"Marcy was late again. It's the third time this week. She takes her sweet time putting her lunch in the fridge and getting to her desk. The phones are ringing off the hook and she acts like she can't be bothered to answer them. She's gotta go," Bill huffs as he sits down in the chair across from Jerome.
Jerome thinks for a minute and replies, "Bill, we've talked about this. Have you talked to her about her attendance? Have you communicated with Marcy that she's not meeting job expectations?"
Bill looks at the ceiling tiles for a second. "Not exactly."
"What does 'not exactly' mean?"
"I said something in the hallway a few weeks ago. And I sighed pretty loudly this morning."
Jerome wants to laugh but doesn't. Bill is a decent manager who is stretched thin. As Operations Director, he's hiring new employees, getting them trained, watching the budget, sitting in meetings, and keeping the ship running. Coaching conversations are one of the first things to fall off his calendar. Nothing falls apart the day he doesn’t have those conversations. Most of his team are good employees. Except Marcy. Why can't she be like everyone else? Why can't she do what she's supposed to do?
"Does Marcy know what time her shift starts?" Jerome asks. "Does she know it means headset on and logged in, and walking in the door doesn't count?"
"It's in the handbook."
"She signed the acknowledgment on her first day with a stack of other paperwork. When was the last time anyone talked to her about it?"
Bill doesn't have an answer.
"Sit down with her today," Jerome says. "In private, not at her desk. Tell her what you've seen, with dates and times. Tell her what you need. Then ask her what's going on and listen."
"What if she doesn't have a good reason?"
"Then she'll know exactly where she stands. Right now she hasn't been told."
Bill pulls Marcy into the small conference room at 2:00, after the afternoon rush slows down. He's nervous, which surprises him.
He lays it out the way Jerome suggested. Three late arrivals this week, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, each between eight and twelve minutes. The phones need to be covered at the start of the shift, and the team feels it when they aren't.
Marcy shrugs. Then she seems to think better of it.
"I don't have a great answer," she says. "Mornings are hard for me. I stay up too late, I hit snooze, and then I'm rushing. Nobody said anything, so I didn't think it was a big deal."
Bill feels his face get warm. He has a whole speech ready. She can read a clock, the schedule has been posted since day one, everyone else manages to get here on time. He takes a breath and doesn’t say what he’s thinking.
"Okay. I appreciate you being straight with me. Your shift starts at 7:45, and I need you logged in and taking calls at 7:45. Lunch goes in the fridge before your shift. That's what I'm asking for going forward."
"Okay."
"Is there anything that would make that hard? Anything I should know about?"
Marcy thinks about it. "No. I just need to leave earlier."
"Then that's what you need to do. I'll send you a short note so we both have the same thing in writing, and we'll check in again in two weeks."
Marcy nods and goes back to her desk. She doesn't apologize and she doesn't promise anything. Bill stays in the conference room a minute longer than he needs to. The conversation was much shorter than the one he'd been rehearsing for a month, and he isn't sure it worked.
Two weeks later, Bill stops by Jerome's office on his way out. This time he doesn't sit down.
"So?" Jerome says.
"Eight out of ten days she was on time. One day she was four minutes late and one day she was fifteen."
"What did you do?"
"Talked to her both times. Short. Told her what I saw and what I needed. She said she'd work on it."
"Is it better?"
"It's better. It's not fixed."
Jerome nods. "Keep your notes and keep talking to her. If it slides, you'll have a clear record behind you. If it holds, you've got a good employee who needed someone to say it out loud."
Bill stands there a minute longer. "There might be someone else on the floor I haven't really talked to either."
Jerome smiles and goes back to his email.
What Bill's story means for you
If you manage people, you probably know a Bill. You might be one. Most managers who avoid these conversations aren't lazy. The day is full, the conversation is uncomfortable, and it waits. Meanwhile the frustration builds and the employee has no idea.
Before you decide someone has to go, figure out why they aren't doing what they're supposed to do. I've seen all of these over the years:
• They don't know what's expected. It was never stated or it was mentioned once during onboarding and never again.
• They were never trained. Someone showed them the job quickly, gave them a login, and walked away.
• Nobody follows up. Without feedback, people can't tell whether they're doing fine or heading for trouble.
• The expectations conflict. One leader wants speed, another wants quality, and the employee is guessing which one counts.
• They don't have the tools, time, or resources. The system is slow, the staffing is thin, or the process doesn't leave room to do the job the way it's described.
• No consequences for poor behavior. If the standard isn't enforced or only gets enforced for some people, it stops feeling like a standard.
• They can't do the work. Some people don't have the skills or aptitude for the role.
• They don't see why it matters. When the work feels disconnected from anything bigger, effort drops.
• Something is going on outside of work. Caregiving, family stress, money trouble, and health problems all show up as attendance or performance issues. Some of these may call for an accommodation, so talk to HR beforehand.
• They don't care. Occasionally that's the answer. You won't know until you've ruled out something else.
Most of this can be fixed with a conversation, some training, or a clearer expectation. A few point toward a different role or a parting of ways. You don’t know which one until you ask.
Bill's conversation with Marcy took fifteen minutes. He spent much more time than that worrying about it.
