It is best if your first conversation is one-on-one. You definitely want to meet somewhere where other employees will not be privy to your conversation. You can ask the employee to meet you in your office at a certain time. Some supervisors prefer to casually ask the employee, “How are you?,” a few times before setting up anything formal.If you know the employee quite well and think a casual approach may be best, you could leave the office together to go grab some coffee and discuss everything.
To set up a meeting, you might say, “Hi, Tom. Good morning, would you mind stopping by my office after lunch?”

, You can open the meeting with some general niceties, but it is a good idea to explain why you asked them in early on in the conversation. You might explain that you’ve noticed a change in their work patterns and wanted to get their take on everything. You could also describe how productivity had dropped and you noticed their tardiness might be a contributing cause.Be tactful here as you want to leave plenty of room for them to explain, especially if they are an otherwise good employee. You might say, “Tom, I’ve noticed that you’ve been late quite a bit lately. Can you tell me what’s been going on?” Then, “Tom, your coworkers very much rely on your good work and I’ve noticed a slowdown in productivity lately.”

, This is where you explain what you found in the employee handbook. Or, you can tell them what is acceptable in terms of lateness and absences and where the line is drawn. This is also important to do quite early on in the conversation, as it is possible that the employee didn’t understand the policy fully or misinterpreted something from HR.


You might say, “Tom, we do need at least 24-hours’ notice if you are going to be late for a work day.”

, This is where you will need to lay down clear rules and consequences while also being as flexible as you can. You might ask them to make up the time each week. Or, you might issue a written warning leading eventually to termination. You could just ask them to leave immediately if they arrive late and dock their pay. Make sure to match your response to the issue.It also helps to know your employee. Some people respond best to very clearly established consequences while others do better if you just ask for their assistance in complying., This is where you both can work on a positive and proactive solution. Discuss flex time as an option. Or, maybe see if they can carpool with others for accountability. Talk about working from home, if needed, or perhaps even taking a leave of absence.If the lack of notice is your real concern, perhaps set up a system where they can text or email if they’ll be running late in the future.
This is also where you’ll want to talk about any other behavioral issues, such as poor attitude. However, be careful not to overwhelm your employee or you could get a negative, defensive reaction.
 Before you conclude the conversation, make sure to ask them if they have any questions or concerns that they would like you to address. And, whatever they ask, do your best to give them as much information and guidance as you can without appearing condescending. If you don’t know the answer, refer them to HR or someone who can help.


You might say, “Before we wrap everything up, do you have any questions for me? I want to make sure that you are clear on everything we’ve gone over.”

, Get any documents signatures that you need. And, make additional copies for your own records and those of HR. It is a good idea to keep general summaries of disciplinary conversations within an employee’s work file. These documents will serve as a record in case you need to have another conversation or pursue termination of employment.
 It is highly likely that your employee will begin to improve their performance following your conversation. As you watch to see how they are doing, make sure to note any progress and encourage it, no matter how small.
Meet with the employee in private.
Explain the reason for your meeting.
Lay out the details of the attendance policy.
Explain the ramifications for future tardiness.
Tell them what you expect from their future performance.
Answer their questions.
Send a copy of all documentation to Human Resources.
Pay attention and reward any improvements.
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