It sounds as if you like the guy and don't want to cause any friction. Sometimes people just don't see the problem with 5 minutes here and there. If it were me I would explain to him that It doesn't bother ME personally but the people in the office are getting unhappy about it. Ask him what he thinks. If he is young he'll probably get defense and shoot the messenger. But if he is more mature he'll think about it and make some adjustments. Don't threaten him with write ups. I have learned that threats NEVER work they just make a hostile environment. Try to work it out with him. Let him know he is in control of the situation by asking him what he thinks can be done to address it. that is my approach. I don't like to storm onto people and say "fix this or else" First make sure he understands there really is a problem and if he still doesn't resolve it then you'll have to move to write ups.

Make sure he understands it isn't really about the 5 minutes here and there.  It is about policy. If he is allowed to do that then everyone should be allowed and that wouldn't work.

-- Edited by fdarn on Friday 13th of September 2013 09:51:40 AM

Where I live the General Laws state, for example, that a 7 am to 12 pm shift is according to the law actually 7:07am to 11:53am with 15 minutes additional time subtracted somewhere within the said block of time... so here in this state anyway strictly by the letter... 7:14 am to 11:46 am is a 5 hour shift.

The minutes around the punch-in and punch-out time, I like to call 'slush time'; the wasted minutes of the day. If you really want to control his ability to milk the clock, seize the initiative and milk the clock yourself.

If he is a 25-hour per week employee and there are performance issues, change things around. Try putting him on two days per week 12 hours per day, or give him three 8-hour shifts. Inculcate the idea that there is always something to do at the shop beside cutting meat. Introduce him to a task-oriented mindset rather than the role-oriented mindset. Give him other things to do after he is done cutting. Make him own the shop. Reducing the number of times he comes to the shop per week is a reward within itself as well. You are winning by reducing opportunity for 'slush time' and he is being compensated by having to waste less money on gas driving to the shop. If he performs well in this scheme, give him a slight raise.

My editorial... It also helps to remind folks that there is a judgement after we die and how we work will be weighed on the balance. How we treat our underlings is also on the balance. In the Order of Things, bosses have a moral obligation to improve the overall person of those employees under their authority.