May 1, 2008Ask Meryl ~ Late reports

Meryl,

As a principal, it is very difficult to get staff to turn things in on time without having to remind them several times. How do you express to someone that they need to work on their organizational skills without coming off impolite?

Meryl responds:

Openly recognize those who do get things in on time. Say,

Thanks to (names) for getting the reports in early. This is helpful to us because…

In the first round or two of acknowledgments, don’t even mention those who haven’t completed them yet.

If this doesn’t inspire the rest, say,

The report was due on Tuesday and I haven’t received it yet. The reason why this is a problem is… What can I do to help you get it in on time?

If that doesn’t do it, you might have to impose consequences. For example:

When you get reports in late, this creates more work in our office. Therefore we will ask those who get their reports in late to stay late to help us process them.

I don’t know if that’s an option, but if it’s not, it could inspire an idea that is.

Might that work?