A people problem: Negotiate a solution to a problem with an employee

There are various problems that might appear between an employer and employee. Usually it can become a reason of a quarrel or even a termination of employment. One of such problems is when an employee do not bring results despite working at the computer.

Even though there are employees in the office, they can see them working, but for some reason the work they’re doing isn’t leading to results. There are usually two main reasons for this. First, employees are simply wasting their work time on unproductive sites or doing personal business during working hours. They tend to spend up to 3 hours a day on personal business while at work. The stuff can chat with family, read an e-book, watch football match, etc. Second, employees are wasting their time on the wrong tasks that don’t help them reach their goals. It is a responsibility of a project manager to notice the problem, find the reason, and help the employees refocus and work more effectively towards the goal.

The best solution is find out what tasks they’re working on to pinpoint the problem. If the employees are sitting working on a document all day, while they should be researching and bringing in new partners, then there is a managing problem. Either the tasks are not defined or priorities are not set clear enough. In fact, only 5% of employees understand the company’s strategy. If the team doesn’t know where the company is going, people do not know how to set the right priorities. No wonder, they end up wasting their time on unimportant tasks. The employer should use the ”Projects” feature to separate the projects and tasks, then see which employees have spent time on each task and how much. That is the way how employer will be able to notice quickly who of employees is working on the wrong tasks. Then, meet with the employee, redefine the tasks, or create an entire new plan of action that goes in hand with company’s strategy and goals.

In conclusion, an employee control through time tracking software isn’t necessary for breathing down the necks or spying on your employees. It’s rather to gain data and statistics to uncover the root of the problem, so the employer can manage the situation with confidence.