Are You a Clock-Watcher When Managing Your Employees?
// Dallas, Texas, United States // Attorney Keith Clouse (Blog) // Keith Clouse
Recently, employers have trended towards more employee-friendly concepts, like flex-time and telecommuting. Some employers, however, continue to "clock-watch” when it comes to their employees. Their managers want employees—even exempt employees performing office jobs—to arrive at set times. But instead of focusing on the clock, these managers should be focusing on work performance issues.
Most office jobs do not require strict punctuality, and exempt employees should be able to meet their goals and objectives without satisfying strict face time requirements. As a manager shifts her focus to performance issues, she will likely place her company in a better legal position should a former employee sue; in post-employment litigation, the parties’ attention will be directed at big picture issues, not at whether the employee consistently arrived five minutes after 8:00.
In some instances, it might make sense to require employees to be present during core hours (say 9:30-4:00) or to require key employees to be accessible if they are not in the office. In general, though, allowing an exempt employee to manage his own time frees a manager from clock-watching and enables her to focus on the issues that really matter.
To learn more about workplace management, contact an employment lawyer in your area. This article is presented by the employment law attorneys at Clouse Dunn LLP. For inquiries, send an email to debra@clousedunn.com or call (214) 239-2705.
Contact Keith Clouse
KEITH A. CLOUSE
Clouse Dunn LLP
214.220.2722 214.220.3833 ( fax) keith@clousedunn.com
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