When the manager finally addresses the issue with clear expectations, the response is not remorse but deception and deflection. The unexpected complaint of harassment twists the narrative, leaving the manager caught in a storm of false accusations and undermined authority, where truth and fairness hang precariously in the balance.
A guy i manage is ALWAYS late. 5-25 minutes, every time. Generally speaking, its not a big deal and it has no effect on the operation, so i let it slide. These guys work on call, so even the most diligent guys are occasionally 5-10 minutes late.
Most just call me, and give me a heads up beforehand.
However after noticing a pattern i spoke to this individual and said “if you are going to be late, i need you to call me. Just let me know, that way i can plan around it.”
Next time he is on duty, he shows up 25 minutes late. No call. I find him, and let him lnow that he is getting a “formal reprimand” and the next time he is late it will be a 10 day suspension.
Thats the standard procedure.
He tells me he is sorry, and it wont happen again. But then two days later my HR director calls me and says a complaint was filed against me for harrassment. The guy was claiming it was the 1st time he was ever late, and that it was less than 6 minutes.
Also that i allow everyone else to be late. I explain the scenario to HR but they are skeptical, and make me withdraw my “formal reprimand”.
Im pissed and i start digging through records and security footage for the past 30 days. I find emails where I documented conversations, and 5 instances of him showing up 30+ minutes late.
I gather this all and send it to HR. They agree to reinstate the “formal reprimand”. But i insist that we go after him for dishonesty and insubordination, both firable offenses. So, unless I withdraw those claims against him in the next 7days he will remain fired.
I am secure in my decision, but ive heard some other guys whispering about me being a “hardass”.
So, AITA?
Conclusion
The original poster (OP) faced a recurring issue with an employee’s chronic tardiness, leading to a formal disciplinary action that was initially reversed due to a complaint of harassment. The central conflict lies between the OP’s duty to enforce workplace standards and the employee’s dishonesty and subsequent attempt to use HR mechanisms to avoid accountability.
Given the documented pattern of behavior and the proven falsehoods presented to HR, was the OP justified in escalating the disciplinary action, potentially leading to termination for dishonesty, or did the initial reprimand and subsequent aggressive follow-up cross the line into unfair management practice?
Here’s how people reacted:
You need to unclench.
Unless being exactly on time is vital to the job role (such as he has to open or man phones) which it’s not, keeping him from completing all of his job functions, which it’s not, or he’s committing wage theft, which he wasn’t, this is not that big of a deal, and you should have let it go. It doesn’t matter at all, and it will absolutely cost you workers. If it *is* vital to the job role, than the actual start time should be 15-20 minutes earlier than the one you currently have.
And he likely filed harassment complaints because from his perspective, you *have* been harassing him about this. The bit about it being a first offence/ not as late as stated was a bit of the natural massaging of the truths all of us do, mixed with petty revenge because you’re like a dog with a bone about this and won’t let go.
I feel like you put yourself in a position where the only thing your workers can do is lie to you and hide stuff. And now you’re backed into a corner. Because you can’t revoke the firing at this point without it exploding in your face, but letting it go forward will likewise blow up because no one wants to work for the boss who monitors their every minute and can provide dossiers to HR.
1. You let it go on and on—people naturally will always point to the “you never cared before” excuse and use it against you.
2. Even though he was the worst abuser, you should have had a group meeting or notice sent out to everyone detailing what would be going on going forward.
3. He got away with telling HR it was the first time because you didn’t have official records. Always keep a daily log of incidents and write down ANY employees violating rules, it proves you don’t single out anyone.
You aren’t TA at all but you need to be a “hard ass” when a manager—employees WILL take advantage of you. Setting expectations fairly and for everyone will get you respected. Anyone not respecting you if you’re fair and apply rules diligently is a bad worker that wants to get away with things and should be fired anyway. Weeding out good and bad employees takes work and time but IS worth it.
You gave him a warning. Instead of saying, “Okay, I get it, you are the boss, and I will change my behavior,” he went to HR and lied. Put you in a bad light and said you were harassing him. He thought he could get away with that, and bet the farm on the fact that you had no documentation or evidence.
That right there is intolerable behavior, and the reward for that is a learning experience that he gets to go find another job and he doesn’t get to use you as a reference since you got him fired for cause, and he doesn’t get to collect unemployment. Another thing this is to teach him that HR represents the company, not the supervisor or employee. They will act on the evidence and if there is a liability they will act in the company’s best interest.
NTA
Instead of just getting to work on time, he decided to threaten your job. You made the right decision in having him fired. That working relationship would have been a thorn in your side for years to come had you not nipped it in the bud. It was you or him, and you chose you.
> But i insist that we go after him for dishonesty and insubordination, both firable offenses.
#GOOD.
He **lied**.