We have an employee, who despite being told they should not work overtime, continues to do so.  I know we must pay her for all hours worked, but I would like to know how others have dealt with this situation since having a discussion and documenting the violations in her file are not having any measurable effect.  Short of termination, what are our options?

Efeldman, we have had a very similar situation in which an employee was constantly working unapproved overtime and had been talked to several times but other than that nothing was done.  I had to write the person up twice (same offense different occassions) with the understanding that if this behavior happened again then he would be terminated. I also had the employee bring me daily time sheets in which I would review each day (it was difficult at first but we have not had problems since). Although I understand your concerns with terminating what might otherwise be a good employee, how you handle this situation sets the standard for how other employees behave.  If this employee has been written up or talked to several times with no other threat of diciplinary action besides another write up why would she care to stop the behavior since she is still getting the overtime?   Goodluck I know this situation is not a fun one.

 

I think you have two options -

1. Termination

or

2.  Have the manager make sure she only works the hours she is supposed to.  If she works 8 to 5 with an hour for lunch then the mgr makes sure she starts work at 8am (and not a minute before), leaves for lunch at 12pm, returns at 1pm (and doesn't work at all in between 12-1pm), and leaves right at 5pm.   It will be a pain for the mgr but if the employee doesn't get the hint then termination is the other solution.

I actually had a mgr that did this with an employee.  This employee got the hint very quickly because it was embarrassing to them that the mgr was always around her.  She was an awesome employee otherwise, very dedicated, always at work, but couldn't get the hint that she needed to work only the hours that had been set for her. 

IT HR, option # 2 was exactly what I did with our problem employee.  He got the hint very fast that we were serious about the offense and the unapproved overtime has ended for now...

Redbudpt:

IT HR, option # 2 was exactly what I did with our problem employee.  He got the hint very fast that we were serious about the offense and the unapproved overtime has ended for now...

I have another one that works: reduce their pay so that their overtime hours end up resulting in the same weekly pay check as they would have made working 40 hours of straight time.  That seems to get their complete attention.  The reduction in pay is, of course, a disciplinary action for repeated generation of unauthorized overtime.