adults and should be treated as such. Set a minimal amount of rules instead of a bunch of rules and regulations. Or even try having only the policies necessary to ensure a fair, consistent work environment that is pleasant for everyone. Many times when adults are treated like children, they will act like children.

- Make sure your employees know exactly what is expected of them. Let them know if you want to see improvement, and offer suggestions on how they can do so. Take a few minutes to talk to new employees about what is important to you and to the company.
- Be sure employees have the proper training, along with the proper tools to perform their job duties. An employee that is not trained properly will have a poor work performance, which will reflect badly on the company.
- Make an effort to promote open communication with your employees. Encourage them to voice their opinions and ideas, by listening to what they have to say. You can promote open communication also by asking for their suggestions, comments or opinions. Ask open ended questions that require more than just a yes or no answer. Also, show employees that you appreciate their input by simply thanking them. Never belittle a person's idea or comment, no matter how ridiculous it may be.
- Try to give your employees interesting assignments and opportunities to continue to build their skills and also to motivate them intellectually. Encourage your employee's to build their knowledge and abilities by taking classes or other educational courses. Provide them with the necessary support to do so, as well.
- Provide your employees with competitive salaries. You will be sending the message to employees that you do not value their work and efforts, if you underpay them. Employees that feel they are underpaid will perform their job duties poorly and are more likely to engage in negative activities in the workplace.
- Provide employees with opportunities to advance within the company. Failing to do so, may create resentment and can lessen employees motivation. When you promote within the company, you are showing that you recognize and reward hard work.
- Immediately address unacceptable behavior. When inappropriate work behavior goes uncorrected, it often times contributes to lowering employee morale. Take the necessary steps to correct the problem and move on, do not dwell on the issue.
- Create team building situations to strengthen employee relationships. Provide opportunities for people to get a chance to know each other outside their work roles by offering fun events such as celebrating birthdays as a group or an off-site picnic. You can help your employees become more comfortable with each other by facilitating in these interactions.
- Watch for signs that your employees are at risk for burnout. Excessive overtime, attendance problems and continually having a poor work performance are some indicators. Employees that are well rested are more productive than those that are not. Encourage employees to take scheduled breaks and/or lunches, as well as vacations.
- Stress the importance of honesty and integrity by setting a good example. Set an example for your employee's to follow. If you do not set a good example, how can you expect your employees to do so?