February 10, 2009Reader question ~ How do I address excessive breaks?
Hi Meryl
I am a manager in a small office that consists of mostly part-time employees. The employees are good at what they do, but I’m not sure how to stop the excessive chatter that bubbles up several times a day. Our state does not mandate any break time, and we don’t have a stated break policy, although our philosophy is that employees can certainly have a few moments to decompress now and then, especially because they do a lot of phone work. But when an employee only works a 3-hour shift, and 20-30 minutes of that shift are spent in personal conversations, it distracts those who aren’t participating in the chatter and more importantly, seems like stealing from the company. I don’t want to come across as a penny-pinching hardliner, but I need to find the right words to help them understand that some of these conversations on company time are unacceptable.
Meryl Responds:
I’d put it to them. Say,
- Since we don’t have a stated break policy, I want us to come up with break guidelines that respect our need to decompress, respect the company and also respect coworkers who aren’t taking breaks and need to stay focused.
Then start a brainstorming process about what is reasonable. Research policies others use to provide examples, but make the process as collaborative as possible. That will make it workable and will encourage buy-in.
I suspect they’ll come up with a stricter policy than you would.
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It seems to me that the bigger issue is, are these employees getting their work done? If they are, why hassle them over time to decompress? Besides chatting, they are building camaraderie, and when a part-time employee feels connected to the company and their co-workers, they work better, harder and are less likely to leave.
To me, the key phrase in this letter is “seems like stealing from the company.” If they are getting their work done, then perhaps the workload needs to be adjusted. Most people would rather be busy doing something productive. You may also want to take a look at how very productive employees are doing their job, as they may have figured out shortcuts that the entire office could use.
If they are not, then you do have a problem and they may be stealing from the company by getting paid but not getting the work done.
Comment by Sharon — February 12, 2009 @ 3:21 pm